I am from La Crosse, WI

Our Makerbot Replicator Duel Extruder was ordered April 17th, my estimates are June 25th and we will have one.

Contact me at http://www.couleetechlink.com 

Hey Rodney, 

We're unable to give out our customer's personal information but you should ask around on the MakerBot Operator's Google group!

https://groups.google.com/group/makerbot?pli=1

Hi Tracy

We have a Replicator Dual Extruder in Chicago.  In ten words or less, this machine is bi-polar and there is a lot of trouble shooting you will need to do.  Many files I download from Thingverse are corrupt, and some are amazingly awesome. 

Sooo......owning a Replicator  in 2012 is kind of like using the internet in 1992. 

I am in Peoria, IL. I have had my Replicator (version 1) since July, 2012. I have made many things with it: iPhone cases, wine goblets, several copies of the mini version of the "Barrel of Monkey's" game, custom refrigerator magnets of all sizes and shapes, a three hook grocery bag holder, and numerous other cool things. Not all turn out properly, and the build platform is a major headache to keep level. Sometimes I have problems with the filament wrapping around the spool holder and my print does not finish. Sometimes one of my extruders (I have the dual extruder model) will just simply stop pulling filament through. I have already replaced one nozzle due to my inexperience, and I have managed to mark up the build platform by not watching what I was doing with a particular print. So, with all this trouble, why do I still use the machine and love it? Because it really is easy to use if one employs a little common sense and imagination. Its a great machine, and getting better. If there is anyone in Illinois that would like some help or advice with their Makerbot, please feel free to contact me at tgiardina@toddsit. com.

Thanks!

I currently use a Replicator 2 In the Chicagoland area...  I have had it for 4 weeks, and have not been able to print anything with it that is not on the SD demo card.  I have tried to have patience, but with the removal of the HBP, which is still needed for large PLA prints in colder temps (like in IL and WI right now) or else it curls up and eventually detaches itself from the build plate.  Also, my nozzle has clogged, and I was shipped a warped build plate.  Oh, and support continues to be a nightmare...  NO PHONE SUPPORT.  NONE.  I feel like a flipping monkey trying to explain every nuance of this terrible experience to their support people.  I would be able to get resolution in minutes instead of days if Makerbot simply had a phone support system.

In short, if you  want an unpredictable headache, go with Makerbot Replicator 2.

if you want to come to la Crosse, WI we can help you get it running. It took us a while to be able to build bigger prints with our Replicator, curling was always a problem. 

Start with small prints.... thenw ork your way up 

I'm South of Chicago and have had a iffy experience. The first few prints went fantastic then I started to hear a clicking and then the machine stopped feeding the plastic. It was sporadic at best.  I spent about 8 hours of doing the exact same process of trying to get the feed set correct, adjusting the feed gear and tensioner. I found a few issues that should not be on the machine. But finally got it working. I printed about 20 hours more of stuff and now I'm having the same issues.

Makerbot support has been iffy at best. I've been waiting at least a week trying to find out why the sample files won't work properly after the firmware update. I'm pretty sure they will damage the machine as the feedrate goes crazy. Suffice it to say if I was to do it again I would of passed on this machine. IMO it's worth about 1k but not 2k. I would opt to try the cubify machine for half the price If it was me.

I live in Milwaukee WI and have had the curling issues and figured out how to get around the warped build plate.  I concur that a phone # would be significant improvement.  I've had two major issues so far with the machine - the second of which is still not resolved.  The first issue was feeding problems similar to Wade - but they ended up exchanging the extruder.  The second issue is the machine wigging out and making a significant racket and actually jumping to the left or right about a quarter inch and then continuing to build like nothing happened.  The support team requested a video of the machine malfunctioning which I just uploaded.

I tend to give these guys the benefit of the doubt because its a start up company.  3D printing is not a simple technology to implement.  I've worked in product development for years and I've had a lot of experience with high end commercial printers and honestly had a lot of the same issues.  My frustration with this machine is that it is so simple - yet so finicky at the same time.  I have a full machine shop in my house including a large metal lathe and Bridgeport milling machine (all of which I've completely disassembled and reassembled at some point).  I have no problems taking things apart and re-assembling them but I don't know if this is a viable business plan for the general public.  If my car fails I don't expect an email telling me how to pull out the fuel injectors.  I think the expectation they (Makerbot) setup is this thing was as simple as a laser printer but it makes real things.  In reality I find it not to be nearly as reliable.  I suspect they had problems transitioning from a wooden DIY kit to an actual ready made product.  When I look at some of the choices they made for components, for example cables or the filament boden tube I have to scratch me head a bit.  Clearly they didn't perform basic FMEA (Failure Mode Effects Analysis) on the product.  

In regards to the curling - I became rather frustrated with that myself.  The first thing I did is stopped using the plastic card they ship with the machine and I picked up a cheap set of feeler gauges (http://www.harborfreight.com/32-piece-sae-metric-feeler-gauge-32214...).  I removed the one gauge I needed and bent the end of the feeler gauge a little so I could grip it when adjusting the build plate - and most of my issues went away.  I also became rather frustrated with the warped build plate and had a piece of tempered glass cut to size and machined a small plastic plate to compensate for the thickness difference.  The PLA does not stick to the glass, but I just use the blue painters tape and haven't had any issues in that regard.  

Feel free to contact me at contumaciousluddite@gmail.com