End Play Thrust Bearing Cover

thingiverse

This is a cover for thrust bearings used to stop the NEMA 17 steppers shaft end play from affecting layer height and the quality. If you look at the exploded view of the motor, you will see there is a wave spring. This spring is holding the weight of the gantry. It is not going to allow consistent movement of the gantry in Z. Installing thrust bearings moves the end loading to them and not the motors bearings or that wave spring. The bearings go between the stepper motor and the Z axis coupling. Push the coupling down tight on the bearing cap and tighten it to the shaft. The cover keeps dirt and dust out of the bearings. The bearings should have a dab of grease or heavy oil applied to them. These are the bearings this cover is designed to fit. https://www.amazon.com/F5-12M-Bearings-Precesion-Direction-5x12x4mm/dp/B08JKGZR2L I have included 2 styles. One for a single thrust bearing stack and 2nd for those that need to use 2 stacks to fill space. These should be installed with the 5mm hole UP.