The Anycubic Mega X is one of the largest Mega models in terms of build volume. However, is the large print space really worth buying the printer? Read our Anycubic Mega X review to learn about the features, specs, quality of print, and price of the 3D printer.
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The Anycubic Mega X is a medium-sized FDM 3D printer that costs about $400. While this is not the cheapest printer in its range, it has a large print area of 300 x 300 x 305 mm. Does this generous print area and other features make the printer worth buying?
Read our Anycubic Mega X 3D printer review to find out.
Anycubic Mega X Review
We’ve tested the latest Anycubic Mega X, looked at its features and seen its print models. Here are our findings:
Anycubic Mega X Specs
Technical Specs
General Specifications
| Technology | FDM |
| Year | 2020 |
| Assembly | Semi-assembled |
| Mechanical arrangement | Cartesian-XZ-Head |
| Manufacturer | Anycubic |
3D Printing Specifications
| Build volume | 300 x 300 x 305 mm |
| Layer resolution | 0.05 – 0.3 mm |
| Feeder system | Bowden drive |
| Extruder type | Single |
| Nozzle size | 0.4 mm |
| Max. extruder temperature | 250°C |
| Max. heated bed temperature | 90 °C |
| Print chamber | Open, not enclosed |
| Frame | Metal |
| Bed leveling | Manual |
| Print bed | Heated bed with Anycubic Ultrabase |
| Display | Color touchscreen |
| Connectivity | SD card, USB |
| Built-in camera for monitoring | No |
| Filament sensor | Yes |
| Filameter diameter | 1.75 mm |
| Third party filaments | Yes |
| Materials | ABS, PLA, HIPS, wood, etc. |
Software Requirements
| Recommended Slicer | Cura |
| Operating systems | Windows, Mac OSX, Linux |
Dimensions & Weight
| Outer dimensions | 500 x 500 x 553 mm |
| Weight | 14 kg |
Technology
Designwise, the Anycubic i3 Mega X looks like the Mega S and Photon S. These printers are easy to use, even for complete beginners.
In Mega X base unit, you will find the power supply unit, the mainboard and the touchscreen. The cables are neatly arranged to stay out of the way.
Design
Overall, the Mega X looks slim. However, its frame is made of metal and leaves nothing to chance.
The 3D printer has a Y-axis slide with two rails for stabilizing the bed, and two Z-axis threaded spindles. These help to ensure consistency when printing.
This Anycubic 3D printer has double Z-axis end stops. This feature is rare in most 3D printers under $400. The endstops eliminate any bumps that can creep in over the X-axis. Thanks to the double Z-axis, the printer can effectively realign the X axis every time it pulls back.
Coming to the endstop of the print bed (Y-axis), the printer has a contactless sensor. The sensor strikes when the mechanical slider on the X-axis comes close.
The Mega X is a workhorse. After the initial setup, you will find no reason to tinker with it.
Printbed
This large 3D printer features a 300 x 300 mm Anycubic Ultrabase print bed. The printbed, which is made of glass, is fastened on location by four spring screws and has to be levelled manually.
The large printbed is coated with a porous material that makes it easy for filaments, especially PLA, to adhere when printing.
The bed has a maximum temperature of 90°C and can reach 60°C in two minutes. Most importantly, it evenly heats the entire printing surface. This is critical when printing large models. Uneven or fluctuating temperature can make objects warp during printing.
If you use ABS filament to print large objects with the Mega X, they are likely to warp. This is possibly due to the limited 90°C temperature of the printbed. If the printbed could get a little hotter, say 100°C or more, the models are not likely to warp.
The large print bed and the 305 mm feed through the Z-axis, give the printer an impressive installation space of 27.5 cubic liters.
The Artillery Sidewinder X1, and other similar-priced printers, offer about 10cm more on the Z axis. However, Mega X’s space is still large.
Extruder
The print volume is filled layer by layer by a titanium extruder with a hotend that can reach up to 250°C.
The Mega X’s hotends use PTFE tubing to route the filament to the melt zone. If your print temperatures stay hotter than 250°C for a long time, the PTFE will degas, melting the end of the hotend and releasing toxic gases.
The Mega X hotend temperature reaches 250°C. This is more than sufficient for printing a wide range of consumables.
We did not have any problem printing PETG at 245°C. For the uninitiated, PETG is usually extruded at a high temperatures.
The Mega X filament holder protrudes laterally at the bottom. This takes some of the load off the frame where the holders are usually installed. However, it also leads to the filament feed being reversed. The filament is always a little stretched together with the filament outlet sensor, which is mounted on the side of the gantry.
The feed mechanism works well and ensures a continuous feed. To change the filament, simply insert it the wrong way round. Conveniently, the Anycubic printer has a small plastic funnel attached to the feed opening of the extruder. The funnel helps you to feed filaments more easily into the feed mechanism.
Rigid filaments such as ABS, PETG and PLA are easily handled by the extruder. However, the extruder reaches its limits, as is expected of Bowden extruders, when handling flexible filaments.
Connections & User Interface
The Mega X has a 3.5-inch color touchscreen that you can use to monitor the printing process. On the touchscreen, you will find all the information and options you need.
The available connection options are USB cable or SD card.
The above features are all well and good.
However, apart from the features, the Mega X doesn’t have much new to offer when compared to the Mega S. Things like WLAN connection, automatic print bed alignment and quieter printing are missing in the Mega X.
Construction
The Mega X is neatly packaged and delivered pre-assembled. Assembling the printer is easy. You will find the instruction manual in both booklet and USB stick.
In addition to the usual spatulas and scissors, the printer comes with a 1kg spool of PLA, as well as spare parts, such as B. Hotend and PTFE hoses. The assembly mainly consists of attaching the gantry to the base unit with a few screws. After connecting a few cables, the assembly will be done in a few minutes.
Anycubic Mega X Leveling
The print bed must be aligned manually. However, with the large adjustment knobs of the printer, the alignment is quite easy.
All you have to do is automatically bring the printhead to its home position and then use a sheet of paper to level it. If necessary, adjust each knob for proper leveling.
The large knobs make this boring but necessary work easier.
Here is a video showing how to auto level the Anycubic Mega X 3D printer:
Quality of Prints
The Mega X delivers satisfactory results right away. In this section, we’ll touch on the quality of prints that the printer manages.
With most budget 3D printers, it is not uncommon to have to make a few adjustments for them to work properly.
However, with the Mega X, this is not the case. The prints adhere well and peel off the Ultrabed plate easily. You do not even need to use any glue at all on the prints. As a result, the print bed stays looking new and the first layer gets a smoother finish.
All these lead to better-looking 3D printed models.
The Mega X can process different materials, depending on how you set it up. We’ve printed a few flexible filaments and in our experience, the results can be a hit or miss.
Some flexible filaments, such as the Filamentum TPU, will get tangled up in the feed mechanism. Other filaments that have an identical Shore hardness of 98, e.g., Kodak TPU, work perfectly.
Generally, you should reduce the feed and print speeds to get a manageable flow rate without the filament jamming and unwinding from the extruder.
However, even after tinkering with the fan settings and temperature, and even applying a lot of adhesive, we were unable to prevent ABS print models from warping..
The fact that the print bed can only reach 90°C is indeed a disadvantage. Therefore, ABS prints are basically off the table with this printer. If you will be printing most of your projects with ABS, you might want to check one of these ABS 3D printers.
However, the Mega X prints PETG and PLA filaments quite well. Therefore, you’re not limited in choosing the tensile strength of your filaments.
Usability
The Mega X can process prints with most popular slicers. We used Cura and the supplied printer profile on the USB stick that is shopped with the printer.
The standard PLA settings worked just fine on our first test prints. However, the Z-axis distance between the support and the print was too small. This made the supports to fuse on some of our initial prints.
In general, the Anycubic Mega X is user-friendly and the menu items are easy to read. However, you may take some time to get used to some submenus with specific tools and options.
Anycubic Mega X Noise
The Mega X is as stable as a tank but quite loud. In particular, the Z-axis lead coils are too loud. Fortunately, the Z-axis only moves a lot when the printer is approached at the beginning of a print.
Generally, the whole printer is loud. The cooling fans and Trinamic drivers inside produce about 70dB of noise.
We intentionally leaked the filament on one of our prints and got the leak sensor to act. After quickly changing the filament, the printer resumed printing without any problems.
The mechanical sensor only triggers when the filament runs out. This is an inexpensive but necessary solution. Some printers have the more expensive optical sensor, which can also detect filament blockages.
However, we could not use the advertised print resume function. After unplugging the power cord, you will be offered the option to continue printing. Choosing the Resume function didn’t do anything. Therefore, we had start the printing process again.
Is Mega X 3D Printer Worth the Money?
From our tests, the Mega X lived up, and sometimes exceeded, our expectations.
The printer is robust and well-built. Once you set it up, you won’t have to realign it every time you want to print.
The printing space of 300 x 300 x 305 mm is large enough to print large models. While some similar-priced printers offer 100mm more on the Z-axis, the Mega’s ease of use, design and features make the printing process smooth. Thus, the slightly smaller printing area isn’t really a deal-breaker.
However, the Anycubic Mega-X is not very different from its predecessor, the Mega S apart from the printing space. We would have liked it better with features such as quieter fans, auto leveling print bed, and Wi-Fi.
The Anycubic Mega X is a large, inexpensive 3D printer offering decent print quality. This is one of the best 3D printers under $500.
Verdict: Anycubic Mega X Review
ADVANTAGES
- Slim and sturdy design
- Ultrabase print bed that heats up quickly
- User friendly
DISADVANTAGE
- Medium sized print bed
- Relatively loud
- Resume printing function does not work
The Anycubic Mega X impresses with a decent standard print image and good print quality.
The print volume of 300 x 300 x 305 mm is enough to print a helmet in its original size in one piece.
The all-metal frame and compact housing make make the printer look slim and prevent it from moving too much. The overall quality of the construction is high.
The Mega X prints high-quality models with common filaments. We found it to be a solid, dependable workhorse that can tackle some more advanced printing ideas.
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