How to Calculate the 3D Printing Cost in Canada

Price concern stays on top when it comes to buying a product or paying for a service, and 3D printing is no exception.

Calculating the cost of 3D Printing in Canada depends on factors like the choice of material, the complexity of the object, labour charge (which will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer), post-processing, and markup fee combined gives you a final cost.

In this article, you will learn how to calculate 3D printing cost and whether it is 3D printing expensive and worth paying for.

Before calculating the cost, you might have the urgency to know whether it is pocket-friendly or not. Well, to answer that question, it depends on multiple factors, and below there are three quick scenarios provided to help you get a clear idea.

1. Your product design is simple and has little to no complex layers; in addition, the material requirement is minimal, and in this case, the cost will be much cheaper.
2. Your design consists of a few layers, is complex with sections, and requires more material. The cost, in this case, will be intermediate.
3. In the third case, suppose you must create a 10-story building with a complex inner design. The cost you get is relatively higher than the above two cases.

The base price, including the factors mentioned in the introduction, is that the starting price of a 3D printing service could be as low as $3-20 and goes up to five and six figures depending upon the requirement.

To conclude this section, 3D Printing is not expensive, given the quality of the product you get at the end of the day, and you can refine your product over time by saving a tonne of time.

When it comes to calculating 3D printing costs, making wild generalizations is simply not possible. Multiple factors affect the hourly rate that is expected from a print job.  The final cost becomes apparent after doing some math exercises and crunching the numbers combining the various factors. These factors include:

• Material costs
• Printer operation
• Post-processing
• Additional costs, including labour costs, electricity, extra profit margin

Steps to calculate your 3D print cost:

• First, specify the type of your 3D printer material.
• Obtain its price per Kilogram (KG), and find its density.
• Determine your 3D print model’s volume. Use your design software for more accuracy.
• You may get the mass of your model by dividing its volume by the density of the substance.
• The multiplication of the obtained mass by the material price per KG is your material 3D print cost. Also, ensure you add labour costs such as electricity and design time.

To simplify your job, here’s an easy equation to help you calculate the cost. It divides the total cost of a 3D printing job into two segments: the material cost (material used) and the labour cost associated with the time of printing.  You may also apply a markup to guarantee that you make at least some profit on each printed item.

• Material cost = ρ π × (d/2)² × L × price
  • ρ = density of the material
  • d = diameter of the filament
  • L = length of the filament used for the printing
  • Price = cost of material per unit weight ( per KG)

• Labour cost = time × hourly rate
  • Time = time taken to finish the job
  • Hourly rate = cost per hour of 3D printing

• Final price = (material cost + labor cost) × (100% + markup)

While the volume of the material will depend on the project you will print, the density and price of the material are associated with the type of filament.

There is one certainty that you opt for a 3D printing service for a reason. It could be getting an idea of how an actual product will look or selling the 3D-printed item directly or indirectly in the market.

Always ask for sample pieces to ensure you are spending money on exemplary service like – “3 Vima Tech”. You can ask for a demo piece of your design; although that is paid, but is worth giving a shot to measure the quality level of the different service providers.

The 3D printing advantages in product development or creating a prototype is what makes it a worthwhile investment.