I’ve also been interested in acquiring a 3D printer for quite a while to create new, more complex and precise things with materials other than wood and epoxy resin, such as plastic and composite filaments. You may remember from one of my previous blog posts that I recently purchased a 3D CNC machine from Inventables, called X-Carve. I’m really getting now into this automated machine 3D making.
I think it’s fascinating! Don’t you? And yes, this too will require I learn new design software skills and the technical language that goes with it. And that is, for me, where the fun is. Here I’ll share with you the steps I took to research, select, buy, assemble and eventually use the Anet A8 3D Printer.
I’ve been watching this technology evolve over the years and I believe this is the right time for me to get in. A few years back, the promise of open source technology was exciting and it has delivered beyond my expectations. While I’m very familiar with digital and analog electronics, servo motors and machine language, the early models were interesting but pretty rough and basic first generations 3D maker machines, in my opinion. In the last decade, thanks to the minds of brilliant people, open source and collaboration around the world, 3D printing has evolve into an accessible means for millions of people to make real what was before only in their imagination. The collective human creativity through user friendly design and 3D printing software can now make those things real! And in a very short time.
For me, though, it has to have both an educational and practical value. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even bother. I don’t want to print another pencil holder. Yes, it can do that easily. But, why bother? In other words, do something interesting that will give me the ability to create something new, from vision to completion.
With that in mind, I set to look for a 3D printer that whas not an out of the box marvel but rather one I’d have to build, upgrade and tinker with to make it better. This would allow me to learn not only what it can do but also how it could do it. A strong user community was also important to me. At the same time, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money in case it wasn’t yet what I was hoping it would be.
Thanks to the many forums like Thingiverse, GitHub, Instructable, 3Dxyz, the search was easily narrowed down to a few. Prusa, Anet and Ultimaker. At the end, I selected the Anet A8 because it had the attributes I needed from a 3D printer with the lease compromises. And yes, some assembly is required! Fortunately, there are “How-To” videos to help along the process. The Anet-A8 photo to the right is the stock version.
Here are some photos of my assembly process. While the printer has very good capabilities out of the box, I did some immediately required upgrades for safety, performance and reliability during the initial assembly, such as:
- Mean Well Power Supply (A more powerful, reliable and precise power supply)
- 14Gauge Silicone Tinned Copper Wire (Flexible/High Temperature Resistance)
- Dual Mosfets, one for the Heatbed, the other for the Hot End (Improved Current & Voltage Supply)
- Prusa MKII Heatbed with Borosilicate Glass (More even heat dispersion and adhesion)
- Aluminum Y Carriage Plate (More rigid and stable carriage)
- Igus Drylin Solid Polymer Bearing (Smoother ride on travel rods)
- WINSINN Heatbed Leveling Springs and Screw Knobs (Thumb savers when making bed adjustments)
- Fiberglass Reinforced Rubber Belt (Less stretching and wear when tensioning)
These are photos of my first prints using a Cura slice sample provided by Anet with the printer:
Below is a video of the first upgrade I made using an existing file in Thingiverse to mount the two Mosfets to the Anet A8 acrylic frame.
Below is the current state of my Anet A8 transformation, now with an aluminum frame and enclosure to help achieve better ABS prints. Also featured is the new electronics enclosure. These and many other upgrades I made were designed by others (I’ll share all and explain each in more detail in future blogs) and are the recommendation of more experienced users to improve safety, durability, reliability, performance, print adhesion and quality with a variety of filaments. The best part is you make modifications based on your needs and personalization preferences. For example, the fancy fan covers are not really needed but they look cool to me!
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