Anet 3d printer parts

Before the arrival of my 3D printer Anet A8...

I wanted to get ready. Especially after the scary stories on the Internet about burned houses and apartments, I didn’t want to get stuck in the same one. nine0005

The first thing I did was to join two popular Facebook groups of Anet A8 owners. To be honest, it was not easy to find useful information in these Facebook communities. As a result, it all came down to surfing the Internet and tons of YouTube videos. YouTube has been especially helpful for me.

I also recommend you to educate yourself. Yes, you won’t be able to avoid all mistakes, but as a result, you won’t fall for many of them.

What's in the box?

When the 3D printer arrived, I was absolutely delighted. Anet A8 arrived in a large box that weighs about 10 kg. When you open it, make sure you do it from the front so that the parts do not fall out. nine0005

Box contains 3 layers of smaller plastic boxes. These boxes contain all the parts needed for assembly. There are really a lot of details. And it was especially nice.

The manufacturer also packs a screwdriver, 4 hex keys, pliers and even an SD card with a USB adapter. There is no specific sequence in the packaging of the parts, so it doesn't matter how you mix them when you take them out. Below is a list of Anet A8 parts.

Everything is packed very well. nine0005

The first thing that started to alert me was that there was no printed assembly instruction. But it turned out that it is on the MicroUSB card that comes with the kit.

Manual is written in Chinese and English. Consists of several folders on the SD card. The only printed part is an A4 sheet with a diagram of connecting electrical equipment to the control board. Everything else you will find in digital form.

Before starting assembly, you can check if all parts and assemblies are missing. Personally, I printed out a complete list of parts and checked everything. It turned out that there were even more screws and nuts than it should be. nine0005

It is also worth noting that in addition to the parts from the list, there were 10 meters of white PLA plastic in the kit. Since it's not in the parts list, I'm not sure if it comes in every box with the Anet A8. In any case, this will not last long, so you need to take care of the printing materials yourself. I'll talk more about the materials later.

Anet A8 assembly

I'll be honest with you. Seeing all the details, I was scared. How do I collect all this? In fact, it turned out that it is not as difficult as it seemed at first glance. You will need time, patience and focus. This is quite enough, even if you have never held a screwdriver in your hands. nine0005

In addition to the instructions on the flash drive, Anet has published three video instructions for assembling and getting started with the Anet A8.

• Assembly Video - Part 1 (Printer Frame Assembly)
• Assembly Video - Part 2 (Assembly of Remaining Parts and Electronics)
• Assembly Video - Part 3 - setup (this video shows the process of calibration and the first 3D printing)

The quality of the videos is quite good. According to them, it is quite possible to assemble a printer by 80%. The remaining 20% ​​must be specified in the instructions, because sometimes not everything is transparent. In general, if you are assembling from a video, I recommend checking all your steps with the instructions. nine0005

It took me 3 days to build Anet A8. Yes, 3 days. On the first day, I checked the presence of all components and parts and removed the protective films from all acrylic parts. After that, I started to assemble the frame. The process did not go as smoothly as expected. I assembled a few parts incorrectly because I ignored the instructions. After that, even despite the apparent obviousness, I still consulted the instructions. Probably, on the first day I spent 3-4 hours in total.

On the second day I wired up the electronics and added the rest of the frame. This is the hardest part. It took me 5-6 hours in total. Good thing you don't have to solder anything. All electronics and wires are connected directly to the main board. nine0005

Although I put everything together in 2 days, I turned on my 3D printer for the first time only on the third day. At the time, I hadn't watched the instructional videos, so when I turned on the printer, it put me in a slight stupor. I didn't really know what to do with him. How to calibrate it, when can I start printing? In general, if you are a beginner, be sure to watch the third video.

There are already some 3D printing files on the SD card. I recommend you start small, like Box-1.75mm PLA-A8 or something similar. I made the mistake of starting to print a large part that took a long time to print and used a lot of material. nine0005

In general, a day passed and Anet A8 was finally ready to print.

Important note. It turns out that there is a mistake in the first part of the assembly video. The metal H frame is installed incorrectly, causing the drive belts to be out of parallel. If you flip the frame, the straps will be parallel. In my experience, this has reduced the noise. Look at the photo below.

My first 3D print with Anet A8

After calibrating with the video instructions, I started the first print. In the photo below, you can see the result, which turned out to be (literally) too hot :). nine0005

I couldn't tear the result off the table. I didn't understand what happened either. In general, I turned off the 3D printer and went to Google.

So what happened? It turned out that the thermistor, a small wire that measures the temperature of the extruder, had come loose. As a result, it sent incorrect data to the main board and the nozzle heated up to 230 degrees. Since the optimal temperature for printing PLA plastics is 180-220 degrees, nothing good came of it.

By the way, the thermistor is one of the dangerous components that can cause a fire. So be very careful with him. Well, "the first pancake came out lumpy", but that's all - an invaluable experience for a beginner. It is unlikely that many people have such problems, but anything can happen.

After fixing the first problem, I started 3D printing again and watched closely. The beginning was inspiring, but at some point my model started to move... Now what???

Google told me my desk was not calibrated well. He also suggested to me that this is a standard mistake for beginners. As a rule, everyone wants to type faster and does not pay much attention to such seemingly trifles. But without calibration, you won't succeed. In general, this error was not a jackpot, which is already good. nine0005

Manual table calibration is the most boring and most important part for Anet A8 to work correctly. If the first layer does not fit well, then the part may come off at any stage. It is especially sad when this happens at 70-80 percent of the press.

Well, the first time it took me about 20 minutes to calibrate. I was guided by the third video assembly instruction.

The third launch was a success! It's hard to convey my delight when I saw that 3D printing runs smoothly, without failures. The model was printed for about 7 hours (mainly due to the fact that 100% filling is set). nine0005

During printing, I realized that the plastic would not be enough and I would have to change it without interrupting the 3D printing. Again, Google helped. The solution turned out to be very simple - just pause the print, take out the old plastic and add a new one. Resuming printing.

After 7 hours of waiting/watching, the model was ready. It looks, of course, far from ideal, but it was printed!

After the first success, I realized that it is better to print something less bulky first. So I downloaded a small Pikachu model (you can download free 3D printable Pokemon models if you're interested), scaled it up, and sent it to print. It took 30 minutes.

I later realized that this undulation was due to insufficient tension on the belts.

That's it, I was ready to conquer the new, wonderful world of 3D printing. I was very inspired by the idea of ​​modernizing my new miracle. Print parts to improve yourself? The concept is good, isn't it?

These were my next experiments. I printed two upgrades - button cap and a filament guide. After that... Another problem is my extruder got clogged . The material stopped coming out of it. Want to know what I did next? Yes, the Internet is still a wonderful thing...

In general, I had to take everything apart. In the photo below you can see what happened.

Do you think I fixed it quickly? Of course not. Like a real noob who ignores guides and instructions, I only made the situation worse.

If in a few sentences: the material is stuck, I tried to use tweezers to get it out. Naturally. I broke it and somewhere inside there stuck a small piece. My next step was the most fatal: I tried to melt it with a lighter and naturally singeed a teflon tube (English - ptfe tube) . Although this tube seems like a small thing, you won't be able to print without it. I cut off the burnt part, installed it back, but there was a slippage effect during printing. All in all, things got really bad.

This little tube is important! Its task is not only to guide the material in the extruder, but also to provide the right temperature so that the material does not melt before it reaches the nozzle.

What is the solution? I had to buy a new Teflon tube. But besides her, I immediately ordered more additional parts and assemblies that belong to the "must have" category. nine0005

Parts list below. If you are going to drink Anet A8, I recommend that you order these too. Most are the things $1-2 :

• ptfe tubes (highly recommended)
• 6X different size tips (highly recommended)
• Toothed belt (highly recommended)
• Printhead
• Thermistor

2 Last not necessarily. I bought it just in case and still have a basic thermistor.

What can you learn from my mistakes? nine0340

• Make sure the thermistor is connected;
• Table calibration is very important - this is what caused most of my problems during 3D printing;
• Belt tension is important. With poor tension, the model is obtained with a wavy surface;
• Buying consumables will save a lot of time and solve many problems in the future;
• Every little detail counts (eg Teflon tube). Do not consider yourself the smartest and be extremely attentive to details; nine0133
• The same material from different suppliers melts at different temperatures. So when you start using a new plastic, print this model first to check the optimum print temperature.

Anet A8 improvement

Several months have passed since the purchase of Anet A8 until this article was written. During this time, I learned a lot of information about my printer and 3D printing in general. And although I haven't done everything I wanted yet, many upgrades for the Anet A8 are already printed and in use. nine0005

After the modification, the print quality of the Anet A8 has really improved.

Below is a list of upgrades you can download for free from Thingyverse:

• Semi-Circular Anet A8 Fan Duct - improves air circulation;
• Extruder Button Anet A8 - after that you will not have to suffer pain every time you press the metal screw of the extruder;
• Filament Guide Horizontal - guides material more precisely into the extruder;
• Filament Guide - also guides your material into the extruder more accurately;
• T Corners - adds stability and reduces vibration;
• Improved X belt tensioner - helps to adjust the tension of the belts along the X axis. Much better than the basic design;
• Improved Y belt tensioner - Helps to adjust the tension of the belts along the Y axis. Much better than the basic design;

Of all the improvements listed above, I have seen the best results after replacing the belt tensioner. The video tutorial shows that the belts should not be too tight. But it's not. The stronger the tension of the belts, the less wavy surface of the 3D model at the output. nine0005

Plans to try other types of belts, such as fiberglass belts.

3D printed quality

In the photo below, I am proud to present you the 3D printed models. All of them are printed on Anet A8, with minor modifications and upgrades. If you compare them with the first results, the difference is huge.

This fish skeleton has moving parts. At the same time, it is printed as one model. Low bow to the author of the 3D model.

Empire State building 3D model is what I'm most proud of right now.

Function models can be printed. For example, stand for Kindle Paperwhite.

Another example of functional models - a printed holder for flash drives. Well, the last experiments with print quality.

The dragon on the left is the first experiment with painting a 3D model.

Software

You don't need 3D modeling skills to use the 3D printer. I am sure that if you create a 3D model yourself and then print it, the process becomes much more pleasant. But don't worry, it's not necessary. nine0005

The process is quite simple. You go to a website with 3D models. Probably the most popular one I've used is Thingyverse. After you have found a suitable 3D model and downloaded it, you need to unzip it.

Some 3D models are printed in one setup. Others consist of separate parts, which are then assembled or glued. Your next task is to import the model or individual part into the program's slicer. A slicing program is software that adjusts your model for your 3D printer. nine0005

Cura recommended for beginners. See the Anet A8 manual for information on how to set up Cura 14.07 to work with your 3D printer. I recommend starting with this version of Cura, as there is an instruction explaining how to set it up to work with Anet A8.

The first picture below shows the Cura 14.07 interface, the second one shows Cura 2.3.1.

In a slicing program, you can do a lot of things. Scale your 3D model, change print quality, speed, etc. A very useful feature - you can find out how much material you need, how much it will weigh as a result and how long it will take to 3D print. Naturally, these are approximate values. nine0005

All settings affect print quality to some extent. A very important parameter is the speed of printing. The higher the speed, the faster the part will be printed, but the quality will be worse. Here it is necessary to find the golden mean.

The photo below shows models printed at different speeds.

Can a newer version of Cura be used with the Anet A8?

Yes, you can update your software. Personally, I started with version 14.07, but when I got a little comfortable, I switched to version 2.3.1. There were no problems with this. The only thing is to update the settings. As a rule, the latest versions are better than the previous ones. Using Cura as an example, I noticed that version 2.3.1 renders objects much faster than 14.07. And the interface is nicer too. nine0005

Anet A8 display user interface

The Anet A8 is said to be suitable for beginners, but the display user interface is not as simple as one would like. Even after 2 months of relatively regular 3D printing, I can't remember all the features that are displayed on the screen. Probably, the manufacturer should pay attention to this and make the interface more intuitive.

Conclusions

My adventure with the Anet A8 can be described as a love-hate game. I really hate that I love my Anet :). There were moments when I just wanted to pull out my hair from the fact that you don’t understand what went wrong. And there was such that I literally jumped around for joy, marveling at the quality of the printed models. nine0005

But it's worth noting that most of the problems I've encountered are caused by my ignorance in the world of 3D printing and overconfidence (for example, the situation with a lighter and plastic stuck in the nozzle).

Yes, before buying, I read and tried to learn theoretically, but as always, the best learning option is solving practical problems.

I can confidently say that the Anet A8 is a 3D printer that will take some time to assemble and master, but you can achieve very good printing results. Would I recommend this model for a beginner on a budget? Definitely yes. But again, do not forget that for a good 3D printing result, you will have to spend some time and effort. You will have to slightly modify the base model and set up printing for material from a specific manufacturer. nine0005

The developers of Anet managed to overcome a very important barrier that was between the consumer and the manufacturer. Now you don't have to pay $700-2000 for a 3D printer. Apparently, 3D printing is becoming an increasingly competitive marketplace, which means that prices will fall and the number of innovations will increase every day.

Another big advantage of the Anet A8 (besides the price) is the large user community. Thanks to this, there is a lot of information on the Internet and the answers to most of your questions have already been clarified (especially in the English-speaking segment). nine0005

Top 5 extruders for 3D printer Anet A8

The

Anet A8 is a very popular 3D printer due to its affordability and wide customization options. This is certainly an interesting project that you can assemble yourself or buy as a set. Thanks to its affordable price and clear design, Anet A8 has long been the "people's 3D printer" and a great option to get acquainted with the intricacies of 3D printing.

Due to the extensive customization options, 3D printing results on the Anet A8 can vary greatly. And some modifications simply turn this model into an analogue of expensive 3D printers in terms of 3D printing quality. There are a lot of modifications on the Internet, and in this article we will touch on the modifications of one node - the extruder. Believe me, there are a lot of modifications to the Anet A8 extruder and they are worth discussing. nine0005

For example, the original design of this 3D printer does not include a duct fan to help direct air from the Anet A8 extruder fan to the nozzle. And air is needed to cool the extruded plastic and keep the 3D printer in proper working order. But there is also good news - Thingiverse already has a lot of mods for blowing. Here's a great one from a user named Arjjck.

One of the simplest mods is adding an extruder button to make it easier to use the 3D printer. This 3D printed button is definitely better than the standard extruder screw, which is almost impossible to press with your fingers. Such a simple 3D printed Anet A8 extruder button will save you the pain of changing 3D printing material. nine0005

Extruder replacement is one of the Anet A8 upgrades that can greatly improve 3D print quality, so let's take a look at the interesting options.

E3D Titan extruder

The E3D Titan extruder is ideal for those who want to print using different materials, not just PLA plastic. Lightweight E3D Titan reduces clogging and features specially machined teeth that are curved to grab fibers at right angles. The teeth improve the grip of the thread and increase the accuracy of its feeding. nine0005

This extruder has been manufactured to increase torque, reduce clogging and 3D print at higher resolutions. It is designed for use with the E3D v6 hotend, allowing you to print at higher temperatures, and the 3:1 gear ratio ensures more precise movement.

According to the manufacturer, this ratio gives the E3D Titan extruder the best performance in terms of accuracy and speed. Obviously lower gear ratios run too slow while higher gear ratios run too fast. Thus, the manufacturer concluded that a ratio of 3:1 is the best option, allowing the extruder to cope with the required degree of extrusion. The gear ratio increases resolution and promotes smooth 3D printing at low layer heights. nine0005

The extruder supports 3D printing with 1.75 mm and 3 mm filaments and allows the use of materials such as abrasive carbon fiber, TPU, TPE and a number of other harder plastics. The E3D Titan has a solid construction thanks to injection molded parts. Unlike other more clumsy extruders, the design details eliminate the possibility of wiggle and improve accuracy. In addition to being lightweight for more torque, the E3D Titan has been built to be easy to assemble or disassemble. nine0005

LulzBot Taz Single Extruder Tool Head v2

LulzBot TAZ Single Extruder Tool Head v2 comes with a solid metal hex and can withstand temperatures up to 300°C (572°F). Thus, you will not have problems with materials such as ABS, PLA and HIPS. You can also use materials such as T-Glase, polycarbonate, nylon, as well as various types of threads filled with stone and wood.

The extruder comes with two fans, one for the nozzle to help produce highly detailed prints, and one for the heatsink. The LulzBot Taz has gone through countless hours of testing and is a suitable replacement for the Anet A8 extruder. nine0005

Single Flexion Retrofit Kit Extruder

This extruder is much better than the standard Anet A8 extruder and guarantees high resolution and fewer failures. The Extruder Upgrade Kit includes precision machined components that give you the ability to print at full speed on flexible materials, using adjustable fine filament tension to maintain high 3D printing accuracy.

The Flexion extruder pushes the filament harder and the self-cleaning drive ensures no clogging during long 3D prints. This extruder uses a high rigidity lever to compress the filament, and an adjustable screw and cam is used to control the compression - for precise tension control. The Flexion extruder will work well with TPU, TPE, flexible PLA, Filaflex and Ninjaflex in addition to standard materials like PLA, PETG or ABS. nine0005

Flex3Drive Extruder

The Flex3Drive extruder is compatible with a wide range of hot ends and has a ratio of 40:1. With this ratio, it will print great first layers. It provides a direct feed to the hotend, but the motors are spaced apart to reduce moving mass and lighten the extruder. This results in smoother print head movement and reduces vibration.

This shaft-driven extruder is compact, small and fairly light. The extruder is equipped with cam-lock tensioners for constant material tension without the use of springs or screws. This is particularly suitable for tough materials, but there is an adjustable thread tension lever that does not require a firm grip. nine0005

Material loading is greatly simplified and the filament can be changed without stopping the 3D printing process.

Mounting the Flex3Drive hotend on the bottom of the extruder can be a pain, but worth it. This extruder is suitable for working with nozzles of the widest diameter. The drive gears are made on high-precision CNC machines, so there are no questions about the quality of the manufacture of these extruders.

Bowden Type Extruders

Well, here's the holi comrade on our list of the best Anet A8 extruders. Bowden type extruder. An extruder in a Bowden layout means that the hot end is physically separate from the extruder. Typically the extruder is mounted on the inside or back of the Anet A8 3D printer and works like a "remote" extruder in the same way as a direct extruder: grabs the material and pushes it. However, the main difference is that the thread must pass through the tube before it reaches the hot end. nine0005

The Bowden Extruder significantly reduces the weight that the carriage needs to move during 3D printing and reduces carriage vibration, backlash and twitching. This is because when the extruder (with its mounts and motor) is out of the way, only the hot end can move. Therefore, less momentum needs to be overcome, and this makes Bowden designs the best choice for 3D printing complex parts.

But this type of extruder has a downside. The separation of the hot end and extruder usually causes a delay or hysteresis. A longer material path means longer contact and more friction that the extruder must counteract. Therefore, the motors will need more torque to deliver the filament to the hot end. This makes it difficult to use Bowden extruders with flexible filaments. The longer path also means that the filament can warp, shrink, or stretch, resulting in inconsistent 3D printing. nine0005

While the Bowden extruder may work well on the Anet A8 3D printer, it may require some technical knowledge to install as the above issues may require certain settings in the 3D printer firmware. Hence, buying a Bowden type extruder can cause problems if you are not a true 3D printing enthusiast.

On the other hand, if you are confident in your skills and have no problem adjusting your 3D printer settings, the Bowden Extruder may come in handy. With the right settings, you can get cleaner and smoother 3D models.

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