ANET A8 Y axis on ball bearings - smooth and light !

thingiverse

My Anet A8 arrived with a defective LM8UU linear bearing. The bearing had excessive friction, was extremely noisy, and ultimately lost two balls that I found on the floor. Furthermore, the design of the Y-axis is somewhat overconstrained due to four linear bearings that are quite challenging to align properly. However, as the Y plate is relatively flimsy, removing one LM8UU isn't a good idea. The better approach is to maintain three points to guide the plane plus an additional point utilizing the flexibility of the Y plate to absorb this hyperstatic mount. I then decided to design a parametric LM8UU based on a set of three standard ball bearings. Once installed, this design significantly reduces friction and risks of misalignments. You can see it in action here: https://youtu.be/b4TINRRJZXQ Another benefit is the substantial gain in mass and inertia as 113 grams are recovered on the Y carriage. This is a significant advantage that will help reduce Y-ghosting when printing quickly.