Anet 8 3d printer

Since childhood, I liked to create, design. Lego was my passion. When I first heard about 3D printing and printers, I realized that this could be my hobby as an adult.

However, a few years ago, 3D printing technology was quite new and buying a 3D printer clearly did not fit into my budget. That is why, when I heard that now you can buy a 3D printer for $190, which is close to $1000 models in terms of print quality, I was surprised and delighted.

This 3D printer is called Anet A8 and is manufactured by Anet in China. The A8 garnered very positive reviews on the internet, so I bought it and present my own review below.

Anet A8 is a DIY 3D printer that you build yourself. Judging by the reviews in many reviews on the Internet, if properly calibrated and upgraded, in terms of print quality, it approaches expensive top models. In addition, even a person who has absolutely no design experience can assemble it.

In the review below, the Anet A8 is being tested from a beginner's point of view. Can this cheap $170 3D printer produce good results?

Probably, if you are also a beginner, you have questions like how safe it is to use, will I burn the apartment, etc. I will also address these questions.

Specifications Anet A8

Anet A8 is a DIY 3D printer that costs in the $170-200 range. This model makes it possible to print 3D objects from various materials, completely different shapes. It can print with any materials, but is best adapted to the use of the most common PLA and ABS plastics.

Anet A8 specifications are shown below.

3D printer	510 x 400 x 415 mm 415 mm
Packaging size	510 x 400 x 415 mm
Press 3D	8.5 Kg	8.5 Kg	8.5 Kg of	9.12 kg
Print size	220 x 220 x 240 mm
Maximum 3D print speed	100 mm/C
Excoptic diameter	0.4 mm
Layer thickness	0.1-0.3 mm
Positioning along XY	0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0. 0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0ART Z-axis	0.004 mm
Diameter of 3D printing material	1.75 m
Body material	Acrylic
Printing table material	Aluminum

Where can I buy Anet A8?

This review uses an Anet A8 3D printer ordered from China from Gearbest. Delivery took about two weeks.

If you find this model in online stores in Kyiv, Moscow, St. Petersburg or Minsk, then it will certainly be with a decent markup compared to Gearbest.

Therefore, if you are ready to wait 2-3 weeks and save a quarter of the cost, then I recommend:

Buy Anet A8 with delivery from China

How does it work?

Uses FDM 3D printing technology. The main nodes of Anet A8 are shown in the figure below.

Assuming you have it pre-calibrated, the basic steps for 3D printing are:

1. You turn on the power.
2. Preheat depending on the material used for 3D printing (Quick Setting> Pre-heat PLA/ABS).
3. Insert the material into the hole in the extruder. This may cause some difficulties.
4. Selecting a 3D model from the SD card in the SD Card > Print a file menu
5. The 3D printer warms up again and starts printing.
6. The extruder pushes through the material, which begins to melt.
7. The 3D printer moves along the X, Y and Z coordinate axes and feeds the melted material layer by layer onto the heated table.
8. After printing is completed, you will see 100% on the LCD screen, the job will stop.
9. You can remove the printed product from the table.

The photo below shows the disassembled extruder.

Imagine an ordinary printer. He prints on paper. The 3D printer does the same. He delivers the molten material to the table. The only difference is that the regular printer does not move up, but the 3D printer moves along the Z axis, laying down the material in layers, one on top of the other.

Important Newbie 3D Printing Questions

Below is a list of questions I asked myself before buying the Anet A8 and the answers to them.

• I'm new to the world of 3D printing... Can I assemble and use it? Relax, you can. There are step-by-step instructions and support from a large community. Just be patient and feel free to ask questions.
• Because I can't create 3D models. Don't worry. You don't have to be able to. There are a huge number of online resources where you can say 3D printable models for free.
• Is it safe to use Anet A8 in an ordinary apartment? It's safer if you use PLA plastic as it doesn't release toxic substances during printing unlike ABS.
• Can Anet A8 cause a fire? Yes, like any other electronic device, the 3D Printer can cause a fire. This is not a toy, so be extremely careful. To improve the security of use, there is a whole list of improvements. You should not invent a wheel, but just google and subscribe to the relevant groups on Facebook.
• What media should I use? Better to start with PLA plastic. It is easier to learn from it. Once you get comfortable, you can switch to other materials.
• Is it necessary to connect to a personal computer? You can control from a personal computer by connecting via USB, but Anet A8 can work as a completely independent device, reading model information from an SD card.
• Noisy 3D printer ? You will definitely hear how it works. There are Anet A8 upgrade options that will reduce noise and vibration.
• How firm are the printed objects ? It depends on the material used and the filling of the model.
• Can other materials be used? If you want to try something other than PLA or ABS, it is recommended to upgrade your 3D printer.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 :).

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 table 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.

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).

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.

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?

• 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;
• 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

assembly and setup instructions, print examples

Anet A8 autolevel is the most popular model among budget self-assembly 3D printers. Anet devices are an affordable and worthy alternative to the legendary Prusa i3 printer, which costs several times more. A distinctive feature of the series is that the printers are delivered completely disassembled. But this does not mean that the Anet A8 autolevel assembly is available only to professionals, because even a beginner can assemble a 3D printer on their own. Ease of assembly, low price and high print quality have made the A8 autolevel the best-selling model in the company's 3D printer line.

Anet A8 autolevel 3D printer overview

Description

First, let's get acquainted with the technical characteristics of the device. For clarity, we have combined the parameters of Anet A8 autolevel into a table.

dimensions ANET A8 Autolevel	510 × 400 × 415 mm
The device	about 8 kg.
Printer weight with packaging	Approx. 9 kg.
Printing, mm	220 × 220 × 220	0.4
Print layer thickness, mm	Up to 0.3
Positioning accuracy (XY axis), mm	0.012
Positioning accuracy (OSIS Z), mm	0. 004

9 Certains made of ACs made of ACs. Corps - from aluminium. Anet A8 uses FDM printing technology in its work.

The Anet A8 autolevel features a bright display, lightweight carriages and a vertical Z-axis to reduce stress on motors, lock shafts tighter and simplify maintenance.

In addition, support for offline printing via Micro SD cards is built into the budget A8 autolevel, which is especially important in the absence of a permanent connection to a computer.

Anet A8 autolevel is equipped with an autolevel sensor, with which you can adjust the height of the worktable relative to the extruder. As you know, the first layer affects the quality of the final product, so A8 autolevel has built-in firmware with autolevel support. This means that the user only has to assemble the printer, calibrate it and get to work.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages Anet A8 autolevel:

• semi-automatic calibration;
• USB and MicroSD support;
• bright display;
• low price;
• ease of maintenance;
• print function without connecting to a computer;
• a large number of modifications in the public domain.

Disadvantages of the device:

• lack of color printing;
• no parallel printing;
• no nozzle temperature software control.

As we can see, this self-assembly 3D printer has more advantages than disadvantages. Let's see how the manufacturer completed the A8.

What's in the box

The printer is shipped completely disassembled. It looks like this:

The manufacturer claims that the assembly process will not take more than 6 hours, even if you are assembling a 3D printer for the first time. So, here is what the Anet A8 autolovel is equipped with:

• printer frame assembly parts;
• transparent bag with nuts and bolts - 1 pc.;
• stepper motors - 4 pcs.;
• plastic stepper motor mounted on extruder - 1 pc.;
• linear bearings - 7 pcs.;
• device work table - 1 pc.;
• extruder fan - 2 pcs.;
• guide shafts and shaft threads;
• extruder heat sink - 1 pc. ;
• main board - 1 pc.;
• auto level sensor — 1 pc.;
• board with buttons and display - 1 pc.;
• limit switches - 3 pcs.;
• extruder - 1 pc.;
• power supply - 1 pc.;
• power plug for power supply — 1 pc.;
• wires for connecting electronics - 1 pc.;
• PLA plastic trial kit - 10 m;
• tools: screwdriver, hexagons, wire cutters - 1 pc.;
• 8Gb flash drive with software, drivers, links to instructional video instructions for assembling the device, projects for the first print.

The printer is packed quite securely: the parts are covered with a dense layer of foam, each component has its own cell in the box. Despite the low price, the quality of Anet packaging remained worthy.

Print quality

As we can see, the details are well done, the holes are cut almost perfectly even.

There is a little plastic hanging on parts without fixation, so the product will have to be modified.

Upon closer inspection, you can see that the gaps between the cells are clogged with plastic. Modernization lovers solve this problem with various improvements and experiments with consumables.

Elements of small size and simple shapes can be produced by a self-assembly 3D printer without obvious gaps and streaks. Thus, the fewer small details in the model, the better Anet A8 autolevel does the job. In general, for its price of $ 170-200, the printer prints excellently.

For whom?

A house was recently built in Dubai with 3D printed parts. Unfortunately, Anet A8 autolevel is not suitable for such large-scale goals, but it will become a reliable assistant for users who dream of mastering 3D printing, but have a limited budget. In our opinion, A8 is the best model for those who want to understand how a 3D printer works by assembling it by hand.

Anet A8 autolevel is perfect for education, office and home use. With it, you can print cartoon characters, create components for a designer or an exclusive toy.

The 3D printer can turn learning into a fun experience, so it will fit in both a teenager's room and a school office.

In geography lessons, Anet A8 autolevel will help to model the terrain, and self-created three-dimensional models of atoms, chemical chains and body parts will interest even the most sophisticated students.

Use the A8 to print visual tutorials, prototypes, aircraft models, souvenirs and interior items, decorative boxes and boxes, coasters and more.

This model does not have a color printing function, which allows users to sand and paint finished products, creating designer decorations and unique prototypes.

What materials are used in the work?

Anet A8 autolevel supports the following media: ABS/PLA/HIPS.

Getting Started Instructions

As we said, this model is self-assembly, but no paper instructions are included. The user will have to navigate through pictures and videos, so we will tell you how to assemble a printer and take the first step in the world of 3D printing.

Please note! The parts in the box are not packaged in a random order, but according to the assembly instructions. Do not get them ahead of time, so as not to get confused.

Let's start assembling:

1. We assemble the frame using parts, bolts and nuts. Components are conveniently sorted and signed.
2. We install the Y-axis motor and limit switch on the lower frame, fix the bearings for the belt and the studs for the axle.
3. Install the belt holder on the work table.
4. We tighten the belt and insert the heated aluminum table.
5. Moving on to the assembly of the Z axis: install two stepper motors and move on to the extruder.
6. This printer uses an MK8 extruder, which we install.
7. Install the display and power supply.
8. Let's move on to the board: most often, this model is equipped with the Anet A8 Mainboard V1.0 board, less often - Anet A8 Mainboard V1-5.
9. We install the board on the frame and proceed to connect the equipment to the board.
10. There are no connection problems: all wires are signed and have the correct length.
11. In the box under the USB cable are a flash card and a card reader, we'll use them later.
12. Assemble the filament spool holder.

The printer is assembled and ready to go, all that remains is to connect it to the power supply and make print settings. But let's not rush and bring Anet A8 autolevel to perfection:

1. Align the Z axis so that the sides of the drive shafts have the same state to the table or other surface on which the device is installed. To measure this distance, you can use a construction square.
2. Turn the Z axis screws to set the desired distance.
3. Set the Z-axis limit switch. The setting is necessary so that the extruder is at the right height without touching the table, but not too high.
4. Set the extruder to the desired height using the Z-axis limit switch mounts with slots to move the extruder up or down.
5. Adjust the height of the table with the adjustment screws. The table must be calibrated so that the sheet of paper inserted between the extruder and the table is slightly pressed.
6. Calibrate all 4 table corners and recheck all corners.
7. Sometimes when calibrating the corners, the neighboring one is slightly shifted. That is why we recommend checking the gap between the extruder and the table in the center of the working surface before the first start.
8. Let's check the operation of the engines. The menu has a function to move the axes without connecting to a computer.

The printer is now calibrated and ready to print as well as its more expensive counterparts. But in order for the quality of the finished products to pleasantly surprise you, you will have to work a little with the software.

Please note! The desktop is pasted over with paper tape. This is done so that the plastic sticks better to the surface of the table, so you should not peel off the tape.

Cura software has a wide variety of settings, allowing the experienced user to experiment and have full control over the 3D printing process. Numerous CURA settings can be useful, and some of them even improve the quality of work on Anet A8 autolevel.

Set up the slicer according to the instructions:

1. Install Cura by checking the box "Always trust software ...". Do not plug devices into the USB ports of the computer during installation.
2. We translate the program into Russian: Settings → Configure setting visibility...→ Preferences → Language → Russian.
3. Add Anet A8 autolevel: Options → Printer → Add Printer.
4. Set device parameters: width, depth and height of the printed area.
5. In the "Extruder" tab, set the diameter of the nozzle and compatible plastic.

This completes the basic setup of the Anet A8 autolevel: the printer is ready to go.

We tell you how to start printing from an SD card through the Cura program:

1. Start Cura. The workspace of the printer will open in front of us, and the print settings window will appear on the left. In the upper right corner we find the menu tab "File" → "Load model file" → the model in STL format.
2. Again we turn to the familiar menu “File” → Save GCode… → directory selection window.
3. Place the SD card in the printer's card reader.
4. Choose: Print file or SD card.
5. Anet A8 autolevel will start preparing for printing: the device will turn on the heating of the desktop, start the extruder, adjust the axes.

This completes the initial preparation for printing via SD card.

Important! If you decide to work through a computer, install the Ch440G driver from the flash card.

From the Printer Settings... drop-down menu, select Communication Settings. Opposite the "Serial port" line, you will need to set the COM # parameters (# is the port number on which the Ch440G driver is installed). In the form "Baud rate" set the speed: 115200.

After the settings for printing and connecting the device to the computer are completed, pay attention to the upper left corner of the program screen: instead of the floppy disk icon, a picture with the inscription USB will appear. You will need to click on this icon to open the computer and 3D printer connection status window. Press the print button to start the process: the device will start heating up the table and extruder.

To sum up: Anet developers managed to overcome the barrier between the client and the manufacturer by releasing a $200 3D printer that is not inferior in print quality to more expensive counterparts. The A8 autolevel model is available to every person who dreams of getting into the world of 3D printing, but has a limited budget. The printer is delivered completely disassembled, which means that its owner, one way or another, will have to master the assembly of 3D printers and start mastering 3D technologies.

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