FF Dreamer Inquiries

[thevaporhouse]

Hello All-
Been reading through some post and looking to do some 3d printing. I am a Roland Digital Technician at my day job. I repair/install large format digital printers used to make large billboards prints you see on the side of the road. I have been installing and repairing these machines for 13 years. I am a nerdy technical guy that is always looking for ways to assist my actual business which is in the Electronic Cigarette business. I own two vapor stores that my wife and I run with the help of our great employees. We build our own box mod units and want to get into 3d printing to assist in the creation of the battery sleds and boxes. I have attached a picture of what we are wanting to build using the printer. We are not looking to produce tons of these units, but we do want to make these units to help save on cost of purchasing the parts from companies that charge way to much. If the printer works well then we will most likely increase machine count to produce these pieces.

With all of that said--considering I am new to this form of printing, I have been looking all over the net for a reputable company and machine. I am looking to buy a FF Dreamer unit. I would like to know the thoughts of the members who own these machines. I have also looked at the MB Replicator 2 machine. But wanted to get some unbiased opinions before I went on and dropped $5 Grand on a Printer, Scanner, Spare parts, and 1 year warranties on both units from MakerBot.

I saw the FF unit and while the price is cheaper, we all know that cheaper isnt always better. Usually your getting what your paying for. I would also like your thoughts on the MakerBot Digitizer and is it really needed right now? I already have files in the .stl format of the boxes and sleds. But of course to make it my own I will want to edit, so thats why I figured having a scanner would be a good option. I am sure you all understand what I am asking so please provide your thoughts and concerns.

First pic is obviously a 3D Printed Piece
Second pic is what we actually build with a heavy metal box and expensive

Thanks for the opinions in advance

[mthompson]

Glad you like my 3d design/print from my Flashforge Pro printer. And based on the image you posted, you must be in BoxModders. Your shop should check out www.usaohmmeters.com

[jfkansas]

I would go with the Creator Pro if anything. It is a good machine and is more "open source" than the Dreamer. There are also some inherent design flaws on the dreamer regarding the location of the thermocouple terminating inside the machine. This can give off errant extruder temp readings if you print with the machine fully enclosed. The Creator Pro doesn't have this problem. The dreamer looks pretty though, but looks can be deceiving... The actually mechanics of both are very similar.

Makerbots Replicator 2 has been discontinued as far as I know so you might have a hard time finding a new one. The Gen 5 has many issues and should be avoided. The Creator X/Pro is a clone of the Replicator and is priced very competively. If you have a Microcenter near they sell the Powerspec 3d printer that is essentially a Creator pro. They sell it for 799. It has been reported that it has a weak power supply compared to the pro. However, that can be changed out for far less than the $550 price difference.

[thevaporhouse]

MThompson--Yes I am a modder. I also own a vapor store. I build boxes currently and really wanted to get a printer to make sleds and boxes may or may not be an output option. But its nice to know that you have files to offer for that. Your box with the recessed 510 is absolutely awesome.

JFKansas-- I ended up getting a FF Creator Pro & a FF Creator. The reviews for those machines were very good and they looked to be solid build wise. I have been playing around with the Matter & Form scanner and surprisingly the scan quality is great after meshing. I will be using Simplify3D software because the reviews and recommendations all say to use it. I know I will have some really crappy results until I figure it out..but hey, we all have to learn sometime.