Anycubic releases five 3d printers, including three resin printers
The Chinese 3d printer manufacturer Anycubic has released two series of printers. The Kobra series consists of two fdm printers with filament as the building material and the Photon M3 series consists of three dlp printers with resin as the building material.
The two fdm printers under the Kobra flag are the Kobra and Kobra Max. The first is a standard i3 printer with a print bed of 22 by 22 centimeters and a print height of 25 centimeters. With the direct extruder, which reaches a temperature of up to 230 degrees Celsius, standard materials such as PLA, PETG and flexible filaments such as TPU can be printed. The z-axis is a single leadscrew and automatic leveling is standard for bed adjustment. The print bed is made of spring steel and can be heated to 110 degrees. The operation is via a 4.3 “color touchscreen. The Kobra costs 299 dollars, or 318 euros in the German store.
The bigger brother of the Kobra listens to the name Kobra Max and has a print bed of 40 by 40 centimetres. The maximum height of objects is 45 centimeters and the z-axis is more stable than the small Kobra thanks to double leadscrews and trestles. The Max has a glass bed that can be heated to 90 degrees Celsius and is also equipped with automatic bed leveling. The extruder is a Bowden extruder that supports temperatures up to 260 degrees Celsius, with which slightly more exotic filaments can be used. The operation again consists of a 4.3 “touch screen and the price of the large variant is 569 dollars or 583 euros.
The three Photon M3 printers work according to the DLP principle. A monochrome LCD panel selectively transmits light from the underlying UV LEDs and cures where the light reaches the liquid resin. In this way a print is built up layer by layer. The printers therefore use liquid resin that is poured into a bath, in which the build plate is immersed and is slowly pulled out of the bath with the printed object. After printing, some post-processing, especially curing and rinsing, is often necessary, but that usually produces very detailed prints.
| 7.6 inches | 9.25 inch | 13.6 inches |
| 4096 x 2560 pixels | 5760 x 3600 pixels | 6480 x 3600 pixels |
| 400:1 | 350:1 | 450:1 |
| 39μm | 34μm | 46μm |
| 16.3 x 10.2cm | 19.7 x 12.2cm | 29.8 x 16.4cm |
| 18cm | 24.5cm | 30cm |
| up to 50mm per hour | up to 100mm per hour | up to 60mm per hour |
| unknown | 40 leds | 84 LEDs |
| 2.8″ touchscreen | 5″ touchscreen | 4.3″ touchscreen |
The Photon M3 is the smallest of the bunch and is equipped with a 4k screen with a diagonal of 7.6 inches. The screen has 4096 by 2560 pixels, good for a print resolution of about 39 micrometers. This provides a print surface of 16.3 by 10.2 centimeters, with a print height of up to 18 centimeters. The vertical resolution is 0.01 millimeters and the print speed is a maximum of 50 millimeters per hour. Operation is via a small 2.8 “touch screen and the printer costs 327 euros.
The middle size, the Photon M3 Plus, costs 692 euros and has a larger construction area of 19.7 by 12.2 centimeters. The screen is 9.25 inches diagonal and has a resolution of 6k, in this case 5760 by 3600 pixels, which gives a print resolution of 34 micrometers. The print speed is a maximum of 100 millimeters per hour, for a maximum print height of 24.5 centimeters. The display for operation is a bit more spacious with a 5 inch diagonal.
From left to right: the Photon M3, the Photon M3 Plus with automatic resin filling system and the Photon M3 Max (without UV hood)
The M3 Plus and M3 Max are equipped with an automatic filling system, whereby the required liquid resin is pumped from the bottle into the print reservoir. The amount is automatically dosed based on the prints, so that a print does not fail due to lack of resin, but excess liquid is not wasted either.
The top model of the Photon series is the Photon M3 Max, which costs 1093 euros. For that you get a hefty building plate of 29.8 by 16.4 centimeters, with a construction height of 30 centimeters. The screen of this printer has a diagonal of 13.6 inches and a resolution of 6480 by 3600 pixels, which means a slightly coarser print resolution of 46 micrometers compared to the other two printers. The print speed is somewhat slower than the Plus version, with a maximum of 60 millimeters per hour.