The Anycubic Kobra Plus (opens in new tab) is the third printer in Anycubic’s newest line of FDM printers. It’s the “Goldilocks” machine, not as huge because the Kobra Max, not as small because the Kobra. Priced at $499 with a construct dimension of 300 x300 x 350mm, it’s going toe-to-toe towards Creality’s standard CR10 line of machines for an excellent bit cheaper.
The Kobra Plus is principally a scaled down Kobra Max, with all the identical options in a much less overwhelming dimension. It’s nonetheless not a transportable machine – it might probably print a helmet in a single piece – however you in all probability gained’t must particular order a desk for it. It has a Bowden extruder with a Volcano-style hotend and a carborundum glass mattress with nice adhesion. This machine can also be geared up with Anycubic’s “LeviQ” mattress leveling system that bodily faucets the print floor for very correct outcomes.
Better of all, the Kobra Plus ships largely assembled for a fast and simple, headache free setup. You’ll be able to go from opening the field to printing your first mannequin in about Half-hour.The Kobra Plus is definitely ranked amongst the Finest 3D printers proper now.
Specs: Anycubic Kobra Plus
Machine Footprint | 605 x 560 x 546 mm (23.8 x 22 x 21.5 inches) |
Construct Quantity | 300 x 300 x 350 mm (11.8 x 11.8 x 13.8 inches) |
Materials | PLA/PETG/ABS/TPU |
Extruder Sort | Bowden |
Nozzle | .4mm (Interchangeable) |
Filament Runout Sensor | Sure |
Mattress Leveling | Automated |
Connectivity | Micro SD, Micro USB |
Interface | Colour Contact Display |
Included within the field: Anycubic Kobra Plus
The Anycubic Kobra Plus comes with all the pieces it is advisable get began: instruments to construct and preserve the printer, aspect cutters, a plastic scraper, nozzle cleaner, grease and a microSD card with a USB adapter. You additionally get a spare nozzle and small pattern of PLA.
There’s a paper copy of the short begin information that can assist you construct the printer. The microSD card comes with a pattern mannequin, a PDF copy of the handbook, a duplicate of Cura 4.2.1 and profiles for PLA and TPU to get you began.
Assembling the Anycubic Kobra Plus
The Kobra Plus ships largely assembled. Placing it collectively solely includes just a few bolts and 20-Half-hour of your time. 4 bolts maintain the gantry in place, and some extra screws connect the contact display screen. The spool holder snaps on to the decrease rail.
Take away the protecting sticker off the glass plate and clip it to the aluminum mattress plate with all six clips evenly spaced, three on the entrance and three on the again. It’s essential to make use of ALL the clips, or you could not get an correct studying from the auto degree system.
Snip off the zip ties that held the printer collectively for transport and plug within the wiring. All the things is clearly labeled and simple to seek out. The ultimate step is to safe the Bowden tube to the print head cable with the offered cable clips.
After the printer is assembled, examine for unfastened or over-tight components. Be sure all of the wheels roll easily with a little bit of grip and examine that there’s no wiggle within the print carriage. Belts must be tight, however not straining – there’s helpful adjuster knobs for each the X and Y axis. If any of the wheels are unfastened or too tight, you possibly can regulate them by turning the eccentric nuts with the offered wrench.
Earlier than beginning your printer, you’ll must examine the voltage setting – it must be at 110 for US households. Use a hex key to push the change.
Leveling the Anycubic Kobra Plus
The Anycubic Kobra Plus comes with an in-house designed computerized mattress leveling system that bodily faucets the nozzle on the mattress at 25 factors round a grid.
There are not any knobs for handbook tramming, leaving all the pieces to the automated sensor. To degree the mattress, choose Put together → Leveling → Auto-leveling. A popup will ask you to the touch a device to the nozzle to calibrate the sensor. The machine will dwelling itself, preheat, after which double faucet 25 spots in a grid throughout the mattress floor.
The Kobra Plus is de facto good at setting an ideal mattress degree for you, however in case you’re printing with a filament that wants somewhat extra, or rather less, squish, you possibly can change the Z peak. You’ll be able to both regulate it when you’re printing or change it from the leveling menu. The machine will keep in mind this setting routinely, and apply it to the following print.
Loading Filament within the Anycubic Kobra Plus
To load filament, press Put together on the principle menu. Choose Filament. Now choose Filament In or Filament Take away. The machine will 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 after which the extruder. Press Filament In and both anticipate the filament to be pulled to the extruder, or pinch the strain launch on the entrance of the extruder and push it by means of 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 happy to manually pull the filament out of the Bowden tube as quickly because it’s left the hotend.
Design of the Anycubic Kobra Plus
The Anycubic Kobra Plus seems to be like a smaller model of the Kobra Max, which in flip seems to be fairly a bit just like the Anycubic Vyper. It has a easy black aluminum body and some plastic components.
The facility provide and processor are within the base of the machine, however the contact display screen and spool holder jut out from the edges, making it a bit wider than stats would point out.
It has twin Z rods synced up with a belt just like the Max, however just one centrally positioned Y axis and no braces. Silent stepper motors and comparatively quiet followers make the Kobra Plus a straightforward workplace companion.
The construct plate is a carborundum coated glass that has glorious adhesion when heat and permits prints to be simply eliminated when chilly. In the event you discover components too troublesome to take away, you possibly can regulate your Z peak a tiny bit or use a glue stick as a launch agent. The mattress can attain 100 levels C, somewhat hotter than the Max.
The hotend is a Volcano fashion that may attain 260 C, sizzling sufficient for many client grade supplies.
The contact display screen is similar 4.3-inch show used on the opposite Kobra printers. The menu is simple to navigate for freshmen, with choices in logical places. The house display screen has 4 choices: Print, Put together, Instruments and System.
- Print exhibits you a listing of information on the microSD card you possibly can select.
- Put together has menus for Leveling, Preheat and Filament loading.
- Instruments has Transfer Axis, Temperature, Velocity and Motor. Motor is the place you disable the steppers in case you want too.
- System permits you to choose the language (English or Chinese language), Voice (flip off the beeps) and About.
Making ready Recordsdata / Software program
The Anycubic Kobra Plus comes with Cura 4.2.1, however a profile for the Kobra Plus shouldn’t be pre-installed. The handbook offers instructions for organising a customized printer from scratch, however I discover the Cura profile for a Creality CR10s works nice.
All you need to change is the construct peak, which must be set at 350mm. You need to use the identical technique for organising PrusaSlicer, one other standard slicer that’s obtainable for a free obtain.
Printing with the Anycubic Kobra Plus
The Anycubic Kobra Plus is a big format printer, nevertheless it’s simply as nimble as any smaller machine, supplying you with a variety of choices in your 3D printing.
I all the time begin with the pre-sliced check mannequin and the offered pattern filament. Anycubic gives one check file, the owl, which truthfully doesn’t showcase the Kobra Plus to its finest benefit. It was somewhat wispy, one thing that I didn’t have issues with once I used recent filament and my very own slicer settings.
To announce the launch of the Kobra Plus, YouTuber Joel Telling commissioned this mannequin of Serpentor from GI Joe by Chaos Coretech. It’s free on Printables.com. That is printed at 150% in Anycubic Matte White PLA (opens in new tab) and Printed Stable Mixtape 17 utilizing a typical .2mm layer peak and took 32 hours and 50 minutes. It printed with out stringing and had virtually no layer strains.
Anycubic offered a pattern of their new silk rainbow PLA (opens in new tab) for testing, so I put it to make use of by printing an additional massive Crystal Dragon by Cinderwings3D. The dragon took 24 hours and 32 minutes to print at 125%, printed in a .28 layer peak with a .64 line width for additional pace. It’s tremendous easy and glossy, with no stringing.
To present the machine an actual exercise, I printed Clockspring3D’s Torture Toaster. It’s a ridiculously advanced check, with print in place components, overhangs, slender gaps, printed hinges and gears. That is the very best toaster I’ve ever printed with zero stringing, and almost each clearance problem bested. Printed in Matterhackers Professional Collection Silver PLA (opens in new tab), the toaster took 17 hours to print.
TPU printed extremely effectively on the Kobra Plus with solely the barest wisp of stringing. I printed a large McGybeer Cute Octopus utilizing normal settings and slowing it all the way down to 40mms. It was printed in Matterhackers Translucent Purple MH Construct Collection TPU (opens in new tab) and took 32 hours and 23 minutes.
I ran a fast examine on PETG by operating a easy vase mode field that I’ll use as a drawer organizer. The Kobra Plus had no downside and produced a clear print with a easy first layer. That is Matterhackers Construct Collection PETG in blue (opens in new tab) and the print took 4 hours and 22 minutes.
Backside Line
The Anycubic Kobra Plus is the right printer for makers on the lookout for somewhat extra construct quantity with out breaking the financial institution or their counter prime. At present priced at $499, the Kobra Plus can deal with most helmets and lots of props with out having to cube them into little items.
The machine is simple to assemble and with auto mattress leveling included it’s an amazing first selection for the bold maker. I’d have preferred to see a versatile mattress on this sized machine, however the glass does an excellent job of clinging to prints whereas sizzling and takes little or no effort to take away them whereas chilly.
In the event you’re eager about a newbie printer, take a look at the Anycubic Kobra from the identical line. Priced at $319, it’s an Editor’s Selection and our choose for Finest Printer for Learners. If you wish to make jumbo prints, then the Anycubic Kobra Max is on the market for $560 on the Anycubic web site.