Build Volume & Temperatures

The Anycubic Kobra Neo is a compact little machine with a build volume of 220 x 220 x 250 mm. A pretty standard size, in our opinion. It’s not the largest of build volumes, but you should have enough room to create some decent-sized models.

In terms of temperatures, the Neo clocks in at 260 °C for the hot end and 110 °C for the heated bed, which means you can print the usual suspect filaments such as PLA, PETG, ABS, and even flexibles, the latter not least due to its direct extruder.

Direct Extruder

For the Kobra series, it’s a constant back-and-forth when it comes to extruder types. The original Kobra came with a direct extruder, the Kobra Go and Kobra Plus feature Bowden extrusion, and the Neo now full-circles back to a direct extruder. Don’t mind if we do.

Typically, direct extruders tend to feed filament more consistently as there is less chance of a blockage as the extruder sits directly on top of the hot end. This can make all the difference with print performance, especially with noodley filaments like TPU and other flexibles.

It does seem like a different printhead approach than on the original Kobra, although not much more info can be gained from the marketing material at this point.

Automatic Bed Leveling

There’s no manual bed leveling on the Kobra Neo, so all first layer fine-tuning happens using what Anycubic calls LeviQ – an inductive probe-based mesh-bed leveling routine.

The system was already put in use on other snake-themed Anycubic printers, such as the original Kobra or the Vyper, and we quite liked its performance in testing. Run the routine, and it’ll map out 25 points across the bed and measure how much they deviate. This is then compensated into the early stages of a print for a smooth and even first layer. This makes setting up the printer a whole lot easier, especially if you’re a beginner.

PEI-coated Flex Plate

Next up on the Neo’s feature list is the inclusion of a PEI-coated spring steel plate. This should provide good print adhesion throughout the process. It also makes it easy to remove afterward: Simply take it out, flex it, and pop the print right off. We here at the All3DP HQ generally prefer PEI coatings of build plates over the – also popular – PC coating, as they are generally less susceptible to wear and tear.

When the print is removed, the plate pops magnetically into place. We had hoped there might be some registration grooves on it to line it up easier, but that’s a minor gripe.

Additional Features

Further features on the Kobra Neo include:

• Easy assembly: The printer comes partially assembled and should be up and running in a couple of minutes. Neat.
• Belt tensioners: The Kobra Neo comes with nifty belt tensioners for the X and Y axis. Should something sit not quite right after transport, you can quickly fix the tension with a flick of your hand.
• Control knob: Don’t like touchscreens? The Kobra Neo has you covered. The 2.4-inch LCD UI comes with a rotary control knob. Feels a bit old hat now, but maybe that’s just us.
• Sensors and options: It has a power outage resume, but no filament runout sensor. You can purchase an aftermarket one, though.