Anet A8 Direct Extruder redesigned

thingiverse

I recently spent several weeks attempting to create a lightweight direct drive carriage replacement for the x axis. I eventually came up with this idea, which consists of two parts and is designed specifically for standard Anet steppers. As usual, I used sintered bronze bushings throughout. I produced versions with 4 and 3 bushings, but since the rods aren't perfectly straight, the 3-bushing version works fine for me. The carriage now has no play and glides smoothly. It is also much quieter and more solid than before. When I weighed only the backplate, it tipped the scales at a mere 47 grams, which is slightly lighter than the stock carriage's 200 grams. Fortunately, all other original parts can still be used.