The Kobra 3’s direct drive extruder sits right above the nozzle, so filament travels a short path. That makes loading quick, but the order still matters if you want to avoid a clog or a stripped gear.
Check the spool fits before mounting it. The holder is built for standard 1 kg spools with an outer diameter of 195 to 200 mm, a width of 60 to 68 mm and a wall thickness of 3 to 3.5 mm. A spool outside that range can drag or bind against the holder.
For a single spool, thread the filament through the guide tube into the extruder, then use the load-filament routine on the touchscreen. It preheats the nozzle to the temperature for that material, PLA, PETG or TPU, and only feeds once hot enough. Wait until filament extrudes cleanly and in the right color before closing the panel.
Multicolor printing needs an ACE Pro, bought separately. One unit gives four colors, two units give eight, with smart filament identification synced between them. TPU is the exception: it only loads as a single color through the direct spool holder, since it isn’t compatible with the ACE Pro.
To unload, preheat to the same temperature used for that material, then retract using the same guided routine rather than pulling the filament out cold. A cold pull can strip the direct drive gears or jam the quick release nozzle.
The printer detects a filament break and can resume automatically, and it flags tangles before they turn into a jam. If an error shows up mid-print, still check the spool for a snag behind the holder. The sensor catches most problems, but a physical tangle is easier to see than to detect.
Good loading habits pair naturally with good storage habits. The general guide to storing filament properly covers keeping spools dry between prints, which matters as much as the loading routine itself. If multicolor printing is the goal, setting up the ACE Pro covers connecting the hub and loading its first spools correctly.