3D Printing Cost Estimation: Material, Machine Time & Pricing
Cost filament and resin from grams, build a machine hourly rate, adjust print time for failures, price post-processing labour, quote with margin and a minimum order, chart the batch cost curve, compare FDM, SLA and outsourcing and track job profit: 8 graded labs on a fictional print service.
The first lesson is free — no account needed.
About this course
A 3D printing cost estimation course that prices the jobs of one fictional print service in a spreadsheet, for print farm owners, makers who sell parts, engineers and service bureaus. You turn slicer weights into material cost with support and waste and work out how many spools to buy, build a machine hourly rate from depreciation, electricity, maintenance and overhead, correct slicer times and price failures into the cost of one good plate, cost post-processing labour per part with a one-off setup, quote six jobs to a 40% margin with rounding and a minimum order, chart the cost per part as more parts share a plate, compare FDM, SLA and outsourcing and find the break-even quantity, and track quoted against actual job profit. The first lab is free.
Lessons
- Material Cost from Grams: Filament, Resin and SupportFree
- Machine Hourly Rate: Depreciation, Power and Maintenance Pro
- Print Time and Failure Rate: Cost per Good Plate Pro
- Post-processing Labour: Minutes per Part, Setup and Skill Rates Pro
- Quote Price: Margin on Price and a Minimum Order Fee Pro
- Batch Printing: Parts per Plate and the Cost-per-Part Curve Pro
- FDM vs SLA vs Outsourcing: Cost per Part and Break-even Quantity Pro
- Job Profitability Tracker: Quote vs Actual Cost and Margin Pro