In 2018 I bought an “ANET A8” 3D printer. I was very happy in building it myself with the help of a friend. The results were ok, but not perfect. Therefore I decided to print additional upgrades and improve the 3D printer.

Buy recommendations:

Both are Must-have improvements.

• Glas panel: the original bed is too sticky. With this one, the printed models get loose by simply cooling down.
• Mosfet for print bed: There are multiple reports that the motherboard is not designed carefully. I experienced as well, that the connection at the motherboard started to get brown. Therefore I highly recommend this to reduce fire risk.

Printed recommendations:

This list is longer, so I categorized them into four groups:

Must-have

• X-belt tensioner: improve precision greatly
• Y-belt tensioner: improve precision
• Brackets to reduce X-Axis Motion: reduce X-Axis wiggle
• Extruder Cooling Duct: way better cooling.
• Spool Holder / Adapter (51/52 mm diameter): without it, the spool rotates very irregular and can cause the filament to leap into the hot nozzle.

Recommend

• Wing Nut bed level screw knob: When levelling this is much more comfortable.
• X-axis belt holder: If the belt gets tensioned very hard this makes sure it stays this way.
• Y-axis belt holder: Same as above
• Filament Guide & Filter: simply remove the dust from the filament to have a better print quality.
• Front Frame Brace: slightly improves the tension of the Y-belt.
• Rear Frame Brace: makes the whole frame stiffer
• Extruder Arm / Filament Release / Extruder Button: when inserting a new filament, this is much more comfortable.
• Mosfet Mount: having a separate Mosfet for the bed is a must-have. This keeps the setup clean.

Nice-to-have

• Tool holder (left), (right): keeps the build clean.
• Power supply cover: I was not a big fan of the direct cable at the power supply. Therefore I bought an adapter for the cold appliance plug.
• Filament Clip: I a filament is not used it tends to unroll itself. This keeps it in place.
• X-Axis Cable Chain with Z Stop Adjustment: prevents the cables from cluttering.
• Extruder Fan Spacer: helps when assembling the heater or cleaning the nozzle.
• Raspberry Pi Mount: to have a tidy setup.
• Raspberry PI B Mount: but the “Raspberry PI B” itself is too slow for good usage
• Filament guide (Horizontal): helps to prevent the filament from breaking
• M8 Nut Cap: just better looking

Not recommend

• Button guide: no idea why, but does not fit.
• Bed Level Thumbwheel Upgrade: only use the spring centering part. There are better thumbwheels above.