Flashforge offers two desktop 3D printer kits, the Dreamer and the Dreamer NX. Both printers offer excellent features, including safety and temperature control. However, we are going to compare the differences based on extruders, print volume, and temperature control. We will base our recommendation on user skill level and project requirements.
Flashforge Dreamer
A 3D printer with a smaller build volume, the Dreamer offers fast printing speeds with high levels of detail. It features a full enclosure, dual extrusion system, and compatibility with a wide variety of materials.
Temperature Control
The Dreamer is a fully enclosed printer. Considered safe and highly accurate, it comes equipped with a door on the front and a removable top lid. These features prevent heat from escaping and dust from entering the build chamber. This enclosure is particularly helpful when working with harder-to-use materials like ABS, which is known for warping.
Flashforge also claims that the printer’s built-in heat-controlling sensor activates to stabilize the temperature in case it gets too hot or too cool. This ensures that the temperature inside the chamber is consistently warm enough for ABS or cool enough for PLA.
Dual Extrusion
The main feature of this printer is the dual extrusion system. It allows for printing with multiple colors or for adding support materials like PVA and HIPS to make more complex projects. Each nozzle has an individual turbofan to cool the filament as it extrudes. The Dreamer can achieve resolutions of 100 – 500 microns due to its 0.4 mm nozzle diameter.
Other Major Features
The Dreamer is compatible with materials such as ABS, PLA, TPU, PETG, HIPS, and exotic materials. It offers a smaller build volume of 230 x 150 x 140 mm. Made of 6.3 mm thick space-grade aluminum, the build plate allows for the even distribution of heat.
This model also features quiet printing. Connectivity options include a USB port, an SD card reader, and WIFI capabilities. Printing speed is 200 mm per second and does not slow down on projects with a lot of fine details. The Dreamer also offers 4 GB of onboard memory for saving prints directly on the unit.
The Dreamer has filament storage chambers located inside the build chamber. This keeps the filament at a higher temperature and removes moisture, increasing the lifespan of the material. Additionally, it is a space saver. These chambers only accommodate 0.6 kg bundles of filament so if users want to use anything larger, they will have to use the side hatches on the printer.
The printer is open source, not limiting users to just Flasforge’s proprietary cutting software FlashPrint. They can use whatever software they want from Third Parties.
A 180-day warranty comes with the printer. Users can opt to sign up for the ProCare Extended Warranty to extend this up to 12 months. Flashforge also offers a high-caliber customer service team to help with all problems that may come up with the printer.
Flashforge Dreamer NX
The Dreamer NX is a versatile 3D printer that works with a variety of materials. It offers temperature control technology, a fully enclosed setup, and a heated print bed.
Like the Dreamer, the Dreamer NX is a fully enclosed 3D printer. It also offers an identical build volume of 230 x 150 x 140 mm. The Dreamer NX is also like the Dreamer in that it offers WiFi, an SD card reader, and a USB port as connectivity options.
While the Dreamer is a dual-direct drive extruder printer, the Dreamer NX is only a single extruder printer.
Temperature Control
This model uses a constant temperature circulation system. When the chamber temperature exceeds 50°C, the built-in sensor automatically activates the fans to cool the print chamber to a more stable temperature for the best 3D prints.
The heated print bed heats up to temperatures of 120°C and evenly heats across the entire bed. This allows for greater adhesion and reduced warping. The patented extruder comes equipped with an inner turbofan that cools the filament as it extrudes.
Other Major Features
The Dreamer NX offers print speeds up to 200 mm per second and print layers as small as 50 microns. It works with PLA, ABS, TPU, and PETG filaments.
Shortcomings
The downside to this printer is the lack of a filament run-out sensor. If the machine runs out of filament in the middle of a print, the printing will not stop, ruining the model. Additionally, there is no automatic bed leveling. With a fully enclosed chamber, accessing the bed to complete the leveling process can be difficult.
Our Recommendation
While both printers offer excellent features, we are going to go over the differences before users commit to purchasing either one. The Dreamer offers safety and advanced technology. We recommend this printer for beginning users who want to get experience with dual extrusion. This printer is perfect for them because they will not have to assemble it or continuously tweak it.
On the other hand, the Dreamer NX is slightly simpler with only one extruder. It offers safety and temperature control with its enclosure. We recommend this printer for hobbyists and new users.