3D Printer Manufacturer Ultimaker is Going Global! Official Announcement Coming Tomorrow

Founded in Geldermaisen, Netherlands in 2011 by Martjin Elserman, Siert Wijnia, and Erik de Bruijn, Ultimaker has quickly established themselves as the leading consumer level FDM 3D printer manufacturer in Europe. Ultimaker has been to residents in Europe, what MakerBot has been to those in the United States.

Last week, 3DPrint.com was informed that something exciting would be coming from Ultimaker within a few days, more specifically on September 16th (tomorrow). The company proceeded to also post some rather interesting teasers on the internet, for all to see. The only hint that we were given, up until today, was that the headline at the top of the site read “Going Global”.

Today, Ultimaker posted their final teaser video, which shows an Ultimaker 2 3D printer printing a round ball wearing sunglasses. At the end of the teaser we are shown two 3D printed balls as well as a 3D printed replica of an Ultimaker 2. The ball on the left is colored in a similar manner as the national flag of the Netherlands, while the one on the right is representative of an American flag.

While no official announcements have been made quite yet, it is very evident from the title “Going Global” as well as the American flag shown at the end of the video, that Ultimaker will be coming to the US sometime soon.

Previously it has been rather difficult for Americans to get their hands on an Ultimaker 3D Printer, as the machines typically were not targeted toward US consumers. Those who were able to purchase the printers from 3rd party suppliers or directly through the Ultimaker website, unfortunately had to pay high import/duty fees, along with high shipping rates due to the long journey overseas. On top of this, many customers’ credit card companies charged them with currency conversion fees since the 3D printers are sold priced in euros rather than dollars. On top of this, the wait times for US orders have been substantially longer due to shipping times.

This impending announcement from Ultimaker, if what they appear to be teasing turns out to be true, will make it significantly easier and more affordable for US residence and others in North America to get their hands on Europe’s most popular 3D printer. It should be interesting to see how much their printers catch on, on this side of the pond.

The latest Ultimaker 2 is priced at €1,895.00 which is approximately $2,452, while the original Ultimaker sells for €995 ($1287) unassembled or €1495 ($1924) completely assembled. I am intrigued to see what their official American dollar price tags will end up being.

The Official details are coming tomorrow, and it will certainly be interesting to see what the announcement entails. Perhaps some retail partnerships? Maybe some sort of exclusive US deal? Only Ultimaker knows for sure.

What do you think? Will you now be considering the purchase of an Ultimaker or Ultimaker 2 3D printer in the US? Discuss in the Ultimaker Going Global forum thread on 3DPB.com.  Check out the latest teaser video below, and stay tuned to this post, as we will be updating it as soon as the official announcement hits!