3D Printing upgrades for a 3D printer

Mike Thomas

Created 26 May 2018, last modified 19 April 2022

Anet A8

Cover Image for 3D Printing upgrades for a 3D printer

Intro

This project was to take a cheap 3D printer and make it better by upgrading components and 3D printing improved parts.

Initial Upgrades

Semi-Circular Anet A8 Fan Duct

Fan duct from Thingyverse by user lokster

This was a required upgrade as the original Anet A8 fan duct started to melt.

Anet A8 Extruder Button

Extruder Button from Thingyverse by user TabLeft

To feed and remove the filament from the printer you have to press down quite hard on a small screw on the top of the extruder... this makes it a little less painful on the fingers.

Anet A8 T corner

Frame brace from Thingyverse by user Electrico

This didn't stiffen up the frame as much as I would like... to improve print quality, it was replaced by the Hulk Frame Brace for the Anet A8.

Cosmetic Upgrades

Anet A8 Tool holder

Tool holder from Thingyverse by user ArcanePath

A tool holder to conveniently hold the allen keys and screwdrivers that came with the kit, on the left side of the frame.

Anet A8: Tool Holder 2 (Right side)

Tool holder from Thingyverse by user ArcanePath

A tool holder to hold the spanner and side-cutters that came with the kit, on the right side of the frame.

Anet A8 Anti Z-Wobble

Anti Z-Wobble Adapters from Thingyverse by user Tissat

I fitted these to help stop the Z axis lead screws from wobbling at the top of the printer, however the wobble is intentional as lead screws are rarely straight. I am still using them as they do not seem to be causing any detremental effect to my prints, but I know a lot of people say they cause more issues than they solve so YMMV.

Anet A8 - M8 Nut Cap

M8 Nut Cap from Thingyverse by user Cyberlamb

Covers the unsightly M8 nuts at the front of the frame.

Anet A8 X axis belt holder

X Axis belt holder from Thingyverse by user kennethjiang

The stock way of attaching the belts is by folding the belt around some long screws on the back of the carriage and holding the ends together with cable ties. This makes attaching and adjusting the belt to the priner a little easier, as you no longer need to have the cable ties.

Anet A8 USB Holder

USB holder from Thingyverse by user bonezzz

A little holder for the Micro SD adapter that came with the kit. I mounted this to the screw at the top of the frame above the PSU.

Electronics Upgrades

Anet A8 - Micro SD Card Extension Cable Case with Card Storage

SD Card Extender from Thingyverse by user amrus2011

This allows me mount an SD Card Extender to move the SD card slot from the rear of the printer, to the front, to be able to easily insert and remove the SD card.

Anet A8 Electronics Case

Electronics Case from Thingyverse by user FqFKrazz

This electronics case was chosen as it is compatible with the Hulk Frame Brace for the Anet A8 and can house 2 Mosfets, one for the heated bed and one for the hotend.

The case, once installed really tidied up the printer's wires and made it easier to move around.

Anet A8 30A PSU Adapter

30 A PSU Adapter from Thingyverse by user David_en8

The bolt pattern to mount the stock 20A power supply is different to the upgraded 30A supply, this adapter plate allows mounting the new supply without drilling new holes.

PSU Cover Remix

PSU Cover Remix from Thingyverse by user MakerDan55

The printer doesn't have an on/off switch, this PSU cover allows you to fit a fused socket with a switch and also covers the live mains terminals on the power supply for safety.

Rear Anet A8 mount for Raspberry Pi B with camera

Raspberry Pi Mount from Thingyverse by user Bksba

This mounts a Raspberry Pi to the rear of the frame behind the LCD, it also has a mount for a Raspberry Pi camera, to be used with OctoPrint

It is for the original Raspberry Pi B, which eventually became too slow to run the latest OctoPrint and was replaced with the new Raspberry Pi 3B+ version

Frame Bracing

Anet A8 Brackets to Reduce X-Axis Motion

X axis brackets from Thingyverse by user Mr_Dan

Stiffens up the top of the frame. Leo_N's version did not fit my printer.

Hulk Frame Brace for the Anet A8

Frame brace from Thingyverse by user Leo_N

Stiffens up the frame to reduce ripples in the print related to the X carriage moving from side to side.

Anet A8 Z Motor support

Z Motor support from Thingyverse by user ugge75

Supports the weight of the X-axis and carriage through the bottom of the Z stepper motors.

Frame brace for Anet A8

Frame Brace from Thingyverse by user Simhopp

I only printed the front frame brace from this, because I wanted the rear frame brace with integrated motor mount. Stiffens up the front of the frame allowing the belt to be tightened without bending the acrylic frame.

Frame brace with Y axis motor mount for Anet A8

Rear Frame Brace from Thingyverse by user ykimhi

Rear frame brace with integrated mount for the Y Motor. Stiffens up the space between the bottom parts of the frame allowing the belt to be tightened without bending the acrylic frame.

Anet A8 filament guide

Filament Guide from Thingyverse by user DRPrinting3D

I added this filament guide to stop the filament rubbing against the frame whilst printing.

Motion Upgrades

Anet A8 Improved X-belt Tensioner

Belt Tensioner from Thingyverse by user freemark

Belt tensioner to allow fine adjustment of the X-Axis belt. This has been replaced with a version that can accept a GT2 pulley with teeth.

Anet A8 Y belt tensioner

Belt Tensioner from Thingyverse by user CH35C0

Belt tensioner to allow fine adjustment of the Y-Axis belt. This has been replaced with a version that can accept a GT2 pulley with teeth.

Anet A8 toothed Idler conversion

Belt Tensioner from Thingyverse by user j0ker31m

3D printed inserts to add teeth to the stock smooth belt bearings. These were replaced by M3 16 tooth GT2 pulleys when they eventually broke down and cracked mid print causing the print to fail.

Anet A8 X-belt tensioner for GT2 pulley

Belt Tensioner from Thingyverse by user Kommander92

Anet A8 Y belt tensioner for toothed idler

Belt Tensioner from Thingyverse by user musta

Anet A8 lightweight and unobtrusive X-axis cable chain

Cable Chain from Thingyverse by user juh

This was replaced by a different version after I upgraded to a touch screen TFT screen to increase the available Z-Axis travel.

Anet A8 Y-Axis Cable Chain v2

Cable Chain from Thingyverse by user papinist

A cable chain for the heated bed wires.

Anet a8 X-axis cable chain with z end-stop

Cable Chain from Thingyverse by user The_Random_Engineer

As I have removed the Z-Axis endstop when installing an Auto Bed Levelling sensor I replaced the cable chain motor mount with this version.

Cable Chain X Motor Mount

Cable Chain from Thingyverse by user AUREL_14

Improved linear chain to Extruder on Anet A8

Cable Chain from Thingyverse by user Starwhooper

I only used the long cable chain and links with holes to enclose the cables with cable ties from this.

Extruder Upgrades

Anet A8 Extruder Fan Spacer

Extruder Fan Spacer from Thingyverse by user AZDawg

Spacer for the extruder heat sink so that the fan does not splay out when the screws are tightened. This was replaced by the 3D Touch Mount.

Anet A8 BL Touch Mount

3D Touch Mount from Thingyverse by user spencerx4

A mount to hold my 3D Touch auto bed level sensor.

FLex Filament and easy filament change adapter for ANET A8

Flex filament adapter from Thingyverse by user ashrafau

An insert for the extruder housing to stop flexible filament from wrapping itself around the extruder gears.

Bed Upgrades

Anet A8 2 Piece Y Axis Belt Clamp

Y-Axis Belt Clamp from Thingyverse by user Gear_Down_For_What

A belt clamp to make attaching and adjusting the Y-Axis belt to the carriage easier.

Anet A8 Bed Level Upgrade

Bed Level Thumb Screws from Thingyverse by user Malcy

Thumb screws to encase the bed levelling wing nuts to make them easier to adjust. These was removed as my screws are not long enough when I installed rigid silicone bed mounts.

Anet A8 - Spring Bushing

Spring Bushing from Thingyverse by user Cyberlamb

Bushings to encase the bed levelling springs, to stop them buckling under tension. These was removed when I installed rigid silicone bed mounts in place of the springs.

Another Glass Heated Bed Holder for Anet A6&A8

Glass Bed Holder from Thingyverse by user aeozyalcin

My glass bed was just a bit smaller than the heated bed so I printed these to replace the small bulldog clips to hold on the glass bed.

These got a bit melty whilst printing with the hotter bed temperatures ABS requires. This made the screws a little loose, I held them in a while with a bit of nail polish but the repeated heat expansion always made them become loose over time.

I have remixed them to make them slightly thicker around the screw holes and modelled threads into the part, allowing the threads to hold on a little tighter.