XTLW6 - IDEX Cable Chain Mod

thingiverse

This is tagged as a work in progress; some sanding and trimming may be required here and there to ensure clearances. What I know needs work: - There is one incorrect T-nut on the left side of chain_anchors I believe; just trim this off and the rest should slide in! - The hotend mounts may need some slight sanding to make sure they don't rub against the Y carriage when moving; I may have fixed this in the previous update but clearances are tight so this depends on your printer's accuracy. For "L+R_hotend-chain-mount.stl" print with the flat edge of the two attachment prongs facing towards the build plate, and with supports. These are attached to the carriage using the two existing (M5?) bolts. There are 4 extra holes on the bottom of the part to fit 15mm M3 bolts that reinforce the fragile arms of the part if needed; the part isn't load-bearing so this is just a precaution. For the "chain_anchors.stl", print with flat parts facing down, and with supports. This can be attached to the 2020 extrude by either sliding on, or (recommended) bolting with 4 short M5 screws into a T-nut in the aluminium extrude. This also has two extra holes on each side as I intend to build an enclosure at some point and the acrylic will screw straight into this! Any 10x20mm cable chain should work; I used this one which has removable tabs so it can be installed with all the cables and the bowden tube in place. I would recommend a 1.2m cable chain (0.6m for each side) instead if you can find one, otherwise the furthest point on the bed is no longer reachable. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07SFFT1K5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 This attaches with the thin (male) end clipping onto the chain anchors, and the thicker (female) end being bolted onto the hotend mounts. Depending on your specific cable chains, some spacers may be needed on the hotend attachment to make sure there's no vertical movement. One long M3 bolt (30mm) recommend per side for ease of installation but two smaller ones per side can also be used. A few build tips: You will need to flip the direction of the first chain link that attaches to the right or left side of the frame so that the chain bends in the correct direction (depends on which cable chain you buy). I also recommend flipping the direction of the first 5 chain links that attach to both print heads, so that when the print heads come into contact these can bend backward and do not restrict the build volume. The attached picture shows this best on the right side.