Anet A8 Y Belt Tensioner

thingiverse

There are quite a few belt tensioners for the y axis of the Anet A8, but none of them fully satisfy me. I've decided to create my own design from scratch. The tensioner is attached directly to the main frame of the printer. Its base is fixed and won't move at all. To stiffen up the frame, I use this additional part: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2152976. To tighten or loosen the tensioner, you can use some spare 30mm M3 screws. The movement is about 5mm. What's great about my design is that it allows for precise adjustment of the lever position because I've used metal screws and screw nuts instead of coarse threads found in other designs. The plastic pulley is an optional extra, equipped with MR63ZZ bearings. If you don't want to use a separate pulley, you can simply fix your original one somehow in the axial direction. To ensure compatibility with any modifications you might have made to your printer, I've tried to keep the position of the pulley and dimensions similar to the original design. Here's what you'll need: * 4 x M3 16mm screws * 2 x M3 18mm screws (from the Anet kit) * 2 x M3 30mm screws (from the Anet kit) * 8 x M3 nuts * 2 x MR63ZZ bearings (optional for the teethed pulley) * 2 x washers (for the original pulley) Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Cheers, Brisemuth Update 07.06.2018: I've upgraded the lever to V1.1 and added a small support to help center the pulley axis better. I've also included a picture of the original pulley, which requires washers on each side to keep it centered. Update 11.06.2018: I made some minor adjustments to the lever and shaft, and removed the old versions.