First Impression
When you’ve been working with 3D printers for a few years, you start to appreciate not just the specs, but how the thing actually performs — the whole “ritual dancing with a tambourine” experience. In this article, I’m sharing my hands-on experience with the Anycubic Kobra 2 Pro. I’ve tested it printing parts for robots, electronics enclosures, and a bunch of pointless models.
Here’s the official website if you’d like to learn more. (Not sponsored/advertising.)
Out of the Box
One of the first pleasant surprises is the minimal assembly required. Kinematics come preassembled — just a couple of screws and it’s ready to go. Setup takes about 30 minutes, no drama involved.
Equipped with a touchscreen, the interface feels surprisingly unannoying.
Speed Talk
On paper, it promises up to 500 mm/s. In real life — yeah, it’s quick.
But when printing technical parts, I had to dial it down to 80–100 mm/s for decent layer adhesion and geometry. At high speeds, critical print fails happen more often, and you’ll find yourself hitting stop. I think you could fine-tune it for better high-speed performance, but I’m happy with the slower, more stable pace.
On Calibration
It’s automatic. It works — but it’s not wizardry. Sometimes you’ll need to manually tweak the Z-offset, especially if you swap out the nozzle or switch filament types. Other than that — solid.
What I Printed
For SpotMicroAI, I printed all the joints and the main body — no issues. You can read more about this project in the article SpotMicroAI: Building My First Robot Dog.
PLA+ — flawless. PETG — needs slower speeds and a skirt, but the results are consistent. I haven’t tested TPU or ABS yet — they’re next in line.
Noise
He’s noisy. Not a jet engine, but definitely not something you’d want in your bedroom. In a workshop or home office — totally fine. The main sources of noise are the fans and motors, especially when printing at high speeds.
The Slicer Situation: Cura
I use Ultimaker Cura — because it’s free, intuitive, and even if you only learned what a G-code is yesterday, you’ll manage. Works with the Anycubic Kobra 2 Pro without dark rituals — just pick a profile, tweak a bit, and hit print.
Important notes:
- There’s a Cura profile for the Kobra 2 Pro in the newer versions. If not — start with the Kobra 2 profile and adjust speed/layer height.
- Tons of settings, but most defaults work fine — especially with PLA.
- Supports work well, though small parts and complex overhangs might need a bit of cleanup.
- Tree supports — chef’s kiss for organic shapes. Not always stable, but once you try them, it’s hard to go back.
- Loads of plugins — from enhanced visualization to automatic temp adjustments per layer.
Final Thoughts
The Anycubic Kobra 2 Pro is an honest, hard-working printer for those who want to print parts, not get lost in menus. It’s fast but demands a bit of common sense during setup. If you’re into DIY, robotics, or just looking to build something serious — this is a solid option.
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