Anycubic Kobra 2 Max Review: A Diamond in the Rough
The Anycubic Kobra 2 Max is an enormous enchancment over its predecessor, however suffers from being overhyped and underdeveloped. It will probably print fairly properly, however its velocity is overstated by Anycubic, which claims it could actually push plastic at 500mm/s. It can not. What it could actually do is a really brisk 150 to 230mm/s, which for the construct measurement is superb.
Our take a look at printer had a tough begin, having arrived with buggy firmware and a barely wonky mattress that dips down within the decrease left nook. Sadly, there’s no guide leveling to right this – solely the sensors – so I ended up shimming the mattress with a number of Put up It notes.
It’s additionally troubling that Anycubic is silent on how the whole Kobra 2 lineup has unlocked its new velocity. It seems suspiciously like Klipper – full with built-in resonance testing. Nonetheless, the firmware is inaccessible and no Klipper-like controls are supplied on the menu or management display screen. The printer does supply Wi-Fi connectivity, however provided that you employ the Anycubic slicer and cellular app.
Like the primary Kobra Max, this machine is freaking large. With an enormous 420 x 420 x 500 construct quantity, this Max is nice for cosplay props like helmets and maybe entire shields. However first, you’ll need to measure your workspace and account for the THREE SQUARE FEET of working house it requires. I needed to flip the printer sideways to suit on my IKEA counter – and the spool holder nonetheless hung off into house.
I might nonetheless advocate the Anycubic Kobra 2 Max over the earlier Kobra Max for the rise in velocity and the extra forgiving versatile constructed floor. Regardless of its flaws, it labored properly on most supplies as soon as I acquired previous the early firmware points and found out my very own (slower) velocity settings. The mattress leveling points and lack of quick profiles within the printer’s personal customized slicer prevents me from placing it on the record of greatest 3D printers.
Specs: Anycubic Kobra 2 Max
| Construct Quantity | 420 x 420 x 500mm (16.5 x 16.5 x 19.7 inches) |
| Materials | PLA/PETG/ABS/TPU (as much as 260 levels) |
| Extruder Kind | Direct Drive |
| Nozzle | .4mm Proprietary Excessive Stream |
| Construct Platform | Textured PEI metal flex plate, heated |
| Mattress Leveling | Computerized + Z top |
| Filament Runout Sensor | Sure |
| Connectivity | USB & Wi-Fi via the app |
| Interface | Colour Contact Display screen |
| Machine Footprint | 735 x 640 x 740 mm (28.9×25.1 x 29.1inches) |
| Machine Weight | 21 KG (46.3 lbs) |
Included within the field: Anycubic Kobra 2 Max
The Anycubic Kobra 2 Max comes with every part you should get began: instruments to construct and preserve the printer, grease and a USB stick. You additionally get a spare nozzle and small pattern of PLA.
There’s a paper copy of the fast begin information that can assist you construct the printer. The printer has pattern fashions within the reminiscence, and the UBB card has a PDF copy of the guide, Anycubic Slicer and a profile for PLA to get you began.
Assembling the Anycubic Kobra 2 Max
Regardless of the scale, the Kobra 2 Max is straightforward to assemble. It ships largely assembled in two giant sections and solely wants a handful of screws and bolts to assemble. 4 bolts maintain the gantry in place, then a brace is hooked up from the highest of the machine to the again. A number of extra screws connect the contact display screen, whereas the spool holder snaps onto the bottom.
Please notice, the Kobra 2 Max has two Y axis belts. You’ll need to make sure that every belt has about the identical quantity of rigidity for clean printing. It takes about half-hour to rigorously assemble.
Leveling the Anycubic Kobra 2 Max
The Anycubic Kobra 2 Max has the identical mattress leveling sensors because the Kobra 2, which not solely ranges the mattress but in addition set the Z top. There aren’t any knobs for guide tramming, leaving every part to the automated sensor. If the Z top shouldn’t be good – and our machine was low within the decrease left nook – you don’t have a lot recourse. I needed to shim the mattress with a number of Put up It Notes to get the whole mattress degree.
To degree the mattress, choose Management → Auto-level. The machine will house itself, preheat after which double faucet 49 spots in a grid throughout the mattress floor.
Loading Filament within the Anycubic Kobra 2 Max
To load filament, press Put together on the principle menu. Choose Filament. Now choose Filament In or Filament Take away. The machine will now warmth as much as 230 C, taking about 60 seconds. Put your spool on the spool holder, and place the top of the filament into the runout sensor. Press Filament In and look ahead to the filament to be pulled to the extruder, or pinch the strain launch on the entrance of the extruder and push it via by hand. Press Cease when the filament is coiling under the hotend.
Eradicating the filament works the identical, simply in reverse. Let the hotend preheat, choose Filament Take away and let the gears again the filament out. Be at liberty to manually pull the filament out of the Bowden tube as quickly because it’s left the hotend.
Design of the Anycubic Kobra 2 Max
The Anycubic Kobra 2 Max seems similar to the Kobra 2, with a greater front-mounted blower that is develop into a design characteristic on the hotend. Noticeable enhancements over the earlier mannequin are a metallic PEI flexplate for simple print removing and a direct drive.
The mattress is hard-mounted, which is unlucky as a result of our take a look at printer arrived with a warped print floor. I used to be capable of shim it with a number of sheets of paper, however it’s very disappointing to resort to hacks on a brand new printer. The mattress leveling system may be very promising, because it’s added the power to set its personal Z top with the assistance of a sensor within the again nook.
The Kobra 2 Max has an antenna for Wi-Fi, however it could actually solely be used with the Anycubic slicer and app. I couldn’t hook up with the printer over my LAN community, which was once more, disappointing.
The printer may be very giant, and like lots of the new wave of “max” printers, it gained’t match on a typical counter. You’ll need to measure your house first and ideally construct it in place. The printer is 43 kilos and troublesome to get via doorways with the side-mounted spool holder hooked up.
The Kobra Max 2 could also be a “mattress slinger” however it’s constructed for stability. It has twin Z rods synced up with a belt, two widely-spaced Y axis rods and braces that maintain the gantry regular. It has silent stepper motors, however you’ll nonetheless hear the followers. It isn’t almost as noisy as among the Klipper machines we’re getting now, however it’s not a printer for folks simply aggravated by white noise.
One other underwhelming change is the transfer from a typical E3D fashion Volcano nozzle to a proprietary excessive circulate that’s virtually, however not fairly related. This implies you may’t experiment with third social gathering nozzles that will have higher circulate. The nozzle can rise up to 260 C, sizzling sufficient for many shopper grade supplies. The mattress can attain temperatures of 90 C, so I might not plan on enclosing this for printing nylon or ABS.
The contact display screen is identical 4.3-inch show Anycubic has used for the final a number of years. The menu remains to be very straightforward to navigate for newbies, with choices in logical places.
Getting ready Recordsdata / Software program
The Anycubic Kobra 2 Max comes with a replica of Anycubic Slicer, which is predicated off Prusa Slicer. Regardless of being a model new slicer made by Anycubic, the one printing profile was included individually and wanted to be put in myself.
Anycubic has not too long ago launched a cellular app to accompany their printers, however I didn’t discover it very helpful. With out a digital camera or the power to alter the printer’s settings, all it could actually do is announce prints are completed. Anycubic remains to be engaged on the app, and claims you’ll quickly have extra management, the power to observe prints and slice fashions out of your telephone.
Printing with the Anycubic Kobra 2 Max
Huge printers imply large prints, so understanding the place to get the greatest filaments for 3D printing is crucial. The Kobra 2 Max solely got here with a pattern coil, so that you’ll need to top off instantly.
In fact, you don’t must print giant gadgets with the Kobra 2 Max. It’s nonetheless a daily 3D printer – and it could actually actually kick issues into excessive gear for small prints. It was capable of produce a really respectable 18 minute and 4- second velocity benchy utilizing Pace Boat Guidelines (2 partitions, 3 prime and backside layers, 10% grid infill, a .25 layer top and .5 layer width). The bow was a bit wavy and the layers uneven, however it’s nonetheless within the prime ten of our 3D printer velocity hierarchy and on par with the velocity of a Bambu A1 Mini.
All that construct plate was begging for one thing large to print, so I printed an enormous rubber duck out of PLA – in case you have children, you’ll perceive bizarre requests. That is once I realized that velocity and enormous prints don’t combine, because it layer-shifted (see the way to keep away from layer shifting in your 3D prints) after getting over a kilo of PLA on the mattress. I slowed down the overly optimistic journey speeds and acquired a reasonably first rate print in the event you don’t look too laborious on the Z seam, which remains to be a large number.
In all places else, the print is clear. The little duck (at 100%) took 1 hour and 35 minutes, whereas the massive duck (at 400% and 425mm tall), 22 hours and 43 minutes. Each had been printed at 230 mm/s with .28 layer top and lightning infill. The failed print ate into my provide of Inland Yellow Pla+, so we switched to Printerior orange midway via.
Subsequent up was a sensible print: a clip for a motorcycle air pump. This was made in Tinkercad to customized match the bike body and the scale of the pump. The print turned out splendidly clean with no stringing. 42 minutes and 12 seconds, at a .2 layer top and 230 mm/s. I printed it in Greengate recycled Purple Reign PETG.
TPU was much less profitable. On this vase mode print, it began off very clean and clear, however then began to beneath extrude because the layers took much less time to finish. This was printed at a 100 mm/s velocity utilizing a .28 layer top, and took 1 hour and 37 minutes to print.
Backside Line
The Anycubic Kobra 2 Max is an enormous machine fairly priced at $569 and at the moment on sale for $519. It’s a great match for prop makers and cosplayers who need to make giant costume items while not having to slice up their printers. You do must be within the temper to tinker with the slicer to get the most effective steadiness of velocity and precision.
It’s an enormous enchancment over the earlier Kobra Max, and far sooner, even when it is not clever to go pedal to the metallic. The PEI mattress sheet and Z top sensor are welcome additions.
Nonetheless, the entire printer feels rushed to the market, particularly as I needed to maintain on to this overview for a pair months whereas Anycubic addressed a deadly firmware flaw within the early model. Even with the wait, it nonetheless lacks any notable options within the promised app and the slicer feels second hand at greatest.
In order for you an enormous printer that works nice out of the field, the Elegoo Neptune 3 Max remains to be your greatest wager, and fairly a steal at $409. It stays our Editor’s selection for big format printers.
