3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Anycubic Kobra 3 Max vs UltiMaker S8

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

2 selected · all documented properties

Anycubic Kobra 3 Max vs UltiMaker S8 — documented properties and sources
PropertyAnycubic Kobra 3 MaxBEDSLINGERUltiMaker S8INDUSTRIAL
Identity
BrandAnycubicUltiMaker
ClassBEDSLINGERINDUSTRIAL
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)Anycubic Kobra 3 Max[1]UltiMaker S8 3D Printer[2][3]
Release date (announcement and actual shipping)Listed on the Anycubic store from 19 February 2025 (Shopify publish date)[4]Launched March 2025; the technical-specification and pricing announcement is dated 14 March 2025[3]
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]Starting at $8,999 at MatterHackers, in stock, checked Aug 2026. The launch announcement quoted approximately $9,000[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]Sold as printer-only or as a Pro Bundle. The bundle is not a trim level but a different machine footprint and weight: 495 x 500 x 1210.5 mm and 47.7 kg with the 6-spool Material Station, versus 495 x 585 x 800.5 mm and 30 kg for the printer alone. Print cores AA+ 0.40 x2 are included; BB, CC+ and DD 0.40 are separate purchases[2][3]
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable420 x 420 x 500 mm, which Anycubic states as 88 L[1]330 x 240 x 300 mm[2][3]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)706 x 640 x 753 mm[1]495 x 585 x 800.5 mm printer only; 495 x 500 x 1210.5 mm as the Pro Bundle[2][3]
Net weight (kg)19 kg[1]30 kg printer only; 47.7 kg as the Pro Bundle[2][3]
Frame construction & materialNot documentedFully assembled, made in Europe[2]
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidOpen frame, no enclosure[1]Enclosed, with an Air Manager UltiMaker says removes up to 95% of ultrafine particles[2][3]
Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred)Not documentedBuild-volume temperature under 50 °C with open-loop control (manufacturer figure)[2][3]
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]Dual-extrusion print head with auto nozzle-lifting, flood detection and inductive probing. UltiMaker's Cheetah motion planner uses third-order continuous motion with corner blending[2][3]
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]Up to 500 mm/s in XY (manufacturer claim)[2][3]
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]Up to 50,000 mm/s2 (manufacturer claim)[2][3]
Jerk / square-corner-velocity setting (exact value)Not documentedJerk up to 100,000,000 mm/s3 (manufacturer claim)[2][3]
Max volumetric flow claimed (mm³/s)Not documentedUp to 35 mm3/s extrusion flow (manufacturer claim)[2][3]
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameDirect drive ("short distance extrusion") with a quick-release hotend[1]Dual gripper feeder with tension adjustment, release function and filament feed-rate control[2][3]
Filament diameterNot documented2.85 mm[2][3]
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]Swappable print cores; AA+ 0.40 x2 included, BB 0.40 / CC+ 0.40 / DD 0.40 sold separately[2][3]
Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values)300 C maximum nozzle temperature[1]Up to 340 °C (manufacturer claim)[2][3]
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]Up to 120 °C on a flexible PEI plate (manufacturer claim)[2][3]
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 documentedFlexible PEI plate[2][3]
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]Inductive probing, integrated into the print head[2][3]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Filament detection with auto resume, entanglement detection and power-loss resume[1]Not documented
Spool holder location & max spool size; drybox compatibilityNot documentedDual spool holder with NFC recognition on the printer; the Pro Bundle substitutes a 6-spool Material Station with NFC and a dual-geared abrasion-resistant feeder[2][3]
Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade pathSupports 4- or 8-colour printing with ACE Pro units[1]Not documented
Cooling & Air Handling
Chamber/exhaust fan & filtration (activated carbon / HEPA)Not documentedAir Manager, which UltiMaker says removes up to 95% of ultrafine particles[2][3]
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 published; print preparation is UltiMaker Cura 5.10 or newer, fleet management via UltiMaker Digital Factory[2][3]
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]Wi-Fi 2.4 and 5 GHz (802.11a/b/g/n/ac), Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0[2][3]
Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps)Not documentedFull HD HDR camera[2][3]
Materials Support
Officially supported filament listPLA, PETG, TPU (TPU is not compatible with the ACE Pro)[1]UltiMaker cites 301+ compatible materials including its own PLA, PETG, ABS, CPE, CPE+, PC, TPU and PET-CF, plus third-party grades[2]
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][7][8]Under 50 dBA operating sound, manufacturer figure. No independent measurement; distance and method not stated[2][3]
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[9]12 months, extendable to 5 years with an UltiMakerCare plan[2][3]
Independently Measured Performance
Dimensional accuracy measurements (third-party, with numbers)Not documentedDimensional accuracy +/-0.15 mm +/-0.15% of feature nominal length (manufacturer specification, not an independent measurement)[2][3]

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. UltiMaker S8 3D Printer listing matterhackers.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. New UltiMaker S8 high-speed 3D printer: technical specifications and pricing 3dprintingindustry.com · 2026-08 · review
  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. Anycubic Kobra S1 product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Anycubic Kobra 4 product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Anycubic refund and warranty policy store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor