The Ultimate ANET A8 Upgrade
Вставка
- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
- BLV Mod is the ultimate upgrade you can do on your ANET A8. Super rigid frame and MGN12H Linear Rail Bearings. I can easily print at 100+ mm/s without distortions in the prints.
BLV Mod - www.thingivers...
My mods to the E3D hotend holder - www.thingivers...
one more thing i would suggest for a better print quality is to deattach on each side the threaded rods "4-screw-ring" from the 3d printed part that holds the y-axis and instead connect the screws from the thrd. rod ring with a custom 3d printed part to the linear rails' edge as a guide. because now the threaded rods rotation create friction (when turning) when being screwed into a part like that, even when nearly perfectly centered, it then vibrates when it has no space to move and thus reduces the prints quality. you want the thrd. rods to intentionally wiggle on the x-y layer/x-achis (the rods will never be strait and are never perfect), but have them connected with an arm or a clamp so the axis still has a guided lead. Gravity also plays a huge role and the simple weight of the x axis, if you have the x-axis just laying ontop of "these screw rings" (but still need to have them connect so the thrd. rods thread bites), you can additionally just lift the extruder whenever you want and because you allowed the rods to wiggly. right now it seems like the linear rails are kind of a waste if being mounted and screwed onto the threded rod like that, no matter how good the triangular or expensive rods are :/ it also has something to do with the distance of the rods and the stepper motors location (if they are just half a mm off... you get my point). give it wiggle space!
Great Video! Almost 2 years later still a very good reference. Will be doing this upgrade myself after watching this. Definitely deserves a Like, comment and Sub!
Supernice frame mod by the way, I'm really considering this at some point if I keep the Anet A8, however, for now, it's printing very nicely, although not at 100mm/s, but fine at around 70mm/s and as they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it :D
There is a company called Exoslide that developed a universal linear rail carriage over 2020 extruded aluminum. When I have time I'm slowly going to design an upgrade for the A8 that will allow people to use that carriage.
Interesting Business A bit pricey though.... given just how many of the slider trays one needs to buy.
Making Chinese Linear rails a same or less costly solution.
Although I'm not seeing just how the Exo slides are ANY improvement over Ploycarb wheeled carriages.
Now.. if someone made an STL version ? then 5$ worth of AliExpress bearings & some time and filament... would be a Cheap DIY alternative
This is a very impressive video. It's the first real reason I can see to upgrade to linear rails. I also own an A8 Plus that has remained boxed for 3 years and I'm ready to assemble it with many upgrades. Thank you. What brand of mgn rails are used in your video?
I have about the same upgrade as you have, but I removed the springs from the heated bed, when I got rid of the old H carriage -> 0 ghosting left (i saw a little on your print)
I think the slop on the inline pressing down Y bearings would be minimal. The X mind you by default is all over the place. Changing the Y is more about noise than anything else.
Excellent! This is truly an eye opener DIY upgrade. I have gone to the new BLV website and the man is tireless.
Of course you must have a decent and operational 3DP to make parts. I just timed out on my heavily modded A8. X axis bearings went south. Worst noise I ever heard from a linear bearing. Fast traverse is gut wrenching. So I am faced with fixing that before I commit. They lasted for 4 yrs with daily use.
Would you ball park the total cost outlay? Difficulty in sourcing all the parts.
I am weighing that against just buying an Ender 3 V2 and modding that for belt drive. I have some work coming up that requires long tubes and faced with the temptation to make a higher Z envelope.
I will end on this, I find the Anet A8 bed support frame and screw height adjustment to be kind of crappy. Wish I could find an alternative that wasn't a rabbit hole.
Nice job. Now need to figure out how to drive the z with a single stepper motor.
I like to mod my A8plus with this MGN12H rails. Those 8mm rods are rubbish and I need to change them with this MGN12H. This is probably the last mod for my printer because I all ready modded every thing. Last mod was SKR 1.4T and TFT35
Sounds weird to me that you had issues with the BLTouch. Did you use a genuine BLTouch or a knock-off "3DTouch"? I have a genuine one and had zero issues whatsoever for years. Precision is extremely good regardless of the bed temperature. The sensor you're using will measure completely different values depending on how hot the bed is and that's not good. Unless you use compensation tables for that, it can be dangerous.
Upgrade the board. I did. I went with a 32 bit mks sgen l v1 and have been super happy with it
Oh, the MPCNC !!
:D
Good work by the way. I'll be doing a 4040 aluminium extrusion upgrade soon.
Great video Mr Dabrudda, do you have a link to the mod which tells you how to print or buy the parts please
Put the links or the parts you have use to upgrade, cool I love that
At this point is not even the anet anymore
Install Klipper on your Anet main board and you'll be able to speed up your prints even more without a new mainboard
I use Fluidd and Klipper. I haven't got around to testing the ADXL356
@@MrDabrudda i highly recommend trying the SKR mini E3 as a replacement for the Anet board, before those loud motors drive you mad haha. I made a video a while ago showing how to get it working on Marlin firmware including the original A8 LCD but I think should be even easier on Klipper
Can you show up close pictures of your setup and how the rails are mounted?
The rails are mounted with screws and t-nuts which slide into the aluminium extrusion slots.
I just picked up a used A8 not too long ago, and I'm hoping to work my way up towards this mod in due time. There are already some decent quality frame mods, etc. installed, however I'm starting to print pieces to get familiar. Is there any sequence I should follow to get my printer up to par a little faster? Looking at the bed leveling fine tuner for the Z-axis for my next upgrade, as leveling seems to be pretty tedious so far. Experimenting with sugar paste as a bed adhesive (found on hackaday earlier) and bed temp because prints were warping on the corners. Also I'm running on the stock firmware looking to upgrade to Marlin, should I expect any improvement to quality/ease of access afterwards?
Pretty new to this, sorry if that's too many questions! Appreciate the time you took to document your progress, so far it's been pretty helpful for myself and I'm sure many others. Thanks!
How much did all that cost you to upgrade?
I have an Anet A8, and it prints quite well...but that AM8 seems very rigid, very cool
I probably spent under $200 for all the upgrades. Probably could have bought a cheap printer for that but at least I know every little quirk with this printer because I built it.
@@MrDabrudda Yeah, if the Ender 3 was out before I bought my Anet A8, I would have gotten that one...
The BLV mod is a fantastic mod to do but really on A8 hardware it would feel like a little bit of a waste. I am a massive fan of the Core XY builds there is a A8 version called Core A8/ A6 but it doesn't have linear rails so for me BLV is the best A8 mod till some one does a Railcore A8 mod.
A ramps board with some high end steppers even if its a 8bit processor would be a huge thing for this printer with the rails those micro steps will never miss it just glides like butter. If a 8 bit processor isn't enough then you could all ways try Klipper using the Raspberry Pi to do all the work and the MCU to just move the motors.
Try the klipper firmware then you only need a raspberry pie, and a reflash of the a8 board
Hi that looks amazing!
Can you please put here link for the metal extruder? I have also upgrade on metal frame and want to put rails on to! Thank you !
2020 Aluminium Extrusion
www.aliexpress.com/item/CNC-3D-Printer-Parts-4pcs-lot-European-Standard-Anodized-V-Slot-Linear-Rail-Aluminum-Profile-Extrusion/32813616949.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dzHpXiR
2040 Aluminium Extrusion
www.aliexpress.com/item/HOT-Sale-CNC-3D-Printer-Parts-European-Standard-Anodized-V-Slot-Linear-Rail-Aluminum-Profile-Extrusion/32813630598.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dzHpXiR
Thank you,-But i mean the think on top of the aluminum frame which pushing filament through the bowden into the hot end
US 3D All Metal 1.75mm Bowden Extruder+NEMA17 Stepper Motor Prusa Kosel RepRap
www.ebay.com/itm/US-3D-All-Metal-1-75mm-Bowden-Extruder-NEMA17-Stepper-Motor-Prusa-Kosel-RepRap/372138025126?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=641010786518&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
where can I find to set a sensor for the firmware MKS sbase smootie and how to fix your bowden which E3D you use any metal or other thank you
What type of bed sensor are you using? BLTouch, Capacitive
Pin outs for the MKS sbase boards using BLTouch.
lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Qg28lVbTjUE/WXkrmfzFURI/AAAAAAAACtM/hyFPMuoAnTw8IIdCgMidwNzvMchRe7EOgCJoC/w530-h292-n-rw/MKS-SBASE-BLTouch_Wiring%2B%25282%2529.jpg
Hello,
I using a capacitive bed sensor LJC18A3 H-Z BX
Thanks
This is all quite extreme.
So the y-axis have 2040 beams under them, and the x-axis is 16.5 inch’s is 2020 bean correct?
Hey man just way he'd the video I'm very impressed. I have an a8 that I was given and I plan to upgrade it to this kinda level and build an enclosure for doing abs with it. Could you possibly share some links to the uordages you have done please.
BLV Mod - www.thingiverse.com/thing:2567757
My mods to the E3D hotend holder - www.thingiverse.com/thing:3055755
@@MrDabrudda thankyou sir.
Hello,
for the z axis have you added an additional stepper for the second engine because the card only supports 2A max and 2 engine addition 3V
Could you show us your connection
thank
The Z axis is the same setup at the default ANET A8. Two stepper motors on each side.
The dimensions on the drawings in the zip file pdf are off. The 4 main rails of the base should be 360mm based on the length of the 400mm bearing rails minus 2x the thicknes of the 2040. The linear rails have the first and last screw holes 10mm from the end of the rail. Center of the 2040 slot is 10mm. The quality of your 2040 and how large the corner radius' are will determine the length. Zylotech extrusionis have pretty square corners. The front, back and top rail is whatever you want them to be but 316mm is an odd dimension.
The dimension can be whatever size the builder wants. You can make the printer bigger or smaller depending on your needs.
have you considered changing out the belt drives for lead screw system ?
For a printer this size a lead screw might be overkill.
@@MrDabrudda would it be better or not..eg. accuracy ..less shuddering..ghosting prints..etc.
is realy a upgrade , u have good result ?
I thought your video, the upgrades, and info was great. Per the next question, links? List of parts? Sources? I’d enjoy subscribing but please make your content more complete. Examples from “MakersMuse”, “CnC Kitchen” etc.. they pin the first post, overview of the video, links to items mentioned, plans, etc.... Thanks, great stuff.
why mod anet a8?buy parts then build new printer
4Head
next thing to buy...linear rails...
Anyone have a list of the items needed to build this same machine in this vid? It really looks good!
Link is in the description
not install Closed Loop step drive ?
I just realized that I don't have the x-rail to make that part of the upgrade. What size is the extrusion?
2020 and 2040 aluminium extrusions
thanks, how long are your 2040 Y extrusions? The BLV MOD calls them out as 364mm, but mine are 343mm?
If you have upgraded to the AM8 mod then the two 2040 extrusion for the Y axis will be the same length as the 2 outer 2040 extrusion on the AM8 upgrade.
MrDabrudda I think the original AM8 mod was about bringing all of the Anet parts straight over to the mod? In which case the front to back measurement is 343, not 364mm. Anyways, we’ve ordered more bar, and were in our way.
You can order the 2020 and 2040 extrusions either from Aliexpress and wait a month or order from Mitsumi USA us.misumi-ec.com/ Mitsumi will even cut the extrusion to the length you need.
Is there a complete kit you can get somewhere to do this or is chasing down all the parts really the only option?
No kit exists. The BLV Mod website on Thingiverse has all the parts but is not very comprehensive because their list has parts which are not needed for the AM8 build. I plan to make a bill of materials with every part listed to make this from scratch and where to buy the parts.
@@MrDabrudda yhea a kit exist www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-anet-a8-metal-frame-kit.html just checkout wich one its look the same aluminium extrusion lenght size and here we go for 3d print at asoeme speed for a really deccent prize
@@maddugqc6911 Interesting but one can buy an Ender 3 which is not only a complete printer but it prints better than an AM8
What did you use for the capacitive bed level sensor? Thanks.
LJC18A3-H-Z/BX Capacitive Sensor
Thank you for the info.
although I do like what you've done,at this point I suppose I would buy a more commercial printer,, like the cr version of creality, I do plan on getting the Creality cr 10 s-5 which will give me a 500x500x500 work area at about 600 bucks,, But as I said, seems you have it dialed in nicely , Right now I am running my FLSUN QQS delta and could not be happier
There is nothing wrong building a larger frame while youre upgrading it to a more sturdy frame anyway.
Of course youll need to upgrade just about anything else mechanically as well to cope with the longer spans and the need for sturdiness.
Thats essentially how a more "commercial" printer is built, apart from the higher precision in the parts.
can you give me what and where to get the frame and bearings from
I'm working on a list/video where someone can buy all the bits and pieces without having to buy an ANET A8. Go straight to a metal frame and MGN12H bearings but there are hundreds of parts to list and the creator of the BLV Mod didn't exactly put together instructions on assembling this. I have so many lessons learned from this upgrade that I could make a whole other video on it.
@@MrDabrudda That would be great if you have the time to pull that off.
@@MrDabrudda Maybe set up an account where people could donate for your time?
Where to buy the extrusion kit
Amazon, Banggood, Aliexpress
sweet! what board does this printer use? Duet wifi?
It the default ANET A8 board.
Wow! that think works! Sr. What a fucking awesome upgrades. I take my hat off! Do you have the links of the parts?
Search Thingverse for BLV mod
What's the length of the rails because I have the same 3d printer ?
I think the rails are 400mm long if I remember correctly.
Hello ,
what to use as smootie board 32bit thanks
I have an MKS SBASE v1.3
Slick! I think you should upgrade the motherboard. There's a lot of modding you can do with marlin to really push things that will leave you running out of device memory.
I flashed Optiboot loader to save memory size. I also disable features that take up memory that I don't use like SD Card support.
going from direct drive to bowden you consider that a upgrade? i thought that bowden gave you less filament options as in the really soft filament wont work with bowden. i would consider that a down grade
For print speed it is an upgrade. I designed a direct drive mount for this ANET AM8 with a DotBit dual drive extruder with a capacitive bed sensor. I had issues with a bowden drive under-extruding on the far edges of the build plate due to the pendulum effect on the filament. I plan to do a video on this.
@@MrDabrudda well as you have the most experience of us both with the Anet 8, do you think the a8 plus is better or worse bang for buck. also i will look forward to the video about going back to DD.
A8 Plus looks like a decent printer. It is built on the lower end of quality.
@@MrDabrudda yeah, but offcourse they do have the dual z axis standardized unlike the ender 3. i am more worried about it being a fire hazard, considering the rep of a8's
What material did you use to print your parts?
ABS
affodrable capacitive sensors arent the most accurate, in the grand sceme of things, but a cartesian shouldnt need "auto level" in the first place. you can manually level down to far less then 1/20mm, using the traditional method of feeling the resistance with receipt paper. once this is done, you shouldnt have to "level" for months or years, mayby tweaking the adjuster for the {zero tolerance) z-endstop a little, every now and then.
looking back, i find it kinda funny, how ABL used to be all the rage 2-3 years ago, and now it's finally starting to fall out of fashion again.
I get my bed level within .02mm with a cap sensor...I have have zero problem with my sensor after upgrading from a bltouch to a cap sensor.
Removable print surfaces made ABL unnecessary.
Great providing your entire bed is totally flat but none of mine are
I have an skr 1.3 with 2209 drivers. Plus having a Design Design XT Extruder on it. I got up towards 77 mm/s print speed. I still have the acrylic frames. I am tempted to go up towards the am8 upgrade now.
Whats it like after a year?
It still prints and I use it weekly
Rail block is't C or H?
MGN-12H blocks
@@MrDabrudda thank you
That's is amazing
It's not an ANET A8 any more. Realistically, it's a different printer that uses ANET motors, wiring and electronics. What's the total cost of the upgrades? Boden setups aren't always an upgrade - You can't print really flexible TPU's with a boden, but you could have with a direct drive. Boden is only really any good if you are regularly using hygroscopic materials and therefore need to stop air getting to it, but it has a habit of introducing quality issues, as pushing is less accurate than pulling material.
I print NinjaFlex with a Boden albeit not real fast but it turns out nice. 95a is a piece of cake
@@donaldfoster5998 What prints actually require a v Rubbery filament.... besides DIY condoms?
@@barenekid9695 Use your imagination. phone case, rc tyres.
Wow impressive. Please remind me what parts of this are A8. If you change out the motherboard there will be no A8 left. Should have bought the parts and built from scratch.
Mainboard, stepper motors, heat bed, LCD display, endstop switches. It's called AM8...Anet Metal 8 upgrade.
Links to the bearings and other bits?
Amazon, Banggood, Aliexpress
İ double dare you send me file and profile. İ will print same quality with wheels 😊
Highly doubtful at 100 mm/sec
Yeah. Anet comes with awful quality shafts and bearings. -0.04mm on bed shafts
Gold plated a civic... Well, fun mod