A8 Easy Filament Access Gate and Supports

thingiverse

This is an updated version of my original "Easy Filament Access Gate. The extruder wires have always appeared fragile to me, and after one heater block came loose, I realized the wires needed support. They also looked a bit messy. I've eliminated add-on fan covers as separate items and added a right side panel that covers the motor and has a clip to hold the extruder wires in place. At the top, there are two holes for a zip tie to be threaded and keep the wires secure - above it, I created a piece that fits the right top bearing block (I extended the holes because some bearings were slightly different, mainly to allow it to slide right over the lower clip). The filament access gate has always been prone to popping open. The arm can't get much longer (I tried), but it becomes too big to fit into place at the side of the motor. So I added a part to the top that allows a simple rubber band to slip over, and it works perfectly for me. As a beginner, I found it difficult to change filament, but this gate makes it easy. With practice, if your Anet board supports "Pause Printing," you can change filament color and continue printing.