ANET A8 Strain Relief Collection (Extruder, Heated Bed, Control Board)

thingiverse

This is my collection of ANET strain relief, belt holder, and rod holder parts for the A8 machine. This is for the A8 Plus but some parts should also work on other variants of the A8. See my YouTube video below for the use and installation of these parts during my assembly of the printer. The ANET A8 Plus is an entry level printer and its smaller predecessor, the A8, had been based on the Prusa i3 machines. The A8 plus adds volume with a build size of 300mm x 300mm x 350mm which is quite generous considering the low cost of this machine. The frame is an all metal extrusion construction making it very stable and stiff. It comes with a direct drive extruder, heated print bed, and simple LCD screen. Overall this kit is fairly simple to assemble, however, it will take you some time to do. Pay close attention to the details while assembling to get the most of out of your printer later. Also, keep a close watch on the quality of parts as you are likely to get some sub-par quality parts in a kit with a price this low. Don't expect a turn key printer out of the box, and do expect to have to get creative at times. My biggest complaints about this machine is the lack of strain relief, no wire management, and lack of grommets for wires passing through metal enclosures. The heated bed connector and cable is also inadequate for the application. I would be happy to pay more for a printer that addresses these issues. I have tried to rectify some of these problems with my own design files that you can find here: ► YOU ARE HERE That being said, this printer prints surprisingly well if you take good care in setting it up properly. The direct drive extruder meters filament well, and small details come out sharp in fine prints. The simplicity of the machine makes it a good candidate for fun and simple future upgrades and would be a good platform to build your knowledge of 3D printing. I did not include slicer settings in this video but you should be able to find slicer profiles for A8 machines online quite easily. It is a very popular platform. You can also start with other generic printer profiles from other popular machines like the Creality machines. Select a Creality machine with a direct drive extruder and get that slicer profile... adjust the printer dimensions and you should have something that works nicely. I would recommend this machine for beginners and advanced users alike. In either case you would be looking for a hobby printer and a project, not a ready to use tool. If you are looking for a more straightforward experience in getting printing, I would suggest the ANET ET5X as it is much easier to assemble and the print quality is also good. The overall machine is more well thought out than the A8 and is only slightly more expensive. If you have any questions about the assembly, the printer, etc, please post your comments in the comment section down below. I try and get back to everyone.