Anycubic Kobra 2 Test

The Chinese manufacturer Anycubic presents the Kobra 2, the successor of its well-known Kobra 3D printer. Despite its low price of only around 300 euros, features include a user-friendly auto-leveling function, a 4.3″ touch display, a PEI-coated spring steel sheet, a filament sensor, a power-loss recovery function and a print speed of up to 250 mm/s. Anycubic promises a user-friendly, straightforward and affordable entry into the world of 3D printing under the slogan "Print Fast, Pay Less." The Anycubic Kobra 2 will be available in Europe from June 1, but you can already find out whether the promises are kept in our test.

Inhaltsverzeichnis / Table of contents

The Anycubic Kobra 2 comes in a ~51 x 49 x 27 cm box, making it almost square and rather flat. The components are safely stowed inside over several levels and separated from each other by black, firm foam. The base and frame make up the majority of the contents. Furthermore, the print head, LCD touchscreen, filament sensor, filament holder, assembly material, the necessary tools and a power cable, among other things, are in the box. A microSD card, a card reader and some PLA are also included so that you can start printing immediately after assembly and initial setup. The complete scope of delivery can be seen in the following image.

The assembly of the Anycubic Kobra 2 is described in the enclosed manual and also the quick start guide sufficiently comprehensive, easy to understand and illustrated. First, the frame is installed, followed by the print head and the LCD touchscreen. The filament holder is now hooked into the base and the filament sensor and the supply line for the filament are installed. Finally, the five clearly labeled connectors are connected together and the filament is inserted. The entire setup takes less than 30 minutes, and all the necessary tools are included.

Before commissioning, the rollers and screw connections are checked once again, and then the enclosed cold appliance cable can be plugged in. The Kobra 2 has a power supply switch and can be operated with a voltage of 110 or 230V. The set voltage is directly visible on the switch, in our case the 230 V required for Germany was already set.

After switching on, we prepare the filament via the menu item Prepare, Filament and Filament In and can then start leveling. This ensures that irregularities are compensated for and that the distance between the nozzle and the print bed is the same at all points. This results in uniform layers and prevents printing errors. Manual leveling is a greater effort, especially for beginners, but thanks to Anycubic's LeviQ 2.0, this is done automatically here. LeviQ 2.0 works with an inductive sensor that generates a magnetic field and detects disturbances. Distances or gaps on the print bed are detected, registered and automatically compensated for without direct contact. An exact Z-offset is determined, which is used to adjust the height of the nozzle to the print bed.

The menu item Prepare and Leveling takes us to Auto-leveling, after which the print bed and nozzle are heated. When the required temperature is reached, the nozzle is cleaned and some filament runs out. The printhead moves to the print bed, touches it twice and then moves behind the print bed to a trigger switch. This is located at the height of the print bed and is needed to determine the Z-Offset. The print head of the Kobra 2 now traces a grid of 5×5 dots, but does not touch the print bed, determines the distances and determines the Z offset. In case of inaccuracies or problems, the Z-Offset can also be further adjusted manually. It is recommended to repeat the auto-leveling when the 3D printer is moved to a different location. After the leveling, we can start the first 3D printing.

The basic design of the Anycubic Kobra 2 is reminiscent of the Vyper, which we previously tested. The print bed measures 23 x 23 cm and is moved by a motor via a belt. The belts can be retightened via red plastic wheels if necessary. The 3D printing itself is done on a PEI-coated spring steel plate, which protrudes a bit at the front. After the printing process and some cooling down, the magnetic plate together with the 3D print can be removed temporarily. By slightly bending the plate, it can now be released very easily. The height axis is also moved by a single motor on the frame and allows 3D printing of up to 25 cm in height. The maximum size of the object to be printed is 25 x 22 x 22 cm.

On the front of the Kobra 2, there is a USB-C port and a microSD slot, and attached to the right corner is the 4.3-inch LCD touchscreen, which is used to operate the 3D printer. The power port and the power button are on the left, but there are no other ports or controls.

Compared to the first Kobra model, the filament holder has moved from the top to the left side. Furthermore, the Kobra 2 now has a filament sensor that automatically stops printing when no more filament is available. After new filament is inserted, printing can continue, this prevents printing errors.

Due to several revisions, the Kobra 2 now prints at up to 250 mm/s, while the first model reached a maximum of 180 mm/s. This is due in part to the new dual-gear, direct-drive extruder, which enables more accurate extrusion at high speeds, and the 60 W high-power hot end, which enables a higher filament extrusion rate. A 4 W fan also contributes to the subsequent cooling of the printed filament so that subsequent layers can be printed more quickly. The movement of the print head has also been further optimized. SG15 U-groove bearings instead of rubber rollers, a correspondingly adapted structure of the axes and optimizations of the height axis reduce friction so that the movements of the print head are faster but still precise.

Included with the Anycubic Kobra 2 are a micro SD card with a capacity of 8 GB and a card reader. Among other things, the micro SD contains an English and Chinese manual, various test files that are already available as GCode and can be printed directly from the micro SD, as well as the PrusaSlicer software, which can be used to export print files for the 3D printer. The software is free, open source and regularly updated.

The Kobra 2 comes with a 0.4 mm nozzle and PLA, Anycubic recommends a layer height of 0.2 mm for this, the first layer is slightly thicker at 0.28 mm and three wall lines with a thickness of 1.21 mm. Depending on the type of line, the printing speed is between 50 and 150 mm/s, the latter being used for contours and infill, for example. The profile can of course be adjusted if the print quality is not yet optimal for certain objects.

After auto-leveling, which only takes a few minutes, we printed the first templates from the microSD card using light gold Silk PLA.

For the first print, we decided to go straight for a larger object that included many different geometric shapes as well as numbers. The print took a total of 2 hours and 16 minutes. We can see imperfections here, especially in the small numbers next to the cylinders and on the arc, which needs to be slightly touched up, especially on the right.

The second print is the well-known 3D-benchy, a small boat. The printing process took only 30 minutes in total and can convince in quality for the most part. The doors, the roof and the holes were printed cleanly, but we discovered fine short threads on the latter, which speak for a less than optimal temperature. The lettering on the underside is cleanly printed, but the much smaller lettering on the rear shows weaknesses. On the latter, some filament overhangs where the next layer was started.

After the two files that were already on the microSD card, we printed two more objects. First, we decided to print an owl, which is included with the files of the first Anycubic Cobra. The print quality was very good here, only at the ears we discovered fine short threads again, but these can be easily removed afterwards. Finally, we printed the octopus of a board game. Here, too, the print quality was convincing, the tentacles and also the fine suction cups were printed cleanly.

In addition to the good print quality at a high speed, the Anycubic Kobra 2 can also convince in the test with its simple operation and a relatively low noise level.

The Anycubic Kobra 2 turns out to be a successful successor to the first Kobra in the test and is definitely recommendable. The 3D printer is well-made, even though quite a lot of plastic is used, can be set up in a few minutes, and thanks to auto-leveling with a 5×5 point grid, it is also quick and easy to set up. The operation is also convincing thanks to a large and well-responsive display as well as a clear English-language software. The Kobra 2 is thus very suitable for beginners who are looking for an easy and comfortable entry into the world of 3D printing, but also for advanced users who are looking for a 3D printer with good print quality at a high speed at a low price. Practical new features, such as the filament sensor and the power loss recovery function also avoid unwanted misprints.

Anycubic offers a lot overall at an attractive and fair price. If you are looking for an affordable 3D printer or are new to the topic, you should definitely take a closer look at the Anycubic Kobra 2.

Very good and affordable 3D printer that is suitable for beginners thanks to easy assembly, setup and operation.

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