Read our Anycubic Mega Zero review to find out what the cheap 3D printer has to offer in terms of features, quality of print, price and more.
Do we finally have a worthy competitors of the Creality3D Ender-3 here? Talk about quick assembly, solid workmanship and above all, low price. The new Anycubic Mega Zero offers all of this. But does it really outperform other 3D printers in the same price segment?
Read on to find out.
How does the new Anycubic 3D printer fare in the test? And will it make waves as positive as the i3 Mega back then?
This is what we sought to find out during our review.
Anycubic Mega Zero Review
BUY AT ANYCUBIC
Anycubic Mega 3D Printer Highlights
-
- Print area: 220mm × 220 × 250mm
- Nozzle diameter: 0.4mm
- Filament material: PLA, TPU, HIPS, PETG
What’s in the Box?
When you open the package, the “classic packaging” awaits you. Everything is sorted in foam forms, on the usual two layers, and accordingly in an orderly condition.
All parts, from the stepper motors to the smallest screw, are there. Most of the parts are labeled. That, of course, makes the search for the parts during assembly much easier.
The accessories and tools can also be found quickly. Everything you need to operate or set up the printer is included.
Assembling the Printer
With around 40 minutes of assembly time, the Anycubic Mega Zero certainly doesn’t set a record. Compare the assembly time with that of the Anycubic i3 Mega , which only took 5 minutes.
Nevertheless, the assembly is simple. Even if you are a beginner, the English step-by-step instructions will enable you to assemble the printer in no time.
In principle there is not much to do. The frame is set up within a few minutes (assemble with four screws on the base). Its only the assembling of the stepper and the cabling that takes a little more time.
As always, make sure that all parts are assembled correctly. Consult the manual to ensure every part is set up correctly. Don’t forget to screw any parts that have to.
Overall, you won’t have a problem assembling the Anycubic Mega Zero.
Printer Setup
Setting up the printer is very easy. As soon as everything is ready, plug into the socket and switch ON. Then, use the “Home All” command to move to the start position and then move around the corners via “Level Corners” (so-called “Leveling”). This is done via the simple and clear English menu.
As a 3D printer owner, you should already be familiar with the menu. It’s not a fancy touchscreen, but it is effective.
The last steps of leveling, i.e. aligning the hotbed, are still on the plan.
To do this, you can raise or lower the height using the screws under the hotbed. The height should be set so that only about 0.1 mm of space remains between the hotbed and the nozzle. The best way to test whether this is the case is with a thin piece of paper. It should fit in between, but you should feel some resistance when pulling it out.
This should be done on all four corners as well as the center of the print bed, preferably two times in a row. If you don’t do this properly, you probably will struggle with your first print.
Quality of Print
So far so good.
Let’s get to the most important part: the print quality.
We decided to print the owl because this file is already saved as GCODE on the SD card that comes in the package box. Anycubic has already optimized this file for printing. Therefore, the quality of print should be good.
There is also a little red filament in the package (about 10m). However, the filament is only enough for the first print. Therefore, you may want to order some PLA filament together with this printer. Check our guide on the best PLA filaments for recommendations.
MatterHackers also has a large selection of inexpensive filaments.
The fans, and especially the steppers, are completely normal. They are clearly audible. This is expected given how cheap the Anycubic Mega Zero is.
In our test, the 3D printer noise level is about 65 dB This is not necessarily annoying, but much too loud for the bedroom. If you are looking for a really pleasantly quiet 3D printer, you should look at the Creality3D CR-10 V2 with stepper drivers (and many extras).
In the middle of the first print, I paused the print and started it again. The “Resume Printing” feature works without complications.
The contours and notches in the tree trunk, as well as the claws and feet of the owl, were no problem for the Anycubic Mega Zero.
Everything looks clean and accurate.
Unfortunately there were a few unclean spots on the feathers. The filament ran a little and so, we had a few noses on the lower feathers. The one-sided component ventilation does not cool the overhangs accordingly.
In later tests, we prevented this by using a different filament and reducing the printing speed to about 40mm/s.
The first print was ready in just over 1 hour and 24 minutes. When we consider the setup and printing time, it takes a little over 2 hours to get your first prints.
You can see a few thin threads (“stringing”) on the head of the owl. However, these can be easily removed using a lighter or filament pliers.
To prevent stringing for later prints, you can play with the print speed, the flow parameter and use a better filament. After the owl cooled, we easily removed it from the platform. There was no need to use the spatula.
Bottom Line
In conclusion, the Anycubic Mega Zero is not revolutionary, unlike was the case with the Anycubic I3 MEGA. The I3 MEGA replaced the “wobbly” acrylic case of the Anet A8/A6, was quick to set up and offered 1-2 other cool features for the general public.
The Anycubic Mega Zero is clearly aimed at the beginner who is frugal, and may later buy a larger model and/r will resell the printer. While the features of the printer are basic, this is okay considering how cheap it is.
Anycubic Mega Zero Review Conclusion
The Anycubic Mega Zero can be assembled and set up quickly, even by beginners. All you have to do is follow the simple instructions on the manual.
The print quality is good but not the best. But it terms of price segment, the printer goes above what we expect. Still, there are better options than the Mega Zero in the price segment, e.g. Creality3D CR-10 V2 or Sidewinder X1.
With a price of just under $200, this is definitely a challenge to the Creality Ender-3. But on the flipside, the Ender-3 has a huge community where you can find help with every problem. You can also find almost everything at Thingiverse for mods, tuning or replacement printed parts . These two aspects are missing from the Anycubic Mega Zero for the moment. In addition, there is the missing heated print bed.
BUY AT ANYCUBIC
