3D printer maker Anycubic recently launched two new printers: the Anycubic Kobra and its bigger, badder uncle, the Anycubic Kobra Max. We wanted to test both products in our search for the best entry-level 3D printers. We look at ease of use and affordability, as well as build and print quality.
We have published a series of Anycubic 3D printer reviews, both for FDM printers like Anycubic Vyper that print with filament spools and for SLA resin 3D printers like the Anycubic Foton Mono X 6K that use resin liquid as raw material, and we can say that the Kobra Max has quickly become one of our favorites.
Anycubic Kobra Max 3D Printer Features
The most obvious feature of this printer is its size. It’s absolutely massive. This means you can print large items in one piece. Think of a complete shell or a complete ukulele – these are things you couldn’t print in one piece on a full-size 3D printer. Really, the word “Max” doesn’t sufficiently reflect the size of this printer. Good luck placing the wrappers in your trash cans or recycling bins!
We were skeptical that a Cartesian printer of this size (which is based on a mobile printing platform) would work well because it has a lot of weight to move. Granted, it’s not the fastest printer on the market due to these design compromises, but it works just fine.
The Kobra Max has an impressive list of technical specifications:
- Leveling: 25 point automatic leveling using Anycubic Leviq technology
- Panel area: 7.95 in² / 51.3 cm²
- End of filament detection: support
- Printing material: PLA / ABS / PETG and TPU
- Nozzle size: ø 0.4 mm (replaceable)
- Nozzle Temperature: ≤ 500°F/260°C
- Hot bed temperature: ≤ 194°F/90°C
- Average speed: 3.1 – 3.9 in/s (80 mm/s – 100 m/s)
- Control panel: 4.3 inch LCD touch screen
- Z axis: double threaded rod
- Print size: 17.7 x 15.7 x 15.7 inch / 45 x 40 x 40 cm (HWD)
- Build Volume: 19.02 gal. / 72.0 liters
- Dimensions of the device: 72 x 71.5 x 66.5 cm
As far as we know, the extruder is the same as Anycubic Vyper’s extruder and printhead. Additionally, the Kobra Max has the same automatic bed leveling system as the Vyper. The system uses a pressure sensor instead of an inductive sensor.
The bed leveling sensor sits right at the nozzle, allowing you to probe every printable part of the bed. And since the sensor is pressure based, you can replace the glass bed with any other material and the bed leveling system will still work. (Inductive sensors require metal to work, so you won’t find them in glass-based printers.)
Since the Kobra Max build platform is a rigid sheet of glass, you cannot remove or bend it to take prints. We prefer removable spring steel build plates, but glass is still a good printing surface. If your printer doesn’t have a removable bed, glass is ideal because you can use metal scrapers to remove your prints without worrying about scratching the surface.
The LCD touch screen is identical to the screens used on many other Anycubic printers.
As usual, it’s responsive and easy to use.
A note on filament types: Kobra Max will print with PLA, PETG, TPU, and ABS. However, if you really want to print with ABS and get the best possible results, the printer needs to be inside a box. Given its size, it can be difficult to build a suitable case for the Kobra Max.
Assembling the Kobra Max 3D Printer
When assembling the new Kobra Max, make sure you have enough working space. As the bed moves back and forth, you need more space than you think. We put it on a 30 inch folding table, and when printed it needs about 36 inches, front to back.
Assembling the Kobra Max is no more difficult than assembling the Kobra or Vyper. The only additional elements are the diagonal braces which add rigidity to the frame, reducing mechanical vibrations.
It took about 15 minutes for two people to put it together. Check that you have cut all zip ties that were used to stabilize the printer during shipping. There are many of them.
Calibration
The automatic bed leveling system is easy to use. Anycubic recommends that you check the x and y axes to make sure they don’t wobble. If so, you can adjust the eccentric nuts until they stop wobbling. Our printer wasn’t wobbly, so we didn’t have to do anything.
In addition, the x and y axes have belt tensioners. We had to slightly tighten the x-axis on ours. The tensioners are easy to use and are features that many other printers lack. Who wants to disassemble the extruder assembly just to tighten the belts? Not us, and probably not you.
Kobra Max build quality
Due to the addition of the diagonal struts, the frame is really stiff. Dual z-axis screws are an improvement over the smaller Kobra. They have virtually eliminated x-axis assembly sag.
The spool holder is located at the base of the printer which reduces wobble when printing tall items. It’s better than having the coil on top like on the Kobra.
This printer is constructed from aluminum extrusions with aesthetically pleasing plastic covers for the hotend and turnbuckles. It has an optical z-stop. The x and y stops are mechanical. Everything seems solid.
First impression
For the first impression, we use the test file provided by Anycubic. Fittingly, the owl has about twice the print volume of the owl print test that comes with the smaller Kobra. Given the Bowden setup (which makes sense for a printer of this size), we were surprised the owl’s ears fit so well.
The ears look better than on the Kobra printed owl, which has a direct-drive extrusion system. We suspect this is due to the slower print speed. Many times indents on Bowden extruders will create artifacts, but we didn’t notice any smearing or threading. It’s close to the quality you’d expect from a direct stream.
Next we print a vase with a large flat base with a layer height of 0.2mm. Removing prints from the glass bed is certainly not as easy as removing prints from smaller, more flexible beds, but it’s not a deal breaker either. We had no issues with sticking. The prints did not release when the glass bed cooled, which is what we expected.
We were curious what the power requirements would be for a printer of this size and worried that we couldn’t run multiple printers on the same circuit. We measured power consumption while the Kobra Max was printing and, unsurprisingly, power consumption is highest while the printer is warming up. Ours peaked at 473 watts. When printing it was 200-300 watts more manageable. We thought it would be more than that. You could probably run three of these printers on a 20 amp circuit.
come to the point
To convey how big the Kobra Max is, we put the Kobra in the Kobra Max box. Mad. (We don’t recommend trying this.)
A small printer is limited, so if you find yourself printing large objects into small parts and putting them together, consider buying a Kobra Max. If you are new to 3D printing, keep in mind that it takes a long time to print large objects, maybe days and days. Generally, we recommend a smaller printer for beginners, but at $569.00 if you buy from Anycubic’s site, it’s worth considering as an entry-level printer.
One downside is that small prints will take a bit longer than on a smaller, faster printer. It’s just physics. Larger printers have more inertia to overcome and take longer to move. For example, the printing time of our vase was thirteen hours. On our Prusa MK 2.5 with similar setups it would have taken about twelve hours, not a huge difference.
