What Anycubic Has Announced with the Kobra S1 Max
Anycubic has just launched its latest FDM printer: the Kobra S1 Max, a closed CoreXY machine with a 350×350×350mm build volume and a modular ecosystem that supports up to 16 colors. What stands out most about this announcement is the combination of specs that, just a few years ago, were only found on machines like the Qidi X-Max 3 or Raise3D printers costing £3,000+.
The machine features an actively heated chamber reaching 65°C, a hotend capable of hitting 350°C, and top speeds of 600mm/s with accelerations of 20,000mm/s². On paper, this is a printer aimed squarely at the professional and semi-professional market — yet priced to remain within reach for the serious maker.
The package includes two hardened steel nozzles (0.4mm installed, 0.6mm included as a spare), which makes it clear Anycubic expects you to be running abrasive materials from day one. Multicolor compatibility via the ACE 2 Pro system is the cherry on top: each unit handles 4 filaments with active drying while printing, and you can chain up to 4 units together to hit those 16 colors listed in the specs.
How It Compares to the Kobra S1 (What Actually Changes)
The most obvious difference is build volume: according to Anycubic, you're getting 2.74 times more print space than the standard S1. But the real upgrade goes well beyond size. While the S1 is an open-frame Cartesian machine aimed at everyday users, the S1 Max is a fully enclosed CoreXY built for serious work.
The jump in thermal capability is significant. The standard S1 has no heated chamber, while the Max actively maintains 65°C. This isn't a gimmick — at that temperature you can print ABS, ASA, and nylon without warping, which is simply not possible on an open-frame machine. The hotend raises the bar further, pushing up to 350°C and opening the door to polycarbonate and high-performance FDM filaments including carbon fiber-filled materials.
The CoreXY architecture versus the Cartesian system on the standard S1 means less moving mass and, in theory, better precision at high speeds. Anycubic claims those 20k accelerations aren't just marketing figures — though we'll have to see whether the frame holds up without resonance issues when you really push it.
Print Volume and Speed: What the Specs Actually Promise
A 350mm³ build volume puts you firmly in serious-scale printing territory. To put that in perspective, you can fit complete functional prototypes, large enclosures without splitting, or decent production runs of medium-sized parts. The machine's overall footprint (502.7×483×584mm) is surprisingly compact for what it delivers, though you'll still need a dedicated space no matter what.
Let's be honest: nobody runs real production prints at that speed. It's the classic marketing figure you only hit during travel moves or specific benchmark tests. In practice, if you can print fast with decent quality on real parts, you're already ahead of the game. The 20,000mm/s² acceleration figures are actually more meaningful — they translate to less time wasted on direction changes, and if the firmware handles input shaping well, you could see genuine improvements in overall print times.
The system draws 2200W at 220V (1000W at 110V), which tells you that heating that entire build volume to 65°C doesn't come cheap on your electricity bill. Anycubic quotes 55dB with active heating, which is reasonable for a machine of this size — though I wouldn't want it in the same room where you sleep.
ACE Pro Ecosystem and Direct Drive Extruder: What Stands Out to Me
The ACE 2 Pro is where Anycubic is really trying to set itself apart. Each unit (368×291.5×236.5mm) handles 4 filaments with active drying during the print. This isn't just a filament switcher — it keeps material at temperature while it waits its turn, which is critical for nylon and other hygroscopic materials that soak up moisture from the air like a sponge.
I've seen too many filament spools ruined from being left out over a weekend. If it genuinely keeps material dry while it waits, that's a real win.
The 16-color capability by chaining 4 units sounds impressive, but let's be realistic: purge waste on every color change is unavoidable with any single-nozzle system. Sixteen colors looks great on paper and it's not a bad concept, but purging and dialing in profiles is still a headache with any single-head setup. Worth noting too that with the trend toward new multicolor systems using CMYK — like Bambu's approach — this style of multicolor printing with more than 4 spools looks set to become obsolete within the next few years. For occasional multicolor work or color-coded prototypes, it's great. For heavy multicolor production, get ready to generate kilos of purge tower waste.
The direct drive extruder with hardened steel nozzles included as standard signals that Anycubic expects you to run technical materials from day one. With temperatures up to 350°C, you can work with PA6-CF (nylon with 20% carbon fiber) requiring 270–300°C nozzle temps, or even push into pure polycarbonate territory.
My concerns before it lands in the workshop
My first concern is the real-world thermal management of that chamber at 65°C. Maintaining a uniform temperature across 350mm³ is no small feat, and if there are significant gradients between the center and the corners, you'll see warping on large prints even with ABS. The first reviews will be critical for seeing whether the heat distribution is genuinely even or whether this is another case of "technically accurate spec, practically optimistic result."
The multicolor system also gives me pause. Sure, the active drying on the ACE 2 Pro is a genuine plus, but managing profiles for 4 different filaments — let alone 16 — with their respective temperatures, retractions, and optimal speeds is a calibration nightmare. And that's before factoring in the inevitable purge waste on every color change. The specs look great on paper, but until I see real-world tests with a stopwatch, I'm keeping my hype in check.
The 2200W power draw has me thinking about electricity bills during long print runs. If you need to hold 65°C for 20–30 hour prints, you'll feel it on your energy bill. And while 55dB isn't ear-splitting, it's constant noise that can get old fast if your workshop is anywhere near living spaces.
Who should wait — and who shouldn't
If you're still wrestling with an Ender 3, this machine is a quantum leap. An enclosed CoreXY with a heated chamber at this price point... two years ago that was unthinkable. And look — if you print (or plan to print) PA-CF or PC, that 350°C hotend comes stock. No need to go hunting for a copper V6 or dropping $500 on a Dragon hotend.
That said, if you already have a solid machine and you're chasing clean multicolor for miniatures or display models, don't get your hopes too high. A single-nozzle purge system will never be as clean as a Bambu with AMS. And if raw speed for production is your priority, a properly tuned Voron or similar will likely deliver better real-world results than chasing the theoretical 600mm/s in the spec sheet.
My prediction: if the first reviews confirm that the chamber holds a stable temperature and the ACE 2 Pro handles filament changes without drama, Anycubic will have nailed the sweet spot. If those 65°C turn out to be closer to 50°C in the corners and the multicolor system is a jam fest, it'll be another machine with great specs that falls short in daily use. Personally, I'd bet on Anycubic getting the price-to-performance ratio right — but the ACE Pro gives me real doubts based on the feedback from the first version... So I guess we'll see!
Happy printing! 🤘
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