Z Brace Yourself - Alternate Straight Braces for Wanhao i3

thingiverse

An alternate set of Z Braces to improve the rigidity of the printer. Compatible with the Wanhao i3 (aka Cocoon Create, Mono select). Made from scratch, based on the principles of Typhons https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1359774 and Azzas excellent https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:921948. These braces are designed to have straight rods for aesthetic reasons, with the rods positioned as close together as possible to maintain rigidity. Typhon's Top Braces impede into the build area of the printer which decreased the usable Z height by 20mm. These braces regain that space by moving the rod mount to above the bottom inner screw. These brackets also clip around the front and back of the base to improve rigidity. Build Of materials 8x 3/8" Hex Nuts 2x 3/8" Threaded rods cut to 365-375mm 20x M3 x 15 mm screws Optional Anti Vibration Pad. https://www.bunnings.com.au/whites-100mm-x-1m-anti-vibration-pad_p3961983 (Significantly Reduces Vibration and lowers sound levels) Update June 2017 Added a number of additional parts to increase the rigidity of the printer. Optional Tower feet (Increases lateral stability) Optional Front brace (with zip tie gap to brace Y-pulley) Optional Rear brace (Reduces Flex) M10 Metric Editions of the existing parts by popular request. New photos are attached which show the new parts and also the rubber vibration pad used to isolate the printer from the ground. Tinkercad source link: https://tinkercad.com/things/9eYjIPDR2y8 Print Settings Printer Brand: RepRap Printer: Cocoon Create Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: 0.22 Infill: 50+ Notes: PLA recommended at 45%+ infill. Supports not required 4 outlines plus recommended. Instructions Guide Install the top mounts first with 4x M3 screws each. Do not completely unscrew all 4 screws at once to prevent the frame from shifting. The Inner Bottom screw is hidden behind the area where the nut is held. Install the Bottom Rear left and right brackets with 3x M3 screws each. Screw the threaded rod into the top mounts and lock it in with 2 nuts on each side. On the end of each rod, screw in a nut - front bracket - nut. Attach the the front bracket to the frame. Use a square against the vertical frame to ensure the printer remains 90 degrees square to the ground. Screw the rods in back and forth as needed till the vertical frame is perfectly level. Optional. Cut the dampening pad into the shapes of the bottom brackets and glue them to the base with gel or superglue. The pad decouples the printer with the ground which reduces vibrations and makes the printer much quieter.