This is a quick guide to do Ultimaker 2 SD card format on a computer. Follow easy steps to solve issues and get the SD card ready for use.
Ultimaker is a leading 3D printer brand from the Netherlands, popular in schools, factories, and design studios. Their printers build objects layer by layer using melted plastic (FDM technology). When using models like the Ultimaker 2, you'll often load your 3D print files from an SD card.
What format should my SD card be for Ultimaker 2 3D printing? For the Ultimaker 2 to recognize the card and read your files properly, the SD card must be formatted using the FAT32 file system. This specific format is essential for the printer's older controller to work correctly. While FAT32 can technically handle very large cards, it's best to use a smaller, standard SD card between 8GB and 32GB in size (an SDHC type) for reliable performance.
SD Cards larger than 32GB, even if formatted to FAT32, can sometimes cause problems like SD card not showing full capacity. So, for smooth printing on your Ultimaker 2, stick with a smaller SDHC card and ensure it's formatted as FAT32 using your computer's tools before loading your print files.
To make sure your Ultimaker 2 can read your SD card, the card must be formatted in the FAT32 file system. However, Windows built-in tools often don’t allow formatting SD cards larger than 32GB to FAT32. This can be a problem if you're using a bigger card. Fortunately, AOMEI Partition Assistant offers an easy and effective solution. It can format large SD cards, even those up to 2TB to FAT32 without issues.
The software is simple to use, even for beginners, and helps avoid common errors like the printer not recognizing the card, the type of the file system is RAW on SD card, or it showing the wrong storage size. With AOMEI, you can prepare your SD card properly for smooth and stable 3D printing on the Ultimaker 2.
The Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer
Step 1. Download AOMEI Partition Assistant, install and run the program. Insert your SD card into your computer via SD card reader and verfiy it is detected successfully.
Step 2. Right-click the SD card partition and select Format Partition.
Step 3. Choose a File System for you SD card, hit OK.
Step 4. Press Apply at the upper left corner to format your SD card.
If your SD card is smaller than 32GB, you can also use the following tools to format it to FAT32.
File Explorer is a resource management tool provided by the Windows system. We can use it to view all files and folders on this computer more clearly and intuitively. You can use Windows File Explorer to format SD card.
Step 1. Insert the micro SD card into the computer and you can see the added partitions.
Step 2. Right-click the card and select "Format", select "FAT32" in the popped window, then tick "Quick Format" and click "Start" to start formatting.
Disk management is dedicated to helping users solve some disk problems, it can extend, shrink and delete partitions. Besides, it can also be used to format SD card to FAT32, the detailed steps are as follows:
Step 1. Press "Windows+R" and input "diskmgmt.msc" in the pop-up window.
Step 2. Right-click the target drive, click "Format".
Step 3. Select "FAT32" in the menu and tick "Quick Format", then click "OK".
DiskPart is a command-line utility, by entering and executing commands, it helps users to directly manage disks, partitions or volumes on Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7. If you need to format SD card to FAT32 for Ultimaker 2, please refer to the following steps:
Steps 1. Press "Windows + R", type "Diskpart" and click "OK" to open diskpart.
Step 2. After opening diskpart, type the following commands in turn:
• list disk (All disks in your computer will be listed, you will need to determine which drives need to be formatted based on their size.)
• select disk 1 (Select the disk that contains the SD card.)
• list partition• select partition 1• format fs=fat32
Step 3. Wait for a while to complete the commands.
To ensure your 3D printer reads your card correctly, it's important to do Ultimaker 2 SD card format. For best results, use a standard 8GB–32GB SDHC card, as larger cards may cause compatibility issues. If you're using a card larger than 32GB, tools like AOMEI Partition Assistant make it easy to format it to FAT32. For smaller cards, you can use Windows File Explorer, Disk Management, or DiskPart. Proper formatting helps avoid errors and ensures smooth, reliable 3D printing with your Ultimaker 2.
The Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer
