Anet A6 Z-axis thrust bearing

thingiverse

Stepper motors are not designed for axial loads, in fact the entire shaft/bearing assembly sits on a spring washer which allow it to "bounce" under load. My design solves this by transferring the load to the motor housing via a pair of F8-16M bearings. With the thrust bearings now taking this load there is no longer any give when you push down on the lead screws. As the same time I took the opportunity to design in a solid coupler to replace the flex coupler which, on a well aligned printer with straight screws, gets rid of the shaft wobble. Note the flex coupler is the source of the majority of this wobble. On my A6 the wobble is now barely discernible and the screw runs centered in the top holes for the entire travel of the Z-axis which is an indication of proper alignment.