Aleph Objects Clamp X-ends

thingiverse

A minor update was made on January 31, 2012, where the design's clamps were tightened due to a problem with the smooth rod grooves having a very tight tolerance that failed to secure rods properly in some instances. The AO X-ends received this alteration, and while the clamps remained unchanged, they became available for downloading parts more conveniently. In an attempt to move away from cast x-ends but retain the preferred clamp style, a new design was created that is compatible with the boltable PLA bushings, substitutable with standard Prusa or cast Clonedel x-ends. These x-ends call for extra hardware, but their ability to change out bushing easily compensates for this requirement. The necessary hardware includes: 8 pieces of M3 20mm self-tapping screws (SHCS), 8 pieces of M3 12mm SHCS, 24 pieces of M3 washers, and 16 pieces of M3 Nyloc nuts (or regular nuts). For the idler, a M8 30mm SHCS, an M8 Nyloc, two M8 washers, and two fender washers are needed, along with one 608 bearing. These x-ends use boltable PLA bushings instead of glue-in PLA bushings, which can be found at thingiverse.com/thing:10647. Additionally, Igus bushings holders have been developed for these x-ends and can be downloaded from thingiverse.com/thing:13229. All parts and files are licensed under GPLv3, while images carry a CC BY SA license. Instructions indicate that two clamps and one each of the idler and motor ends are needed. It is suggested to initially bolt the PLA bushings onto the x-ends using 12mm screws and nuts before attaching the clamp with 20mm screws, leaving them loose until the x-end assembly is complete, at which point they can be tightened down. The idler installation requires placing a nut inside the idler wall due to insufficient clearance for pushing in the M8 bolt from within the wall.