Heated Bed Plate

These instructions apply to the Ultimaker 2, Ultimaker 2 Extended, Ultimaker 2+, and Ultimaker 2 Extended+.

The Ultimaker 2+ Connect uses different electronics components than its predecessors. For help with a 2+ Connect, please reach out to our support team here. 

Before you begin, make sure to remove your reel holder and filament from the back of the printer and unplug the machine. You should also remove your glass bed. If you're replacing the heated bed plate only, see the first set of instructions. If you're replacing the heated bed plate and cable, see alternate instructions.

Before you begin, make sure to remove your reel holder and filament from the back of the printer and unplug the machine. You should also remove your glass bed.

Heated Bed Plate and Cable

1. With the bed lowered, remove the left corner cover. One screw is located on the left panel, below the Y-motor. The other is located on the back panel, below the feeder motor. They're identified on the screw diagram as the Left Cover screws. Take the cover out of the printer.

2. Raise the bed by lifting it towards the back of the bed, or turning the Z-screw by hand. Lay your printer on its side or back. To avoid cosmetic damage to the panel, make sure your printer is on a clean work surface.

3. Remove the two screws (indicated in blue) that hold the electronics cover on using the 2mm allen key. You will need to hold the two lock nuts (visible on the underside) with pliers or a nut driver. Take the cover off and set it aside.

4. You will have to take the electronics board off the bottom panel in order to replace the heater cartridge wires. Because the flat cable that goes from the display to the electronics board is so short, it's best to disconnect them. The ports are labeled EXP1 and EXP2. Make sure the cords themselves are labeled correspondingly so they get plugged in correctly when you are done. Remove the four screws holding the electronics board; these screws are indicated in red on the photo below. Each screw has a black spacer on it. Collect them and put them safely aside.

5. Unplug the wire in TEMP 3.

6. Now you disconnect the old heater cartridge. There are three green terminal blocks on the right side of the board; the bed heater wires are grey. They are plugged into HEATED BED. Depending on which version of the board you have, you may have flathead screw terminals for the connectors, or a spring loaded  connection. If the top of the green terminal block is silver, it's a screw connection, if it's orange, it's spring loaded. The most recent boards have orange spring loaded connections; to open it, push down on the orange part with a flat head screwdriver and pull the wires out. 

7. Gently set the machine upright again, being careful not to set the printer on top of the board. Remove the two screws that hold the black clip securing the cord to the thick metal base plate of the bed. Pull the black bed cable up through the bottom panel. 

8. Unscrew the three thumb screws visible on the underside of your build plate and set them aside. The washers between the bed plate and thumbscrew may come away with them, or may be stuck to the bed plate (there is copper grease on them). Don’t be alarmed. 

9. Lift the heated bed plate and pull it out of the printer through the front panel, cord and all, being careful of the springs and glass clips, and set it aside.

10. Take your new plate and cable. If you are holding the plate so that you can see the underside with the Ultimaker logo on it, the thin wires on the new cord go in the connectors labeled PT100. The thicker wires go in the connector labeled HEATER. The wires fit into place with a push fit connection as seen below.

If your connector has a black terminal block instead, please contact Support for alternate instructions.

11. Using a pair of pliers or a nut driver, remove the lock nuts from the back of the original bed plate so you can remove the rear bed clips and get them seated on the new bed. Slip the bed clips into place at the back of the new bed and tighten the lock nuts into place.

12. Reinstall the plate. The thumb screws should stick up just above the base plate. There should be a spring on each. Start with the back screw in the middle. Get it started into the thumb screw and screw all of your thumbscrews until the springs are at medium tension. On each of the front corners, place a glass clip between the spring and the upper heated plate before starting the screws. 

13. Replace the black cable clip, securing the bed cable in place with the clip over the sleeve.

14. Curl the cord over and then under and back before feeding it down below the printer through the hole in the corner; it should look like a backwards C. Set the printer on it's back or side again.

15. Plug the new heater wire into the electronics board. Feed the wires under the board so they will be on the outside of the board when it is reattached to the bottom panel. The spring must be depressed in order to insert the new heater cartridge wires. When you put the new wires in, make sure the insulation is not in contact with the inside of the terminal block. The metal of the wires needs to have a solid contact.

16. Plug the temp sensor in to TEMP 3.

17. Now we can put the board back on the printer using the four longest screws (25mm) and the four black spacers. Start with the bottom two screws. Place them through the bottom panel and put a spacer on each one. Lift the board so the power switch is at the bottom. Carefully place the board so that the power switch, cable terminal, and the power cord terminal set neatly in the cutouts on the back panel. Make sure none of the wires are pinched under the board and that the only wire that goes between the board and the panel is the blue/orange one. Get the bottom two screws started into the posts. Then carefully do the same for the top screws and spacers. Avoid bending the board back. Before tightening all the screws down, set the board so that the bottom edge is flush with the back panel. Now tighten the screws.

18. The flat cables on the left side that you removed earlier are not interchangeable, although they look the same. Plug the wire labeled 1 into EXP1, and the wire labeled 2 into EXP 2. The flat part of the connector goes toward the board. The part of the connector with the protrusion goes toward the panel.

19. Put the covers back on. Let's do the one that goes over the board first. Make sure the flat cables (EXP1 and EXP2)  the LED wire (red/black) exit through the opening on the top left of the cover. Do not pinch the wires. There is an opening on the bottom right for the x-motor wire, z-motor wire, and z-stop wire. Do not pinch the wires. There are tabs on the cover that go into each of the three adjacent panels. Secure the cover with the larger of the screws you have left (12mm) and two locknuts which you will need to hold with pliers or a nut driver. You can stand your printer up now.

20. Stand the printer back up. Lower the bed and then put the corner cover in place. Using the two screws you have left (8mm), secure the cover (one screw in the side panel, one screw in the back panel).

21. Plug the printer in and power it on. Perform a manual leveling in the menu under System   Build Plate   Manual Leveling to make sure the bed is level. You may need to adjust your thumbscrews.