Cost Estimation of an FDM 3D Printed Component

A practical FDM cost estimate can be divided into material, machine, labor, energy and post-processing costs.

Steps

1. Determine material consumption: Obtain filament mass or volume from the slicer, including model material and support material.
2. Calculate material cost: Multiply consumed mass by the material cost per unit mass.
3. Determine machine time: Estimate printing time from the slicer.
4. Calculate machine cost: Multiply machine operating time by the machine hourly rate, including depreciation, maintenance and overhead.
5. Calculate electricity cost: Estimate energy consumption and multiply by the electricity tariff.
6. Add labor cost: Include setup, bed preparation, filament loading, monitoring and part removal where applicable.
7. Add post-processing: Include support removal, sanding, finishing, washing or other required operations.
8. Add overhead and profit: For commercial production, include facility overhead, reject allowance and desired profit margin.

Simplified formula

Total cost = Material + Machine time + Electricity + Labor + Post-processing + Overhead

Key cost factors

Material type and quantity, infill percentage, layer height, support volume, print duration, machine depreciation, electricity, labor, failure rate and finishing requirements all influence the final cost.