Wanhao Duplicator I3 Plus 10mm Y-Axis Rod Upgrade

thingiverse

These parts enable the use of 10mm smooth rods on the Wanhao Duplicator I3 Plus Y-axis. My stock LM8UU bearings caused bed rattle. I replaced them with LM8LUUs, but it was quieter without being smooth. Since I had some high-quality SKF 10mm recirculating linear bearings, I decided to make them work. v.2 update: These changes allowed near-stock bed height. Changed bearing block to cut design to allow more space for bed heater cables Revised diameter and position of bearing hole and cut in block Provided both centered & .5mm offset rod mounts so you can mix and match to get the rod spacing required for your carriage plate Parts Required: LBBR10-SKF Linear Bearings 8ea M3x8-10mm countersunk machine screws 4ea M4x3mm setscrews 8ea M4x20mm button head screws 8ea M4x8mm button head screws M4x.7 Thread Tap (suggested) M3x.5 Thread Tap (suggested) Pre-Install: Print one bearing block and check the bearing fitment within the block. Print one rod mount and make sure it fits your rods. Print all 4 bearing blocks and 4 of each type of rod mount. You won't know which combination of rod mounts you need until you disassemble your printer. You may need to adjust the scale slightly of parts in your slicer. Cut your replacement rods with an angle grinder or chop saw to fit within the frame. Make sure you smooth the cut edge so you don’t damage the bearings when sliding them on. This doesn't have to be exact – just close a couple mm short is okay! Installation: Remove the stock bed, carriage, and rods. Next, slide the bearing blocks onto each rod, keeping the cuts on one bar to the right and the other to the left. Drop the loaded rods in place, keeping the notches to the outside, followed by the carriage plate. Install the screws just until they are close to seated. Once you have all the carriage plate screws in, you will need to decide whether you need the offset rod mounts or centered ones. You can use offset on one side if you just need a small amount of correction. I ended up using both offset installed, moving the rods closer to center. Install the 8 mounting screws into the rod mounts and continue by installing the 4 M4 setscrews. Once rods are secured, go ahead and tighten the center screws on the bearing blocks, making sure they stay straight. Preloading the linear bearings is a tiny bit tedious as with any true linear bearings, but once it’s dialed in there will be no play/slop/rattle and little resistance. First off, GO SLOWLY! Thread the preload screws in where the heads barely touch the carriage plate. Proceed with tightening in 1/16 turn increments, keeping the screws as even as possible. Move the bed, and when it starts getting tighter, back off a touch. You're done – you can’t feel up/down or side/side slop yet the bed is still easy to move. Next, install your heated bed and adjust your Z-stop all the way up to prevent your nozzle from crashing into your print bed. Turn on your printer, home all axes, and adjust accordingly. The bearing blocks are an enlarged/modified version of the design from tahustvedt and 3DDOC. I added a longitudinal cut to allow the use of longer screws for adjusting preload as required for real linear bearings. The rod mounts are my design. They're simple and effective. They use a M4 grub screw to secure the rods similar to the stock design but are enlarged to hold the 10mm rods. If you'd like to modify to suit your needs or can think of a way to make it better, please do and/or let me know!