We are proud to say that a major part of Ultimaker's DNA is our strong community. They tirelessly help new members of the community get started and help us create the 3D printers and more that are now known. Today, we want to highlight a community member named Anders Olsson, who provided an ingenious design called the "Olsson Block".
Anders is an R&D engineer who works on experiments related to neutron particles. He uses Ultimaker 3D printers to print suspended devices and brackets that were previously difficult to manufacture using traditional methods, for experimental use.
Because neutron research can be dangerous to humans and machines, and neutron-absorbing material – boron carbide – is an extremely hard ceramic, also used in tanks and bulletproof vests, it is used for shielding during neutron experiments. However, because boron carbide is so strong, it is also very difficult to make complex shapes, and researchers often have to choose toxic alternatives such as cadmium.
Anders decided to tackle this problem head-on using his experience and knowledge of 3D printing. First, he single-handedly created boron carbide filament that could be fed into his Ultimaker 2. However, he didn't know how it would print, so he started his first boron carbide print... and found that it printed very well!
But the only problem was that the existing brass nozzles were not designed for these non-pure plastic filaments. As a result, after just a few hours of printing, the hard boron carbide filament completely wore out the nozzle.
Replacing the nozzle was not a simple process, and Anders particularly disliked having to do it frequently, let alone every few hours. Therefore, to find a solution, he made a simple modification to the heater block design, allowing him to replace a new nozzle in seconds.
He posted his invention on the Ultimaker forum, and the community immediately went crazy for the incredibly good idea of the Olsson nozzle. Not because they were also planning to print with boron carbide filament, but because the ability to easily replace nozzles gave them more application options than ever before.
As the community members exchanged this new invention, they also discovered that by changing the nozzle diameter, they could achieve finer prints or print faster. Or they could use separate nozzles for different materials, keeping the original standard nozzle for general materials, or switching to a stronger nozzle for more abrasive filaments. Within days, the community came up with countless new ways to use the Olsson nozzle, and named it "Olsson Block" after its inventor.
Now, to celebrate the community's successful invention, we've decided to give it to you for free! If you purchase an Ultimaker 2 or Ultimaker 2 Extended in November, we will provide you with a free Olsson nozzle kit to greatly enhance your Ultimaker printer's printing capabilities. The kit comes with 4 nozzles, from 0.25mm to 0.8mm. We look forward to seeing even more amazing models created!