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# The Anycubic material standard: NFC/RFID for the Anycubic ACE

# NFC tags for Anycubic ACE in SimplyPrint

Got an Anycubic printer with an ACE (Anycubic Consumable Ecosystem) box? SimplyPrint lets you **read and write NFC tags** that work with your ACE - whether you're using official Anycubic filament or want to make *any* filament brand work with your setup.

This article covers everything about using Anycubic ACE-compatible NFC tags with SimplyPrint. For a general introduction to NFC in 3D printing, hardware options, and step-by-step guides, see our [main NFC article](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/19luyni/).

---

# NFC support in SimplyPrint

SimplyPrint has **deep NFC integration** across our entire platform - both the web panel and mobile apps for iOS and Android. We support reading and writing NFC tags in multiple formats, allowing you to work with filament from various brands and make your spools work with different printer ecosystems.

**What you can do with NFC in SimplyPrint:**
* **Read NFC tags** to instantly identify spools and see their details
* **Write NFC tags** in various formats, including Anycubic ACE
* **Link physical spools** to their "digital twin" in your filament inventory
* **Quickly assign spools** to printers by scanning instead of scrolling through lists

**How you can read and write NFC:**
* **Mobile apps** (iOS & Android) - most phones have built-in NFC, making this the easiest method
* **Desktop USB readers** - for those who prefer working from their computer
* **Web NFC** - some browsers support NFC directly (Android Chrome, for example)

Good news for Anycubic ACE users: the tag format used by ACE works with **iOS, Android, Web NFC, and desktop readers** - so you have plenty of options.

|| For the full breakdown of hardware options, supported methods, and step-by-step guides, check out our [main NFC article](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/19luyni/).

---

# What can SimplyPrint do with Anycubic ACE NFC tags?

With SimplyPrint, you can:

1. **Write ACE-compatible NFC tags** for any filament - stick them on your spools and your Anycubic ACE will recognize them, even for non-Anycubic filament
2. **Link existing Anycubic tags** to your SimplyPrint inventory - if you buy Anycubic filament that already has NFC tags, connect them to your digital spool library
3. **Quickly identify spools** by scanning - no more guessing which spool is which when you have dozens of them

|| For hardware requirements and step-by-step instructions on reading/writing NFC tags, see our [NFC hardware & methods guide](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/19luyni/).

---

# How to put this into your workflow

Knowing how the tags work is one thing; folding it into how you actually run your filament is another. These workflow guides walk through it end to end:

* [Filament system workflows by printer](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/filament-system-workflows-for-the-bambu-ams-creality-cfs-and-anycubic-ace-12dqdbf/) - the practical, by-your-hardware walkthrough, with a section just for the Anycubic ACE: scan to identify, what your phone can do, and why there is no hands-free auto-create.
* [Write your own NFC tags for any filament](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/filament-workflow-for-third-party-and-creality-cfs-spools-write-your-own-nfc-tags-wdtei6/) - the write-and-assign workflow, which is how you make any filament brand work with your Anycubic ACE.
* [Filament tracking workflows: static materials, tracked spools, labels and NFC](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/filament-tracking-workflows-static-materials-tracked-spools-labels-and-nfc-1u9byda/) - the bigger picture: whether to track individual spools at all, and how labels and NFC compare.

---

# Important: What SimplyPrint can and can't do with Anycubic ACE

Before diving deeper, here's what you need to know about the integration:

## What works great

**Your ACE will recognize the tags** - When you write ACE-format tags via SimplyPrint, your Anycubic ACE reads them just like official Anycubic filament. The printer knows the material type, color, and recommended temperatures.

**Material and color sync from the printer** - The Anycubic ACE / ACE Pro syncs its loaded material type and color into SimplyPrint via the SimplyPrint Client (Anycubic integration). When you load a spool, the panel keeps the slot's material and color lined up with what's actually in the ACE.

**Fast spool identification** - Scan any tagged spool with your phone or desktop reader to instantly see which spool it is in SimplyPrint. Way faster than scrolling through your inventory.

**Wide device compatibility** - ACE tags work with iPhones, Android phones, web browsers, and desktop readers. You're not limited to specific hardware.

## What doesn't work (yet)

**No hands-free auto-create or auto-assign** - SimplyPrint keeps the loaded material and color in sync, but it can't automatically add a new inventory spool, or tie a slot to a specific spool you already own, the way it does for the Bambu Lab AMS.

||| This is because the ACE does **not** report a unique per-spool ID - not even for tags SimplyPrint writes. Without a per-spool ID, SimplyPrint can keep material and color in sync, but it can't tell two otherwise-identical spools apart, so it can't auto-create or auto-assign them. This is a limitation of what the hardware sends, not something SimplyPrint imposes. See [Automatic spool creation when syncing materials](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/automatic-spool-creation-when-syncing-materials-17dr2ez/) for the full breakdown.

**You'll assign spools to a slot yourself** - Because there's no per-spool ID, you tell SimplyPrint which inventory spool is in which slot. The good news? With NFC tags, this takes seconds: scan the tag, tap assign, done.

---

# About the Anycubic ACE standard

Now let's get into the details of how Anycubic ACE NFC tags work.

The Anycubic ACE (Anycubic Consumable Ecosystem) standard is a **proprietary format** developed by Anycubic for their multi-material system. It stores detailed information about each spool - material type, color, temperatures, weight, and more.

## Who made it?

**Anycubic** - one of the largest 3D printer manufacturers, known for their Kobra series and Photon resin printers. The ACE format was developed for their multi-material boxes.

## Documentation

Anycubic hasn't published official documentation for their NFC format, but the community has reverse-engineered it:

* **GitHub (community):** https://github.com/DnG-Crafts/ACE-RFID

## What printers use this?

Any Anycubic printer that supports the **ACE** (Anycubic Consumable Ecosystem) multi-material system - this includes the ACE Pro and compatible Kobra series printers.

---

# What data does an ACE tag store?

The ACE format stores detailed specifications about each spool. This helps your printer dial in the right settings automatically.

| What's stored | Description |
| ---- |
| SKU | Product code (required for ACE Pro validation) |
| Brand | Manufacturer code |
| Material type | The filament material (PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU, etc.) |
| Color | Full RGB color value |
| Extruder temperature | Min and max recommended nozzle temps (in °C) |
| Bed temperature | Min and max recommended bed temps (in °C) |
| Diameter | Filament diameter (typically 1.75mm) |
| Total length | Original spool length in meters |
| Remaining length | How much is left (can be updated) |
| Weight | Spool weight in grams |

## Do I need to worry about material and color matching?

**Nope!** SimplyPrint handles all of this for you. The ACE format supports free-form material types (up to 4 characters) and full RGB colors - so your exact material and color get written to the tag.

SimplyPrint also pulls temperature settings from your material profiles and writes them to the tag. When your ACE reads the tag, it knows the right nozzle and bed temps to use.

---

# What NFC tags does it use?

The ACE standard works with **MIFARE Ultralight-compatible tags**, which includes several common and affordable tag types.

## Compatible tag types

| Tag type | Recommended? | Notes |
| ---- |
| MIFARE Ultralight C | ✅ Yes | Native ACE tag format |
| NTAG216 | ✅ Yes | 888 bytes - plenty of space |
| NTAG215 | ✅ Yes | 504 bytes - works great |
| NTAG213 | ⚠️ Okay | 144 bytes - works but tight fit |

## Where to buy compatible tags

Any of these options will work:

* [NTAG216 tags on Amazon](https://amzn.to/3MSZNQe) - Most storage space
* [NTAG215 tags on Amazon](https://amzn.to/45k5XiG) - Popular, widely available
* [MIFARE Ultralight C tags on Amazon](https://amzn.to/44FDioa) - Native ACE format

*Affiliate links - we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.*

| We recommend NTAG215 or NTAG216 tags. They're affordable, widely available, and have plenty of storage for the ACE format.

---

# Compatible hardware

Because ACE uses MIFARE Ultralight-compatible tags (NTAG family), you have lots of options for reading and writing:

| Method | Read | Write | Notes |
| ---- |
| SimplyPrint app (Android) | ✅ | ✅ | Full support |
| SimplyPrint app (iOS) | ✅ | ✅ | Full support |
| Desktop USB reader | ✅ | ✅ | Any supported ACS reader + NFC Agent |
| Web NFC (browser) | ✅ | ✅ | Android Chrome, Samsung Internet |

|| For detailed hardware options, setup instructions, and where to buy readers, see our [NFC hardware & methods guide](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/19luyni/).

---

# Why write ACE tags via SimplyPrint?

So why bother writing ACE tags through SimplyPrint instead of some other tool?

## 1. Use any filament brand with ACE

The main benefit: you can make **any filament** work with your Anycubic ACE. Your ACE doesn't care where the filament came from - it just reads the tag.

## 2. Keep your inventory in sync

When you write tags via SimplyPrint, the spool is already in your inventory. The tag gets linked automatically, so there's no disconnect between your physical spools and your digital inventory.

## 3. Automatic temperature settings

SimplyPrint pulls temperature settings from your material profiles and writes them to the tag. When your ACE reads the tag, it knows the right nozzle and bed temps to use - no manual lookup required.

## 4. Accurate SKU generation

ACE Pro validates the SKU field on tags. SimplyPrint automatically generates valid SKU codes based on your material type, so your tags are always accepted by the printer.

---

# Limitations of the ACE format

The ACE format is quite capable, but there are still some limitations:

| Limitation | What it means |
| ---- |
| **4-character material type** | Material names are truncated to 4 characters |
| **SKU validation on ACE Pro** | ACE Pro requires a valid-looking SKU - SimplyPrint handles this automatically |
| **No per-spool ID** | The ACE syncs material and color, but reports no unique per-spool ID, so SimplyPrint can't auto-create or auto-assign spools |
| **Community-documented** | No official Anycubic documentation - based on reverse engineering |

---

# Advanced: Technical details

This section is for the curious - you don't need to know any of this to use ACE tags with SimplyPrint.

## Tag memory layout

ACE tags use "pages" of 4 bytes each. Here's where the data lives:

| Page | Content | Format |
| ---- |
| 4 | Version marker | `[0x7B, 0x00, 0x65, 0x00]` (0x65 = v2) |
| 5-7 | SKU | 12 bytes, null-padded ASCII |
| 8 | Unused | `[0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00]` |
| 10 | Manufacturer | 4 bytes ASCII (e.g., "AC" for Anycubic) |
| 15 | Material type | 4 bytes ASCII (e.g., "PLA", "PETG") |
| 20 | Color | ARGB format `[Alpha, Red, Green, Blue]` |
| 24 | Extruder temps | `[min_lo, min_hi, max_lo, max_hi]` (16-bit LE) |
| 29 | Bed temps | `[min_lo, min_hi, max_lo, max_hi]` (16-bit LE) |
| 30 | Diameter & length | `[diam_lo, diam_hi, len_lo, len_hi]` |
| 31 | Weight | `[weight_lo, weight_hi, 0x00, 0x00]` (grams) |

## Version

The current ACE format is **Version 2** (indicated by `0x65` in the version byte). SimplyPrint writes this version for maximum compatibility.

## SKU format

Anycubic SKUs follow a pattern like `AHPLLB-103`. SimplyPrint generates valid-looking SKUs automatically based on your spool's material type.

---

# Quick reference

| **Standard name** | Anycubic ACE (Anycubic Consumable Ecosystem) |
| **Created by** | Anycubic |
| **License** | Vendor-specific / proprietary |
| **Documentation** | Community reverse-engineered |
| **GitHub** | https://github.com/DnG-Crafts/ACE-RFID |
| **Compatible printers** | Anycubic printers with ACE box |
| **Supported NFC tags** | NTAG213, NTAG215, NTAG216, MIFARE Ultralight C |
| **Android app** | ✅ Full read/write support |
| **iOS app** | ✅ Full read/write support |
| **Desktop reader** | ✅ With NFC Agent |
| **Web NFC** | ✅ Supported |
| **Material & color sync** | ✅ Via the SimplyPrint Client |
| **Auto-create / auto-assign spools** | ❌ The ACE sends no per-spool ID |
| **Color support** | Full RGB hex |
| **Temperature storage** | ✅ Nozzle and bed temps |
| **Weight/length storage** | ✅ Both supported |

---

# Related articles

* [NFC / RFID support in SimplyPrint](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/19luyni/) - Hardware, methods, and step-by-step guides
* [Multi-material printing in SimplyPrint: mapping and syncing your AMS, ACE or CFS](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/multi-material-printing-in-simplyprint-mapping-and-syncing-your-ams-ace-or-cfs-1uc6w3h/)
* [Automatic spool creation when syncing materials](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/automatic-spool-creation-when-syncing-materials-17dr2ez/)
* [The Filament Manager feature: track, organize and manage your filament inventory](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/the-filament-manager-feature-track-organize-and-manage-your-filament-inventory-bpy529/)