E3D V6 Direct Drive Extruder for the Anet A8

thingiverse

This is my direct drive setup I'm using on my A8. It uses the stock extruder motor and parts cooling fan. It's sized to use fan nozzles intended for the stock extruder. There is a small "post" for attaching one of the wire clips from the A8 kit for strain relief. So far it has worked well for me with a E3D V6 clone hot end. Mine is printed with eSun PLA+ and has held up so far, even printing PETG. I have printed another in PETG, expecting this one to soften and warp eventually but so far that hasn't happened. Your mileage may vary, but I recommend printing in something like PETG or ABS if you can, to withstand temps better, just to be safe. ;) You will need to change the offsets to center your bed again since the nozzle moves relative to the stock setup. I changed mine in Marlin when I flashed it, I believe you can also do it in your slicer, though I have not tried that way. I would prefer changing it in firmware so any slicer will work without worrying about that anyway. I've set to the "work in progress" now, as I found the carrier was flexing a bit between the extruder and the hot end. When filament was retracted then extruded again, I could see the hot end getting pushed down away from the extruder as filament is pushed into it. I think it will need some beefing up in that area to be solid. It printed fine for some time like this, but I know it can be improved. :)