Anycubic Kobra Max 3D Printer: Review

Anycubic is a 3D printer manufacturer and recently launched two printers–the Anycubic Kobra The Anycubic Kobra Max, which is bigger and more powerful than its sibling, the Anycubic Kobra Max. In our quest to find the most affordable entry-level 3D printers, we were keen on testing these products. In our search for the best entry-level 3D printers, we are looking for affordability and ease of use. We also want to be able to print high quality and durable models.  

A number of our publications have been published 3D printer Anycubic Reviews – For both FDM Printers Like the The Anycubic Vyper You can print using spools and SLA resin for 3D printers such as the Anycubic Photon Mono X 6K That use liquid resins as their raw material. We can tell you that the Kobra Max quickly became one of our favorite products.

The Anycubic Kobra Max 3D printer features

This printer’s most striking feature is its large size. This printer is massive. This allows you to print large items on one piece. You can print a complete helmet and an entire ukulele in one piece with a 3D printer of normal size. The word Max doesn’t adequately describe the printer’s size. You will have a lot of trouble fitting all the packaging in your garbage or recycling bins!

Because it is heavy, we weren’t sure that this Cartesian-based printer (which has a mobile print bed) would be able to perform. It isn’t the fastest printer, but it works well.  

A long list of technical specifications can be found on the Kobra Max:

• Anycubic Leviq technology automatically levels the leveling system
• Panel Area: 7.95 inches / 51.3cm2
• Filament run-out detection: support
• Printing material: PLA / ABS / PETG & TPU
• Maximum nozzle size is o 0.04 mm (replaceable)
• Nozzle temperature: <= 500 degF / 260 degC
• The temperature of the hotbed is = 194 °F / 90 °C
• Average Speed: 3.1 to 3.9 inches/s (80mm/s-100m/s)
• Touch screen LCD control panel: 4.3 inches
• Double-threaded rod, Z-axis
• Size of the print: 17.7×15.7×15.7in. Print size: 17.7 x 15.7 x 15.7 in
• Build volume: 19.02 gal. 7.2 L
• Machine dimensions: 72 x 71.5 x 66.5cm

The extruder on the Anycubic Vyper is, as far as we know, identical to that of the Anycubic Vyper’s extruder. The Kobra Max also has an automatic bed-leveling mechanism that is identical to the Vyper. This system utilizes a pressure sensor rather than an inductive sensor.

You can find the sensor for bed leveling on the nozzle. It will be able to probe all parts of the bed. Because the pressure sensor can be replaced with any material, the bed-leveling device will continue to work. You won’t see inductive sensors on printers that have glass beds because they require metal for their operation

Because the Kobra Max’s print platform is made of a glass sheet that’s rigid, it can’t be removed or flexed so you can pop off your prints. Although we like spring steel plates with removable build plates, glass makes a great printing surface. The best option for printers without a removable bed is glass. This allows you to use metal scrapers and remove prints from the surface.  

This LCD touchscreen works exactly like the ones found on other Anycubic printers.
You can use it as you always do, and it is responsive.  

Note about filament types. The Kobra Max prints with PETG, ABS and TPU. To print ABS with the best results and have the most fun, you will need to place the printer inside an enclosure. Due to the Kobra Max’s size it might be difficult for you to make an enclosure.  

Assembling and configuring the Kobra Max 3D printer

You need enough room to work when assembling your new Kobra Max. Because the bed is movable, more space will be required than you might think. The bed was installed on a foldable table 30 inches in diameter. For printing, the space required is 36 inches from front to back.

Assembling the Kobra Max requires no additional effort than that of the Vyper and Kobra. Additional items include the diagonal braces, which provide stiffness for the frame and help reduce vibration.  

The assembly took about fifteen minutes for two people. You should double-check to make sure you have cut all zip ties that were used for stabilizing the printer when shipping. They are numerous.   

Calibration 

It is simple to use the auto-bed leveling system. Anycubic suggests that you make sure the x and y-axes are not wobbling. You can change the nuts to stop the wobbling if they are. We didn’t need to adjust anything because there was no wobble with our printer.

Belt tensioners are also available for the x and y-axes. Ours needed to be slightly tightened on the x-axis. These tensioners are simple to use, and offer features that many other printers do not have. It is not necessary to disassemble the extruder assembly in order to tighten the belts. We don’t, so you won’t either.  

Kobra Max – Build Quality

The frame has a stiff structure due to the addition diagonal braces. Dual z-axis screw are a significant improvement on the Kobra. The sagging in the x-axis assembly was virtually eliminated by these screws.  

Spool holders are placed at the bottom of your printer to reduce wobbling while printing large items. The spool is not on top of the printer like the Kobra.

This printer is built with aluminum extrusions with aesthetically-pleasing plastic covers for the hotend and the tenionsers. It’s got an optical z endstop. Both the x- and y-endstops have mechanical mechanisms. It feels sturdy all around.

First Print

Anycubic supplied the test file that we used for our first print. In order to be appropriate, the owl prints twice as much volume than the Kobra’s smaller owl test print. The bowden configuration makes perfect sense with a printer of this size. We were pleasantly surprised by how the ears came out.  

These ears are better than those printed by the Kobra with a direct drive extruder. This is likely due to the slow print speed. We have seen retractions of bowden extruders create artifacts many times. But we didn’t see any strings or blobs. The quality is similar to what you would expect from direct-drives.

We printed the vase using a large flat base that had a thickness of 0.2mm. Although it can be more challenging than removing print from flexible or smaller glass beds, this is not an issue. No adhesion problems were observed. When the glass bed cools, prints did not release. This is exactly what we had hoped and expected.  

Inquiring about power requirements for printers this large, we were concerned that multiple printers wouldn’t work on one circuit. As expected, the Kobra Max’s heating process is when the most power is used. We were able to measure the power use while it was printing. The maximum power consumption was 473 Watts. Printing, the wattage was roughly 200 to 300. The thought was that it might be higher. It is possible to run up to three printers from a single 20-amp circuit.

Let’s get to the chase

For a better understanding of how huge the Kobra Max really is, we placed it on the Kobra Max’s bed. Insane. This is not something we recommend

A small printer This is very constricting. If you are printing large items in smaller pieces, and then assembling them later, a Kobra Max might be the right choice. It can take a while to print large objects, which could potentially be days or even days, if you are new to 3D printing. We recommend that beginners use a smaller printer. However, the Anycubic website has a $569.00 price tag, so it is worth looking at as an entry-level printer.  

A downside is that prints with smaller dimensions will take slightly longer to print than those printed on faster machines. This is just the law of physics. Larger printers are more difficult to maneuver and have less inertia. The print time of our vase, for example, took thirteen hours. Our Prusa MK2.5 with the same settings would have required about 12 hours. It is not a big difference.

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* FormerLurker For assistance in reviewing the AnyCubic Kobra Max 3D printer, please contact us.