PRUSA i3 Plate Adjust & Support Brace - Self Aligning

thingiverse

UPDATE 13-MAY-2016: Lower brace support with 10mm hole added for use on PRUSA machines with M10 threaded rods. Use M8 threaded rods for brace supports instead. The upper support has been revised to provide more strength under the hex adjuster and a larger hex size, allowing for greater adjustability without risk of breakage. Adjust the perpendicularity of your PRUSA i3 Aluminum plate to match your print bed and secure it properly! A self-aligning & self-assembled joint system is now available for supporting & adjusting your PRUSA i3 plate. This significantly improves print quality by preventing flexing of the unsupported plate and allows you to adjust perpendicularity of the plate, a feature not possible in the original PRUSA design. The i3 Aluminum Plate design has a major flaw: the plate bends and moves even at low printing accelerations, and there is no way to adjust its perpendicularity to the print bed. Due to variations in angles from one i3 build to another caused by variable positioning of M10 threaded rods under the print bed, solutions for this design deficiency are difficult. However, a FIX for your i3 Aluminum Plate printer has been found - a one-size-fits-all solution that provides plate support bracing and a perpendicularity adjustment feature. Give it a try! The original released files are designed for machines using M8 threaded rods, but some reworked models use M10 (working on STL files for M10 now, be patient). Build Tip: The models have M8 threads, but they will only print crudely if the threads don't function well. To fix this, heat an M8 screw, insert it into your printed part, and let it cool down - perfect threads! Alternatively, tap the threads with a tapping tool (be careful not to overheat the screw or damage your part). The STL files are designed to be printed without support material, but some force may be required to free up the "ball and socket" feature after printing. Make sure your extruder flow rate is optimal, as over-extruding will create a part where the ball and socket feature cannot be moved after printing!