E3D V6 Direct Drive Extruder for the Anet A8

thingiverse

I'm using a direct drive setup on my A8 with stock extruder motor and parts cooling fan. The build is designed for fan nozzles intended for the stock extruder. I added a small post to attach one of the wire clips from the A8 kit for strain relief. So far, it has worked well with an E3D V6 clone hot end. My setup is printed with eSun PLA+ and has held up, even when printing PETG. I've also 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'll need to adjust 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, and I believe you can also do it in your slicer, though I haven't tried that way. I prefer changing it in firmware so any slicer will work without worrying about that anyway. I've upgraded my setup to "work in progress" now because the carrier was flexing a bit between the extruder and the hot end. When filament is 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.