A8 Disassembly-Free Y-Axis Brace and Tensioner

thingiverse

This is a minimally intrusive brace and tensioner system for the Anet/CTC/etc A8. It adds a lot of rigidity to the frame without using a lot of support material by leveraging the stress from tensioning the pulley, much like a guitar string, where more tension in the frame means it vibrates at a higher frequency. My goal with this design was to make it quick to print and easy to install, unfortunately I only got one of those goals right. Note that the small holes for the upper rods are located differently on different versions of this printer, so you may need to drill new holes. Regardless, you will definitely need to drill a hole for the tensioner to fit through - a 3mm or 1/8" drill bit will work perfectly for that. You will also require some hardware to assemble the tensioner assembly. I considered using printed parts, but metal hardware fits much better: + 2 x M3x50mm bolt (or threaded rod + 2 M3 nuts) + 4 x M3 nuts The adjustment knobs need a jamb nut to prevent them from spinning. I added a cutout on the back if you want a really clean install, but you will need a pass-through socket set to tighten down the nut. If you do not have one, you can simply install the jamb nut on the front side.