Estimate of cost

Do you have the estimate of cost of the print depending on the size when you print something out on the upcoming form 3L? We just want to see how cost-effective and how long it’ll take to print relatively large 3-D prints on that printer thank you

You can do a simple math calculation for the amount of resin that a print would take, as far as print time goes, that’s going to depend on the print itself.

I have a Excel spreadsheet that does a calculation off the price of the resin. It uses the number of parts on a build and the resin used to get the base cost. Then there is a percentage for overhead and last a percentage for profit. Prices are good and competitive with this method. I’ve even had a few resellers complain they are too low. [laugh] Customers thank me for fair pricing.

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Can I have access to the spreadsheet?

Sorry, no, at least not the way it is. It’s a vital part of my business and if it got to a competitor it could be costly.

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Can you give me an idea how much a part cost to print as far as materials cost of ownership thanks

A rough calculation for the cost of the resin alone:

With shipping and tax, 1 liter of standard gray resin costs me $170.54 USD. That works out to 17 cents per milliliter of resin. Multiply 17 cents by the amount of resin PreForm reports is required to print the object. But that is an overly simplistic approach to cost and does not reflect the actual cost to print an object.

There are other costs to consider as well. For example, consumables include the resin tank, 8.6 liters of isopropyl alcohol for cleaning, wipes, gloves, etc. Then there is the prorated cost of the printer itself, FormWash and FormCure, and any service plan you buy. You might consider time and labor including handling and cleaning individual parts. Some owners also include the cost of the workshop and any utilities such as electricity, waste, etc.

You might also consider the cost to create the 3D design which includes research and designing the object, the computer and CAD software you use to produce it, etc. Time = money.

If you are selling your objects, there are business costs incurred. Operating an online shop might include the cost of the webhosting service; website management; domain name; catalog creation and management; advertising; samples sent to potential customers; shipping/postal costs and packaging materials such as boxes, labels, and bubble wrap; bookkeeping; credit card/PayPal fees; business software; banking fees; tax preparation fees; etc. A brick and mortar shop will have more costs. Having one or more employees is even more.

People generally calculate all of these costs differently depending on their needs and requirements, then build those costs into the sales price of the object.

Walter’s use of a spreadsheet is a very good technique to capture costs and determine pricing. I use one, too, and like Walter, it is not released to the public for the same reason Walter does not release his. But many of the column headings of the spreadsheet I use are included in the text above.

Hope this helps.

I’ll work out an abbreviated version that gives you the basics. You’ll need to come up with your own cost such as Overhead, profit percentage, etc. Give me a couple of days on this. At 76 I work slow. [laugh] No, actually I just have too much going on.

Thanks to you all I really appreciate it. it gives me a start

I’m very cautious on what and whom I tell this type of info to. I don’t even like to admit I use Form2 printers as my competitors are watching others and will buy the same equipment to try and beat them out. So don’t spread this please.

How to use the cost spreadsheet.

K2 and K3 are used in the calculation of H column.

Column A is a text field as is Column B.

Column C is what type of production. I do both 3D printing and Cast Resin.

Column E is a text field just saying what resin is used.

Column F is a numeric entry of what Preform will use to do the print. All resin is

calculated here as what isn’t the print is still waste for that run.

Column G is the number of parts on a build plate.

Column H is a calculation of cost per single part printed plus it’s portion of waste.

Column I is a numeric value of what you feel is the amount of waste. It’s a multiplier
of the Part Cost.

Column J is the cost per single part of resin and overhead.

Column K is a numeric multiplier of profit. Not a percentage.

Column L is the number of items that go into a single package.

Column N is the final suggested price and a calculation of Total Cost X Profit X Number
per package.

Column N is a manual entry of what you actually charge. Some calcualated prices are good,

others too low and still others a bit too high to be competitive so this is the adjusted

selling price.

Hope this is clear enough.

I can’t upload the Excel spreadsheet so you’ll have to contact me by email to get it.


See if I can upload an Excel spreadsheet with a couple of rows to show you how this works. Nope, has to be a PDF so it’s here as a two pager.Sample_Detail_Parts_cost_sheets.pdf (38.2 KB)