The Beginning...

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I have owned a Flashforge Creator Pro printer for a couple of years. It is a very nice machine but it is designed to do what it does well, without much facility for enhancement. 

Flashforge Creator Pro


I wanted to look at learning from buying a cheaper machine and upgrading it in stages to create something flexible and powerful. I can use the Creator Pro to print parts where necessary or the new machine itself.

I embarked upon this project just as Anet released their A8 Plus printer. Although similar in name to the original A8 it is really a completely different device. It has a build volume of 300x300x350mm and is based on aluminium extrusion.
Anet A8 Plus
Anet A8 Plus - 300x300x350 build volume


The reviews for it were very promising. Essentially it was a competent device with the safety problems of the A8 ironed out. Significantly it was cheap! It had quite a number of shortcomings but almost all of these seem to be due to the cost savings inherent in this price point.

On this basis, it seemed like an excellent donor machine for my project, so I ordered a printer from Ali Express, to ship from Spain. 



This is where the journey begins... <Click on the link to continue

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