Upgrading the Anet A8 to an AM8 Switchwire
Table of contents
Intro
The AM8 is a drop in replacement for the frame on the Anet A8. I am currently planning to upgrade the flimsy acrylic to a sturdy metal frame with the aim to eventually upgrade to CoreXZ kinematics using the AM8 Switchwire Mod.
Sourcing Parts
Fasteners
| Item | Quantity | Received | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| M2 nuts | 6 | 50 | |
| M2x10 SHCS | 4 | 100 | |
| M2x14 SHCS | 2 | 50 | |
| M3x12 SHCS | 2 | 2 | |
| M3x16 SHCS | 1 | 1 | |
| M3x25 BHCS | 4 | 25 | |
| M3x30 BHCS | 23 | 25 | |
| M3 0.5mm Spacer | 18 | 40 | The AM8 BOM mentions 8 are needed for the original build |
| M3 nuts | 3 | 3 | |
| M3 Threaded Insert | 15 | 28 | |
| M5x10 BHCS | 31 | 90 | The AM8 BOM mentions 93 are needed for the original build |
| M5x10 SHCS | 8 | The AM8 BOM mentions they are needed for the Z-axis motor mounts, will replace with BHCS | |
| M5x16 SHCS | 6 | Not Required. The AM8 BOM mentions they are needed for the rubber feet connections | |
| M5x30 BHCS | 6 | 7 | |
| M5 T-Nut | 25 | 47 | The AM8 BOM mentions 110 are needed for the original build |
Motion
| Item | Quantity | Received | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| F623-RS Bearing | 18 | 20 | |
| GT2 16T Pulley (5mm ID 6mm W) | 3 | 3 | |
| GT2 Open Belt LL-2GT-6 (6mm wide) | 5m | 5m | |
| LM8LUU Linear Bearing | 2 | 2 |
Electronics
I have an extra SKR Pico that I received when I purchased a Formbot Voron 0.2 kit.
It will be flashed with Klipper Firmware as the Pico does not support Marlin. The SKR Pico has 4 integrated stepper motors which will be enough to run the Switchwire Mod's the 2 XZ stepper motors, the Y Stepper and the Extruder.
| Item | Quantity | Received | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40x40x20 Centrifugal Fan (12V) | 1 | 1 | Only required when upgrading to the Afterburner |
| 40x40x10 Axial Fan (12V) | 1 | 1 | Only required when upgrading to the Afterburner |
| E3D V6 Bowden Hotend Kit (12V) | 1 | Will use the Anet A8 Extruder to start | |
| Mini 12864 Display | 1 | 1 | Will not work with the SKR Pico |
| NEMA17 Motor 17HS15-1504S1 | 3 | 3 | |
| NEMA17 Motor 17HS08-1004S | 1 | 1 | |
| Omron TL-Q5MC2 - NPN Inductive Probe | 1 | 1 | Only required when upgrading to the Afterburner |
| SKR Pico | 1 | 1 | |
| SKR 1.4 | 1 | 1 | From the Anet A8 after upgrading the electronics |
| Raspberry Pi 3 | 1 | 1 |
Frame
Since upgrading to PrusaSlicer, I have pushed my printing speeds to the limit of what stock Anet A8 acrylic frame can cope with.
I have stiffened the frame as much as I can with 3D printed upgrades however, the frame really could do with a metal frame to print faster.
I had originally intended to migrate from the Anet A8's acrylic frame to a CoreXY Hypercube style printer but instead decided to build a complete Voron 1.8. As The Canuck Creator says 2 printers are 1 and 1 printer is none, therefore I would like to keep at least one working printer before heavilly modifing a working one.
During my research for the Hypercube, I ruled out the AM8 due to the cost of the frame, however the frame I settled on was an ALTRAX frame that I have imported from Poland for £30.55 plus postage which I thought was resonable.
After purchasing the frame, I found a project on Reddit to convert the Anet A8 to a CoreXZ style printer similar to the Voron Switchwire.
| Item | Quantity | Received | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Misumi HFS5-2040-340 | 2 | 2 | Side extrusions for the Y axis |
| Misumi HFS5-2040-313 | 3 | 3 | Front, back, and cross member at the top of the Z axis. |
| Misumi HFS5-2040-440 | 2 | 2 | Vertical Z extrusions |
Buildplate
I have purchased a one piece Aluminium support plate to replace the stock Anet A8 steel 3 piece design, mainly for aesthetics.
The plate I have purchased was from AliExpress and the hole spacing in the center of the plate is designed to mount on a linear rail and therefore has a spacing of 20mm x 20mm for MGN-12H or 20mm x 15mm for MGN-12C.
I have therefore needed to design a belt clamp to affix the belt to the bed as the hole spacing is different to the stock design. You can download the clamp from my 3D Printing GitHub repository.
When trying to fit the support plate the original frame, I found out that the bearing holders actually sit about 2mm further apart than the stock 3 piece plate. Therefore it did not fit the acrylic frame and will need to upgrade to the aluminium frame before fitting it.
| Item | Quantity | Received | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminium Bed Support Plate | 1 | 1 |
Printing Parts
Original AM8 Parts
The AM8 thingyverse page provides a nice build guide with the order of assembly.
These parts are to convert to more standard Anet A8 kinematics and are mainly remixes for the original AM8. I will start by printing these parts to quicky upgrade from the acrylic frame and then will eventually upgrade the X and Z axis with the Switchwire mod.
Bottom Frame
| Item | Quantity | Material | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottom_Corner_Plate | 4 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | Not Required as replaced with metal versions |
| Bottom_Tee_Plate | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | Not Required as replaced with metal versions |
| Z_Corner_Bracket | 2 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by mariob92 |
X Axis
| Item | Quantity | Material | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| xchain_a | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by StarGate01 |
| xchain_b | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by StarGate01 |
| xchain_clamp | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by StarGate01 |
Y Axis
| Item | Quantity | Material | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y_Belt_Block | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by Blocki_Austria |
| Y_Belt_Tensioner | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by Blocki_Austria |
| Y_Motor_Mount | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by GrkMangas |
| Z_Shaft_Clamp_EDH_V2 | 4 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a Hypercube part by 3DHEIJ |
| ychain_a | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by StarGate01 |
| ychain_b | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by StarGate01 |
Z Axis
| Item | Quantity | Material | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z_Motor_Mount_Left | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by xXChrissXx |
| Z_Motor_Mount_Right | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by xXChrissXx |
| Z_Rod_Holder_with_Bearing_Left | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by GrkMangas |
| Z_Rod_Holder_with_Bearing_Right | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by GrkMangas |
Electronics Housing
These are for the original Anet A8 Mainboard.
| Item | Quantity | Material | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main_Board | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by zadthebad |
| Main_Board_Cover | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by AngelKing86 |
| Main_Board_FanGrill | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by AngelKing86 |
| Dual_Mosfet_Holder | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by CAVE_news |
| Mosfet_Board_cover | 2 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by zadthebad |
| Raspberry_Pi_Holder | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by nowkillkennys |
These are for upgraded PSU and SKR 1.4 Mainboard
| Item | Quantity | Material | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSU_Mount | 2 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by dziliak |
| skr_1.4_mount | 2 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by adp97 |
LCD Mount
These are for the original screen from an Anet A8.
| Item | Quantity | Material | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LCD_Base_Left | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | |
| LCD_Base_Right | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | |
| LCD_Case_Top_V2 | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ |
These are for the upgraded screen from an Anet A6.
| Item | Quantity | Material | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LCD_Base_Left | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by bcreigh |
| LCD_Base_Right | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by bcreigh |
| LCD_Cover_Back | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by eat_sleep_make_repeat |
| LCD_Cover_Front | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by eat_sleep_make_repeat |
| LCD_Cover_SD | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by eat_sleep_make_repeat |
| LCD_Cover_USB | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by eat_sleep_make_repeat |
These are for a 12864 Full Graphic Smart Display.
| Item | Quantity | Material | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Side_Mount_Back_Plate_V6 | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by Jsschlat |
| Side_Mount_Body_V6 | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by Jsschlat |
| Side_Mount_Button_V5 | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Red) | ❌ | This is a remix by Jsschlat |
Extras
| Item | Quantity | Material | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| end_cover | 2 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by Tiago Jesus |
| front_right_corner_with_logo | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by jaseatwey |
| LED_Strip_Clip | 2 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by AUREL_14 |
| LED_Strip_Holder | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by AUREL_14 |
| Power_Supply_Cover | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by thorinair |
| t_slot_cover | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by jaseatwey |
| TL_Smoother_mount | 5 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by Doublehelix88 |
| Tool_Caddy | 2 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by kayOs |
| Tool_Holder | 1 | PrimaValue ABS (Dark Grey) | ❌ | This is a remix by zimonkaizoku |
AM8 Switchwire
I have chosen Blue as the accent colour to match the printed parts that I inherited when I purchased an already built Enraged Rabbit Carrot Feeder which will be rebuilt into a 6 channel so that it will fit on the top of this printer.
Accessories
I will probably skip printing the TPU feet and use right angle M6 threaded hole brackets to mount some rubber compressor feet that are used on the original Switchwire.
| Item | Quantity | Material | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Cable Clip | ? | eSun ABS+ (Black) | ❌ | |
| Foot Left | 2 | Ziro TPU (Black) | ❌ | Not Required if using Switchwire compressor feet |
| Foot Right | 2 | Ziro TPU (Black) | ❌ | Not Required if using Switchwire compressor feet |
| Lightweight LM8UU Bearing Block | 7 | eSun ABS+ (Black) | ❌ | Not Required when using stock aluminium bearing blocks |
| Printhead Cable Duct | 1 | eSun ABS+ (Blue) | ❌ | |
| LCD Controller Mount | 1 | eSun ABS+ (Blue) | ❌ |
Electronics
| Item | Quantity | Material | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MeanWell LRS-350-24 Mount | 2 | eSun ABS+ (Black) | ❌ | Version for Meanwell LRS-320-24, will probably use stock AM8 version |
| skr_pico_mount_v2 | 2 | eSun ABS+ (Black) | ❌ | This is a remix by thomasfjen, 1 for Pico & 1 for RPi |
XZ Axis
Printhead
Anet A8
| Item | Quantity | Material | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belt Clamp Body | 1 | eSun ABS+ (Black) | ❌ | |
| Belt Clamp Lid | 2 | eSun ABS+ (Black) | ❌ | |
| X Rod Mount | 2 | eSun ABS+ (Blue) | ❌ | 45mm version |
Voron Afterburner
| Item | Quantity | Material | Printed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belt Clamp Body | 1 | eSun ABS+ (Black) | ❌ | |
| Belt Clamp Lid | 2 | eSun ABS+ (Black) | ❌ | |
| PL-08N Probe Bracket | 1 | eSun ABS+ (Black) | ❌ | |
| VORON Afterburner Adapter Left | 1 | eSun ABS+ (Black) | ❌ | |
| VORON Afterburner Adapter Right | 1 | eSun ABS+ (Black) | ❌ | |
| X Rod Mount | 2 | eSun ABS+ (Blue) | ❌ | 40mm version |