DIY Brass Nut Bushings for X- and Y-Axes

thingiverse

To prevent damage to stainless steel smooth rods (A2/V2A) from hardened steel balls of standard LM8UU linear bearings, I opted for an alternative solution. Brass on steel has a low friction coefficient and minimal wear, so I chose to use brass bushings instead. Unfortunately, pre-made brass bushings were unavailable, leading me to improvise with M8 brass nuts found in my garage. By boring out the thread with an 8mm drill bit and chamfering the rims, these DIY bushings allowed for smooth movement on the rods. I decided to implement them on the X- and Y-axes of a new box-framed Prusa i3. Adapting the X-axis required modifications to the source code, while the Y-axis was relatively straightforward. Performance has been satisfactory thus far, but long-term durability remains uncertain. I've also uploaded files for a version using four bushings per rod and noted that brass bushings can be used with non-standard sized smooth rods.