Anet A8 3-point heatbed leveling addon

thingiverse

I wanted to have three-point bed leveling on my Anet A8 printer without drilling or changing the heatbed, so I designed this addon. Material Used ========== You will need some 2mm thick steel plate and metric screws to make this addon. 218x40x2mm for the heatbed side mount 60x25x2mm for the carriage side mount 1 x Screw M3x30 1 x M3 nut 1 x M3 thumb nut or standard M3 nut in your favorite printed thumbwheel 3 x Screws M4x12 (can be M4x15) 3 x M4 nuts Making a Thing =========== If you have access to a laser cutter, you can cut metal parts by laser, but I fabricated mine using a hand drill and metal saw. Use LibreCad to open and print my drawing as cutting and drilling templates. On the heatbed piece, all holes should be 3.5mm diameter. On the carriage piece, two holes are 3.5mm diameter, and three holes are 4.5mm diameter. Paint parts with paint of your choice to get a better look and protect parts from rusting. Assembly Instructions ================== 1) After making metal parts, remove the heatbed from the carriage, remove original springs from the right side of the heatbed, and add the bigger part from this addon under the heatbed using original nuts and screws. These screws are left there for better guidance of the bed when moving the Y axis. 2) Add one M3x30 screw to the side hole on the new heatbed mount and secure it with an M3 nut. You have two options: if you have a big thumb nut, use the hole closer to the heatbed; otherwise, use the other hole. Now place the original spring on the new screw. 3) On the carriage, remove three original M4 screws connecting aluminum profiles and replace them with 12mm long ones. Add the smaller part from this addon under the original aluminum profiles and secure it with three M4 nuts. 4) Now you can place the heatbed back to the printer. You should have springs on two original screws on the left side of the printer and one new screw on the right side of the printer. 5) After assembly, try if the heatbed has enough space between the new leveling mount and the right side of the printer. You should move the heatbed freely by hand; everywhere should be at least 1mm clearance from other parts. Leveling Instructions ================== Turn on the printer, preheat it, and follow these instructions. During the first three steps, use a sheet of office paper between the bed and nozzle to check height. The paper should move with only little drag. Free-moving paper means that you are too far from the bed; too big drag means that the nozzle is grinding on the heatbed surface. 1) Get the nozzle down to touch the left front corner of the heatbed (adjust the endstop if necessary). 2) Move the heatbed to the left rear corner and adjust the thumbnut to make the bed touch the nozzle. 3) Move the heatbed to the right center and adjust the thumbnut to make the bed touch the nozzle. 4) Repeat steps 1-3 to double-check correct heatbed level. 5) Perform a test print and watch the first layer to be just right. If it is too close or too far, adjust the origin position in your firmware or adjust the endstop.