3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Anycubic Kobra 3 Max vs FlashForge AD5X

Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.

2 selected · all documented properties

Anycubic Kobra 3 Max vs FlashForge AD5X — documented properties and sources
PropertyAnycubic Kobra 3 MaxBEDSLINGERFlashForge AD5XCOREXY
Identity
BrandAnycubicFlashForge
ClassBEDSLINGERCOREXY
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)Anycubic Kobra 3 Max[1]Flashforge AD5X, sold as "AD5X - Multicolor 3D Printer for High-Speed, Full-Color Printing"[2][3]
Release date (announcement and actual shipping)Listed on the Anycubic store from 19 February 2025 (Shopify publish date)[4]Not documented
Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry)$429.00 with a US plug on store.anycubic.com, Aug 2026, against a compare-at price of $699.00 ($493.00 for the EU plug variant)[4]$399.00 sale against a $549.00 compare-at price on flashforge.com, in stock, with a further $50 off at checkout, checked Aug 2026. A refurbished AD5X is listed at $315.00[2][3]
Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk)Same 420 x 420 x 500 mm build volume as the older Kobra 2 Max, so build volume will not tell them apart - but the Kobra 3 Max is faster (600 mm/s claimed against 500), runs Kobra OS with multi-colour support and a 4.3-inch touchscreen, and is lighter at 19 kg against 21 kg. Its acceleration ceiling is 10000 mm/s2, half the 20000 mm/s2 of the smaller Kobra 3 - a difference the marketing does not lead with[1][5][6]Shares the 220 mm Adventurer chassis with the 5M and 5M Pro but differs on the points that matter: 300 °C nozzle (vs 280 °C), 4-colour IFS unit, NO air filtration, NO auto shutdown, and a 300 mm/s print speed against a 600 mm/s travel speed. 3DJake and eolasprints both describe it as open-frame[2][7][8][9]
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable420 x 420 x 500 mm, which Anycubic states as 88 L[1]220 x 220 x 220 mm advertised[2][7]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)706 x 640 x 753 mm[1]Not documented
Net weight (kg)19 kg[1]Not documented
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidOpen frame, no enclosure[1]Open frame, no enclosure and no air filtration — FlashForge's own table records "Air Filtration: No". Chamber lighting and remote monitoring are listed as expandable options rather than fitted[2][8]
Kinematics & Motion Hardware
Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other)Anycubic's table gives the construction as "Gantry System" - a bed-slinger, with dual Y-axis motors added to stop layer misalignment on the large moving bed[1]CoreXY[8]
Belts (type, width, e.g. Gates?)Semi-automatic belt tensioning, which Anycubic pairs with motor anti-skip[1]Not documented
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)600 mm/s maximum print speed (manufacturer claim), 300 mm/s recommended[1]FlashForge publishes two separate figures: max travel speed 600 mm/s and max print speed 300 mm/s. The 300 mm/s print figure is the one that describes printing[2][7]
Recommended/typical print speed300 mm/s recommended print speed (manufacturer figure)[1]Not documented
Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²)10000 mm/s2 maximum acceleration - half the ceiling of the smaller Kobra 3, because of the moving mass[1][6]20,000 mm/s2 maximum (manufacturer claim)[2][7]
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameDirect drive ("short distance extrusion") with a quick-release hotend[1]Direct drive, one extruder, fed by the 4-colour Intelligent Filament System (IFS)[2]
Hotend & Nozzle
Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?)300 C quick-release hotend with an aerospace-grade ceramic composite throat tube; 0.4 mm standard nozzle, expandable to 0.6 and 0.8 mm[1]Not documented
Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values)300 C maximum nozzle temperature[1]300 °C claimed[2][7]
Stock nozzle size & sizes included in boxNot documented0.4 mm default; 0.25, 0.6 and 0.8 mm optional[2][7]
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit90 C maximum hotbed temperature on a PEI spring steel plate - 20 C below the smaller Kobra 3[1][6]110 °C claimed[2][7]
Heat-up time to 60°C (measured preferred)Anycubic claims the ultra-large hotbed heats up in 125 s; no target temperature is stated for that figure and it is a manufacturer claim, not a measurement[1]Not documented
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedNot documentedPEI flexible spring-steel sheet[2][7]
Leveling & Z-Offset
Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe)LeviQ 3.0 auto-levelling with Z-offset and area levelling[1]Automatic levelling; probe technology not named[2][7]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Filament detection with auto resume, entanglement detection and power-loss resume[1]Filament detection fitted; type and location not published[2][7]
Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade pathSupports 4- or 8-colour printing with ACE Pro units[1]Four-colour printing via the integrated Intelligent Filament System (IFS), which handles filament switching[2]
Firmware & Openness
Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary)Kobra OS; Anycubic Slicer Next is built on the open-source Orca slicer[1]Not named by FlashForge; the supported slicers are Orca-Flashforge and OrcaSlicer[2]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen[1]Not documented
On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.)Touchscreen plus slicer, Anycubic app and USB (print only); AI spaghetti detection and object skip supported[1]Not documented
WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drivePrinter UI, slicing software, Anycubic app and USB drive (print only)[1]USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi[2][7]
Power-Loss & Interruption Recovery
Power-loss recovery: mechanism (how is state saved? capacitor / eeprom / file on shutdown?)Not documentedPower-outage recovery supported; mechanism not published[2][7]
Materials Support
Officially supported filament listPLA, PETG, TPU (TPU is not compatible with the ACE Pro)[1]PETG, PLA, TPU95A, TPU64D-75D, PLA-CF, PETG-CF[2][7]
Noise & Power Consumption
Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method)60 dB or less in standard mode - a manufacturer figure with no distance or method stated; markedly higher than the 46-48 dB Anycubic claims for the Kobra S1 and Kobra 4[1][10][11]Not documented
Reliability, Support & Ecosystem
Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes)One year on the complete machine (excluding gifted and second-hand machines), with component warranty periods that vary by part; the period starts on the delivery date and is suspended while a replacement is in transit. Anycubic states it will follow longer local statutory periods where they apply[12]Not documented

Manufacturer claims, independent measurements, packages and test conditions retain their source wording. FDM linear speed and resin vertical speed use different units and are not directly comparable. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.

Sources for this comparison

  1. Anycubic Kobra 3 Max product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  2. Flashforge AD5X multicolour 3D printer product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. Flashforge store product feed (live prices and stock) flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Anycubic Kobra 3 Max Shopify product JSON (variant prices and store publish date) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Anycubic Kobra 2 Max store page and Shopify product JSON (Tech Specs block, price, store publish date) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Anycubic Kobra 3 Combo product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. FlashForge AD5X technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Flashforge printer buyer's guide, 5M to Creator 5 eolasprints.com · 2026-08 · review
  9. Flashforge Adventurer 5M Pro product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Anycubic Kobra S1 product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Anycubic Kobra 4 product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Anycubic refund and warranty policy store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor