Ultimaker launched a web-based marketplace with the release of Ultimaker Cura 4.5. Introduced in 2012, the open-source slicing software prepares 3D models for printing. The company is reporting that the site has more than 600.000 active users per month, preparing 2.000.000 print jobs per week at the end of 2019 – twice as much compared to 2018.

The Ultimaker Marketplace offers users access to plugins for industry-standard software platforms, such as a direct integration of several CAD software solutions into Ultimaker Cura, and more than 110 optimized printing profiles for third-party materials. The release of Ultimaker Cura 4.5 offers an improved user experience and seamlessly connects the Ultimaker Marketplace with Cura. New cloud functions associate the selected plugins and optimized printing profiles directly with the user account after logging in online. This means that all settings remain available and synchronized regardless of which workstation is used, without needing to open Ultimaker Cura beforehand.

Other new features, contributed by smartavionics, in Ultimaker Cura 4.5 include:
• Fuzzy skin outside only. When enabled, this option prevents fuzzy skin from being printed inside holes, allowing printed parts to fit easily over objects – useful for printing grips or similar applications.
• Brim distance. This setting allows users to define a gap between the brim and the model, resulting in easier brim removal and reducing chances of leaving blemishes or damage to finished prints.
• Skin edge support. Two settings that make it possible to add an extra line inside the infill that better supports the edge of a print’s skin.

Ultimaker
www.ultimaker.com