Estimate the total cost of owning and operating a 3D printer.
Printer & Material Costs
e.g., PLA: 1.2-1.3, ABS: 1.04-1.08, PETG: 1.27
Operational Costs
Estimated Total Cost per Print$0.00
Understanding Your 3D Printer Costs
Investing in a 3D printer can unlock a world of creative possibilities, from prototyping and custom designs to hobbyist projects. However, beyond the initial purchase price, several ongoing costs contribute to the true total cost of ownership. This calculator helps you break down these expenses to understand the cost per printed item, allowing for better budgeting and informed decisions.
Key Cost Components:
Printer Purchase Price: The upfront cost of the 3D printer itself. This is a one-time expense amortized over the printer's lifespan.
Filament Costs: This is the primary consumable. The cost depends on the material type, brand, and quantity purchased.
Electricity Consumption: 3D printers draw power during operation, contributing to your electricity bill. The wattage of the printer and the duration of prints are key factors.
Maintenance and Repairs: Like any machine, 3D printers require occasional maintenance (e.g., nozzle replacement, bed leveling) and may incur repair costs.
Printer Lifespan: The estimated number of years the printer is expected to function reliably.
How the Calculation Works:
The calculator estimates the total cost per printed item by summing up the amortized costs of the printer, the cost of filament per print, electricity usage per print, and a portion of the annual maintenance.
Amortized Printer Cost per Print:(Printer Purchase Price / Printer Lifespan Years) / (Prints per Year)
Where Prints per Year is derived from Average Print Hours, Printer Lifespan Years, and an estimate of daily printing hours. For simplicity in this calculator, we'll use a simplified approach by calculating the cost per kg of filament first, and then derive the cost per print.
Filament Cost per Print:
First, we determine the volume of filament used per print in cm³:
Filament Volume (cm³) = Print Volume (cm³)
Then, we calculate the mass of filament used per print:
Filament Mass (grams) = Filament Volume (cm³) * Filament Density (g/cm³)
Next, we find the total grams in a kilogram:
Total Grams per Kg = Grams per Kilogram
Then, we calculate the number of prints possible from one kilogram of filament:
Prints per Kg = Total Grams per Kg / Filament Mass (grams)
Finally, the filament cost per print is:
Filament Cost per Print = Filament Cost per Kg / Prints per Kg
Electricity Cost per Print:
First, convert printer power from Watts to Kilowatts:
Printer Power (kW) = Printer Power (Watts) / 1000
Then, calculate the energy consumed per print in kWh:
Energy per Print (kWh) = Printer Power (kW) * Average Print Duration (Hours)
Finally, the electricity cost per print is:
Electricity Cost per Print = Energy per Print (kWh) * Electricity Cost per kWh
Maintenance Cost per Print:
This is the annual maintenance cost divided by the estimated total number of prints in a year.
Maintenance Cost per Print = Annual Maintenance & Repair Costs / (Estimated Prints per Year)
Similar to the amortized printer cost, we will simplify by distributing this over the total estimated prints over the printer's lifespan.
The total cost per print is the sum of these components:
Total Cost per Print = (Amortized Printer Cost per Print) + (Filament Cost per Print) + (Electricity Cost per Print) + (Maintenance Cost per Print)
Use Cases:
Hobbyists: Estimate the cost of printing models, miniatures, or functional parts for personal projects.
Educators: Understand the running costs for school or university 3D printing labs.
Small Businesses: Budget for prototyping or small-batch production runs using 3D printing technology.
Makerspaces: Help members understand the costs associated with using shared 3D printing resources.
By using this calculator, you gain a clearer financial picture of your 3D printing activities, enabling more efficient and cost-effective use of your equipment.
function calculate3dPrinterCost() {
var printerPrice = parseFloat(document.getElementById("printerPrice").value);
var filamentCostPerKg = parseFloat(document.getElementById("filamentCostPerKg").value);
var gramsPerKg = parseFloat(document.getElementById("gramsPerKg").value);
var filamentDensity = parseFloat(document.getElementById("filamentDensity").value);
var printVolumeCm3 = parseFloat(document.getElementById("printVolumeCm3").value);
var electricityCostKwh = parseFloat(document.getElementById("electricityCostKwh").value);
var printerPowerWatts = parseFloat(document.getElementById("printerPowerWatts").value);
var averagePrintHours = parseFloat(document.getElementById("averagePrintHours").value);
var printsPerFilamentKg = parseFloat(document.getElementById("printsPerFilamentKg").value);
var maintenanceCostPerYear = parseFloat(document.getElementById("maintenanceCostPerYear").value);
var printerLifespanYears = parseFloat(document.getElementById("printerLifespanYears").value);
var totalCost = 0;
var errorMessage = "";
// Validate inputs
if (isNaN(printerPrice) || printerPrice < 0) errorMessage += "Printer Price must be a valid non-negative number.";
if (isNaN(filamentCostPerKg) || filamentCostPerKg < 0) errorMessage += "Filament Cost per Kg must be a valid non-negative number.";
if (isNaN(gramsPerKg) || gramsPerKg <= 0) errorMessage += "Grams per Kilogram must be a valid positive number.";
if (isNaN(filamentDensity) || filamentDensity <= 0) errorMessage += "Filament Density must be a valid positive number.";
if (isNaN(printVolumeCm3) || printVolumeCm3 <= 0) errorMessage += "Average Print Volume must be a valid positive number.";
if (isNaN(electricityCostKwh) || electricityCostKwh < 0) errorMessage += "Electricity Cost per kWh must be a valid non-negative number.";
if (isNaN(printerPowerWatts) || printerPowerWatts < 0) errorMessage += "Printer Power Consumption must be a valid non-negative number.";
if (isNaN(averagePrintHours) || averagePrintHours <= 0) errorMessage += "Average Print Duration must be a valid positive number.";
if (isNaN(printsPerFilamentKg) || printsPerFilamentKg <= 0) errorMessage += "Prints per Kilogram of Filament must be a valid positive number.";
if (isNaN(maintenanceCostPerYear) || maintenanceCostPerYear < 0) errorMessage += "Annual Maintenance Cost must be a valid non-negative number.";
if (isNaN(printerLifespanYears) || printerLifespanYears 0)
var amortizedPrinterCostPerYear = printerPrice / printerLifespanYears;
var amortizedMaintenanceCostPerYear = maintenanceCostPerYear; // Already annual
var totalAnnualOperatingCost = amortizedPrinterCostPerYear + amortizedMaintenanceCostPerYear;
var totalCostPerPrintFromAmortization = totalAnnualOperatingCost / estimatedPrintsPerYear;
// 4. Total Cost per Print
totalCost = filamentCostPerPrint + electricityCostPerPrint + totalCostPerPrintFromAmortization;
// Display result
document.getElementById("totalCostResult").innerHTML = "$" + totalCost.toFixed(2);
}