Anycubic Kobra PLUS 3D Printer: Best Affordable 3D Printer of 2023?

Introduction

In the world of 3D printing, the Anycubic Kobra Plus 3D Printer has quickly made its mark. Its unique blend of affordability, user-friendliness, and high-quality output puts it in a category of its own, making it an appealing choice for both beginners and seasoned printing enthusiasts.

Technical Specifications

  • Printing Speed: One of the standout specifications of the Anycubic Kobra Plus is its impressive printing speed. It can print at a speed of 18cm/s. This specification is particularly important when working on larger projects, where timely completion is essential. Despite this rapid printing speed, the printer doesn’t compromise on the quality of prints, delivering accurate and detailed output.
  • Upgraded Dual Screw Rod Design: The Anycubic Kobra Plus features an upgraded dual screw rod design. This ensures greater stability and accuracy of the Z-axis movement, crucial for high precision prints. The dual screw rods reduce the chances of layer shifting and ensure the printer’s smooth operation, leading to higher quality results.
  • Printing Volume: One of the most attractive technical aspects of the Anycubic Kobra Plus is its generous printing volume. The printer offers a printing area of 300 x 300 x 350mm. This large print volume allows users to create bigger models and complex designs, giving them the freedom to undertake ambitious projects. Despite its large print volume, the printer maintains its overall compactness, making it an ideal choice for various settings, from hobbyist workshops to professional studios.
  • Advanced Features: This printer is packed with advanced features that enhance its performance. The filament run-out detection system alerts you when the filament is about to end, preventing incomplete prints and saving both time and materials. The Auto Bed Leveling system ensures a leveled print bed for each print, ensuring better print adhesion and improved print quality. The touch screen interface is another advanced feature, enabling easy navigation and operation.
  • Print Quality: Despite its speed, the Anycubic Kobra Plus doesn’t compromise on print quality. It can produce very fine prints, exhibiting intricate details. The printer can maintain this high quality across a range of print sizes and types of filaments, making it a versatile choice for diverse 3D printing needs.
  • Layer Resolution: The layer resolution of a 3D printer is critical in determining the quality of the prints. The Anycubic Kobra Plus offers a resolution of 0.1 mm, which means it can print thin layers that are hardly visible to the naked eye. This ensures that the final printed object has a smooth and detailed finish, free from visible layer lines.
  • Filament Compatibility: The Anycubic Kobra Plus is compatible with various types of filaments, including PLA, PETG, ABS, and Flex. This filament compatibility is a key advantage, as it allows users to experiment with different materials and effects. The choice of filament can significantly impact the appearance, strength, and flexibility of the printed object.
  • Heated Bed Temperature: The Anycubic Kobra Plus has a heated bed, which can reach temperatures up to 90ºC. This feature is crucial for improving the adhesion of the first layer of the print to the bed, resulting in better print quality. A heated bed also enables the use of a wider range of filaments, including those that require higher temperatures, such as ABS.
  • Nozzle Diameter and Temperature: The printer comes with a 0.4 mm nozzle, which is a standard size for many 3D printers. This size strikes a balance between print speed and detail. The nozzle can reach a temperature of up to 260ºC, accommodating a wide variety of filaments. It’s worth noting that the nozzle is replaceable, allowing for easy maintenance and upgrades if desired.

Be sure to check more gear reviews here:

Unboxing and Setup

As soon as you unbox the Anycubic Kobra Plus, the setup process begins. With two primary pieces to be connected and a few screws to secure them, the printer is designed for easy assembly. All necessary tools are included, and a few cables need to be plugged in, making the setup process efficient and straightforward.

Design and Build Quality

Anycubic Kobra Plus 3D Printer
(Credit: Anycubic)

One of the most striking aspects of the Anycubic Kobra Plus is its robust and functional design. Anycubic has successfully married aesthetics with practicality, ensuring the 3D printer not only looks good but also delivers on its promises of performance.

A key element of the printer’s design is the integration of injection-molded plastic and metal parts. This intelligent blend creates a strong and sturdy structure that is built to last. The choice of materials doesn’t just contribute to the printer’s durability but also adds to its overall visual appeal. The metal structure provides a solid printing base, ensuring stability during operation, while the injection-molded parts lend a sleek and modern look.

Despite its large print volume, the overall size and weight of the Kobra Plus are relatively manageable. This makes it an excellent choice for various settings, whether you plan to use it in a professional studio, a school lab, or your personal workshop at home. It’s a testament to Anycubic’s thoughtful design process, which aims to offer convenience without sacrificing functionality.

The placement of various components is also worth mentioning. The filament reel, for example, is located on the side of the machine. While this means the printer requires a fair amount of workspace, it also contributes to the neatness of the overall setup. Additionally, the power socket and switch are tucked neatly around the side behind the filament reel holder, keeping wires out of the way and adding to the overall neatness and safety of the setup.

Anycubic hasn’t just focused on the external design but has paid equal attention to the internal mechanics. The printer boasts a double screw motor that ensures precise movement along the Z-axis, enhancing the overall print quality. The integration of a smart auto-leveling system, known as AnyCubic LeviQ, also contributes to the printer’s robust design.

Print Quality and Speed

  • Balance of Quality and Speed: The Anycubic Kobra Plus is designed to balance speed and quality, which is an essential aspect of any 3D printer. It operates at a print speed of 18cm/s, which, although fast, does not compromise the quality of prints. It maintains precision and detail in each layer, ensuring your final print is of high quality. This balance makes the Kobra Plus suitable for a wide range of projects, from simple prints to more complex models.
  • Noisy or Silent: The noise level of a 3D printer is often a critical consideration, especially for users in a shared space. The Kobra Plus, despite its impressive print speed, operates at a noise level of ≤ 60 dB. While you’ll be aware of the printer working, the noise level is not overly intrusive, allowing you to continue with other tasks without disruption.
  • Precision: The Kobra Plus printer has a high degree of precision, a feature that directly impacts the print quality. It offers a printing accuracy of ± 0.1 mm and allows users to choose a layer thickness between 50 – 300 μm. This level of precision contributes to the production of highly detailed and finely finished prints.
  • Filament Compatibility and Quality: The Kobra Plus can handle a wide variety of filaments such as PLA, PETG, ABS, and Flex, giving users the freedom to choose the material best suited to their project. Additionally, the printer can reach a temperature of 260ºC, which allows it to process these different filament types effectively. The filament provided by Anycubic for this printer was observed to be of good quality, allowing the Kobra Plus to produce high-quality prints.
  • Printing Large Models: One of the most striking features of the Anycubic Kobra Plus is its ability to print large-scale models without any decrease in print quality. This capability is made possible due to its large print platform and impressive printing volume, allowing users to take on ambitious projects.
  • Quality Control Features: The Kobra Plus comes equipped with several features designed to ensure consistent print quality. Notably, the printer has a filament run-out sensor that stops the print job when the filament runs out, allowing you to replace the filament and resume printing without any impact on the print quality. The auto bed leveling feature also contributes to maintaining high-quality prints by ensuring a level print bed for each print.
(Credit: Anycubic)

Ease of Use

The Anycubic Kobra Plus is engineered with user-friendliness in mind. It features a clear LCD touchscreen that simplifies navigation and operation. The interface is functional, making it easy for users to select the correct settings for each print. It’s also quick to calibrate, further enhancing its usability.

Advanced Features

The Anycubic Kobra Plus stands out with its advanced features. The double screw motor, for instance, ensures accurate Z-axis movement. The auto bed leveling, filament run-out detection, and user-friendly touchscreen are other features that combine to provide a seamless 3D printing experience. These advanced features are embedded within the printer’s design, enhancing functionality while maintaining a simple operation process.

Anycubic claims a 10 minute set up time thanks to their Modular design (Credit: Anycubic)

Print Platform and Size

The Kobra Plus comes with a large print platform made of durable Carborundum glass. This platform provides ample space for your prints, guarantees strong adhesion, and can be heated to 90ºC. This allows you to undertake large-scale projects and work with different printing materials.

Potential Issues and Solutions

Like any 3D printer, the Anycubic Kobra Plus may encounter some issues. One such challenge is removing prints from the glass bed. To overcome this, allowing the print to cool down completely can help. It’s important to remember that any issues encountered can usually be resolved with patience and a bit of troubleshooting, thanks to the strong support community surrounding 3D printing.

Pricing and Value for Money

The Anycubic Kobra Plus is competitively priced, offering value for its specifications. Considering its wide range of features, large print volume, and ease of use, it offers a substantial return on investment, especially for users who require a reliable and high-performing 3D printer.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Anycubic Kobra Plus 3D Printer

In conclusion, the Anycubic Kobra Plus is a capable 3D printer that delivers on its promise of quality and reliability. Despite a few minor issues, its advanced features, ease of use, and impressive print quality make it a solid choice for both beginners and experienced 3D printing enthusiasts.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What types of filament is the Anycubic Kobra Plus compatible with?

The Anycubic Kobra Plus is compatible with a wide variety of filaments, including PLA, PETG, ABS, and Flex. This wide compatibility allows you to experiment with different materials for your projects.

2. Does the Anycubic Kobra Plus come with a warranty?

Yes, the Anycubic Kobra Plus comes with a standard 12-month warranty. In case of any major faults that you cannot fix yourself, Anycubic will provide a replacement or send a spare part for you to fix it.

3. How noisy is the Anycubic Kobra Plus during operation?

Despite its high-speed operation, the Anycubic Kobra Plus maintains a relatively low noise level at ≤ 60 dB. This means while you will hear it working, it won’t be overly distracting and you can continue with other tasks without significant disruption.

4. Does the Anycubic Kobra Plus support auto bed leveling?

Yes, the Anycubic Kobra Plus 3D Printer features a smart auto bed leveling system known as AnyCubic LeviQ. This system simplifies the preparation process for printing and ensures better adhesion and print quality by maintaining a level print bed.

5. Can the Anycubic Kobra Plus handle large printing projects?

Absolutely. One of the standout features of the Anycubic Kobra Plus is its large print volume of 300 x 300 x 350mm. This large printing area enables you to work on bigger models and complex designs, making the printer suitable for ambitious printing projects.

*(We sometimes earn a commission for purchases made through our links. Please see the ‘Disclosure’ link at the bottom of this page for more information.)

Chuck Manning

I’ve always been fascinated by technology and how it can be used to create new things, but it wasn’t until I stumbled upon the world of 3D printing that I found my true passion. Today, I continue to pursue my hobby with the same passion and dedication, always looking for new and exciting ways to push the boundaries of 3D printing.


More to Explore