Voxelab Aquila Snap-on Bed Handle

thingiverse

<h1>Voxelab Aquila Snap-on Bed Handle</h1> <h2>Preface</h2> To me, a curious omission from many 3D printers is the lack of a handle to help manually manipulate what is, during normal operation, a metal plate heated to 60C/140F degrees or greater (codified by ASTM C1055 as the temperature that the average person can touch for up to five seconds without sustaining irreversible burn damage), as well as a surface where contamination with substances like skin oils can adversely affect their performance. <h2>Brief</h2> This handle was created to address that need and improve quality-of-life, while fulfilling a desire for something that is: <ul> <li>Simple to print</li> <li>Easy to install or remove</li> <li>Non-destructive — should not potentially affect the optimum bed calibration that we all strive to achieve</li> </ul> Instead of being secured to the tramming (leveling) adjustment spring posts like most, this handle is designed to snap onto the shafts of the fixed rollers that support the carriage plate, and does not require disturbance of the springs to install or remove. <h2>Application</h2> It was designed to fit the original Voxelab Aquila, and should be compatible with the X2, C2 and S2 models as well, but <em>excluding</em> the Aquila Pro, which utilizes a distinct bed assembly that appears to be incompatible. As built, my printer has the adjustable, eccentrically-mounted roller wheels placed on the left side of the Y-axis, with the fixed wheels that provide the handle mounting point on the right side. However, in the event that not all examples were built that way, or for those who wish to undertake the effort to reverse the orientation of the rollers for a left-side mounting, I have added a second model file ("Left Mount") to accommodate that scenario. Print at 25% infill or higher for sufficient rigidity. No supports or other stipulations required. (**Note:** while the Aquila is very similar to the popular Ender 3 series of printers, among the differences between the two are deviations in the shapes of the various mounting plates, including the carriage plate. That could mean that they don't share the same wheelbase measurements, and may therefore be <em>incompatible</em> with this handle. Additionally, it seems that Enders are built with their eccentric adjustment nuts on the right side of the Y-axis, so even if the wheelbases do match, the Left Mount would be a better fit.)