Anycubic has long established itself as a manufacturer of quality, entry to mid-range printers. It’s been a few years since the company introduced its first flagship, the Anycubic i3 Mega. Over the years, this printer has been modified and improved.
Today, we’re stepping away from the Mega series and looking at a new 3D printer, the Anycubic Zero 2.0. The main difference of the Zero 2.0 with the i3 Mega is in terms of design. The Zero printer resembles the classic Creality Ender 3. However, it has a couple changes that improve print quality and usability.
So why is Anycubic Zero 2.0 a good option for the novice printer? Find out the answer to the question later in this review.
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Anycubic Mega Zero 2.0 Review
What’s in the Box?
When you open the package box, you will see a small box with additional tools, a power supply, a box with electronics and a screen, assembly instructions, a power cord and a filament holder in disassembled form.
Other items in the box include:
- Parts and tools for assembly (set of screws and hexagons)
- Nippers
- Quality control card
- Computer cable (USB – mini USB)
- SD memory card
- Card reader
- Putty knife
- Wrenches for setting up the printer
- Trial section of filament
After removing the top tier, you will see the upper part of the printer frame. On the last tier, you will see the lower part of the frame with the table as well as a magnetic table.
The complete set of the printer is rich, thanks to the addition to the basic tools for the initial assembly, tools for calibrating the printer, assembly instructions, and a memory card.
There is a long cable with a mini USB at one end. The long cable allows you to put the printer further away from the computer.
Assembly
There are just four steps to assembling the printer:
- Connect the two parts of the frame
- Connect the power supply
- Assemble and attach the filament holder
- Connect the electronics box with the shield
It is worth noting the short length of the wires, due to which, after assembly, a neat design is obtained.
Anycubic Mega Zero 2.0 Features
Despite its simple appearance, this printer has good characteristics that allow it to cover the necessary tasks of a 3D printer for home and hobby:
| Printing Technology | FDM |
| Printing Speed | 20-100 mm/s |
| Print Area | 220 x 220 x 250 mm |
| Max Printbed Temperature | 110°C |
| Max Nozzle Temperature | 110°C |
| XY Axis Accuracy | 0.0125 mm |
| Z-Axis Accuracy | 0.002 mm |
Appearance and Design
While the Anycubic Mega Zero 2.0 is similar to the Creality Ender 3, its power supply is located behind one of the Z-axis beams. This helps to improves the printer’s cooling. The electronics board is located in a separate housing to the right of the bottom of the printer frame and is not only attached to it, but also has a rubberized foot.
The screen has a resolution of 128 x 64 pixels and is covered with a protective film. The control is carried out using an encoder.
An unexpected feature in this printer is the mini USB connector. Typically, the standard USB Type-B connector is found in printers, scanners, and MFPs. To the left of it is a slot for a microSD memory card.
A bunch of wires emerge from the back of the control box, secured just before exiting the case. At the end of each wire, there is a small tag indicating where to insert it. This makes assembly a lot easier.
On the top profile, there is a simple filament holder made of sturdy plastic. The holder is fastened through two holes drilled in the beam to prevent it from moving along the beam.
There are also some small additions that make it easier to work with the printer. For example, instead of small table adjustment nuts, large knobs are installed here, allowing you to fine-tune the table height.
Also, instead of a simple connector on the edge of the table, this printer secures the wires with a small plastic retainer. This reduces the risk of kinking the wire due to frequent table movements. Finally, instead of a simple film, there is a magnetic coating on the table, which can be easily removed after printing. Thanks to its flexibility, even a large model can be easily detached from it.
Mechanics
This printer is assembled according to the classic Prusa kinematics scheme. All movements are carried out by rollers moving along the profiles, from which the entire printer is assembled. This ensures a smooth ride and easy replacement or adjustment by rotating the eccentrics. The table moves on 4 casters opposite each other.
The Z axis and the carriage moves on 3 rollers arranged in a triangle. This scheme completely eliminates the possibility of backlash when the rollers are properly tightened.
The vertical movement of the carriage is carried out by one motor connected to the vertical pin by means of a flexible coupling. This allows you to eliminate beating, thereby increasing the quality of printed models.
The fastening of the table belt and the horizontal axis is carried out using a rigid fastener. While this makes it more difficult to tension the belts, these belts are taut enough out of the box. Therefore, re-tensioning is only needed when replacing the belt.
Extruder
It is quite unexpected to see a variation of the BMG extruder in a budget printer. Thanks to two rotating gears, the possibility of slipping or chewing plastic is completely eliminated. This will help when printing flexible and slippery plastics such as TPU or Neylon.
Moreover, the transparent body allows you to see the operation of the extruder.
At the outlet there is a standard fitting, into which a tube leading to the hot end is inserted.
Hotend
A variation on the classic E3D V6 is used as a hotend. The model is cooled by a “snail” measuring 40 x 40 mm. The heater wire is connected to the filament feed tube along its entire length. This reduces the likelihood of wire chafing at the inlet to the carriage box.
Differences from the previous model
The Anycubic Mega Zero 2.0 is an improved version of Anycubic Mega Zero. One of the most important differences between these two printers is the delivery format: while the first version was almost completely disassembled, the second version is delivered almost completely assembled. Thanks to this, printing can start 5-7 minutes after opening the box.
There is also a change in the the table mechanics. In the first version, the table moved along two shafts while in the improved version, the movement is carried out by rollers. This increases the maintainability of the printer and makes it easier to purchase spare parts as rollers are now used on all axes.
Quality of Print
While the printer is intended for home and hobby use, the quality of the printed models is good. For our test, we printed a screw and nut model. The outer side of both parts is difficult to 3D print, as it is made up of many small cones.
The Anycubic Mega Zero 2.0 did a great job with this detail element.
In artistic printing, the printer is also not inferior. For example, in this owl model, the bottom edges of the feathers are the most difficult area, since they are partially located in the air. But thanks to the good airflow of the model, this element of the model looks extremely good.
Conclusion
Although the Anycubic Mega Zero 2.0 is positioned as a home printer, the quality and speed of printing allows it to be used in business. Thanks to its easy assembly, the Anycubic Mega Zero 2.0 can be a great first printer and will last for many years.
The small changes in the printer do not affect print quality, but increase the reliability and usability of the printer. The design allows you to easily modify the printer to fit your needs and increases its maintainability. Finally, the excellent extruder allows you to immediately print a large number of different plastics.
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