Does anybody have any experience with running costs of a 3D printer? I have a Mendel90 and after showing a few prints around I've been asked to quote to print some parts. Now working out material cost is easy but I'd like to charge out the machine time on an hourly basis but don't really know where to start. The obvious considerations are electricity usage and wear and tear, each of which I have no idea on because this is my first printer and its only been running a few weeks. Can anybody shed some light for me please? Martin https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195326#msg-195326 Sun, 08 Mar 2026 13:30:31 -0400 Phorum 5.2.23 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195611#msg-195611 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195611#msg-195611
Thanks again, Martin]]> martybee58 General Thu, 28 Mar 2013 08:33:11 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195495#msg-195495 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195495#msg-195495 -------------------------------------------------------
> Adding to what Jon said about taxes - does anyone
> know if you can file a tax return to reclaim money
> spent on the printer and maintenance costs? I
> looked here:
> [www.hmrc.gov.uk]
> m and it seems like you possibly could?

Yes you can, if you are billing it out the way I've described. In any country, it is the cost of making money with it. However, you have to remember that if you also use it for your own purposes as well, then you have to track that time separately and not claim expenses for whatever percentage of total use that works out to.

Jon]]> Tekwizard General Wed, 27 Mar 2013 23:51:30 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195494#msg-195494 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195494#msg-195494 www.hmrc.gov.uk] and it seems like you possibly could?]]> james glanville General Wed, 27 Mar 2013 23:43:51 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195493#msg-195493 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195493#msg-195493
Charge $25 an hour to process files if your clients can't be bothered, or don't know how. Charge the same amount to clean up the parts after they are finished if the clients also can't be bothered to do that. Offer everyone the option to give you STL files that are ready to go and do their own clean up after they're printed, and only charge them the machine time ($10 hour) for that. Charge that amount for any consulting beyond the basics needed to explain what their responsibilities will be.

Some people won't want to figure out how to prep the files, or clean up the parts - they'll just want them printed and won't care about the extra price. Others will want to save buck and will pre-process the files and will be happy to clean them up after ( they just don't own a printer).

At those prices and rates, you'll be making a fair income, and they will be getting a reasonable product for thier buck (don't forget that this is not high precision machining that you're offering).

If you charge less than what I've suggested, you will be underpricing and will either just break even, or you will lose money and your time. Don't be afraid to charge a reasonable amount. If you're worried about the amount, go to the grocery store and check out the price of a pound of bread, or a gallon of milk, or a dozen eggs. It's not out of line. Most people under price themselves and their products and work themselves into the ground. There is no reason to be competitive in this arena at this time, most of your clients will want to try it out without investing in the equipment, and that's fine.

And don't forget to report your income/expenses on your taxes. It's not worth messing around with that stuff because if you forget and get caught, then all the work and joy you've gotten from doing this will be destroyed.

Jon]]> Tekwizard General Wed, 27 Mar 2013 23:37:11 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195487#msg-195487 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195487#msg-195487 jamesdanielv General Wed, 27 Mar 2013 22:49:22 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195475#msg-195475 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195475#msg-195475 but not labor.]]> tmorris9 General Wed, 27 Mar 2013 21:15:54 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195460#msg-195460 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195460#msg-195460 jamesdanielv General Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:16:56 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195415#msg-195415 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195415#msg-195415 james glanville General Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:40:18 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195410#msg-195410 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195410#msg-195410 crispy1 General Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:22:24 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195403#msg-195403 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195403#msg-195403
On the surface printing parts to make printers looks cheap. The reality is the only thing that really makes something cheap is huge volume. Years ago a customer showed me a switch he bought at Radio Shack for 79 cents, then he showed me a wooden barrel filled with 10,000 of them that he bought for 1/2 cent each! My ex boss and I used to struggle to get samples of switches and things, and paid exorbitant prices for those samples. Then he went to work for a large company. He called a switch company about samples, and casually mentioned his yearly usage. The next morning an engineer from 1000 miles away was standing in his office with a suitcase filled with 100 pcs of each switch he had expressed an interest in!

Gary H. Lucas]]> garyhlucas General Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:05:16 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195373#msg-195373 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195373#msg-195373 james glanville General Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:59:50 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195364#msg-195364 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195364#msg-195364
As for mechanical wear, the parts that do break are cheap enough to replace. Stepper motors, electronics, ect. If you put quality parts in it you will get a lot longer life on those parts also.

So the operating costs are equivalent to that of a computer.

Unless you print on tape, then you have to figure in the cost of replacing the tape every time it rips.]]> hendo420 General Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:28:11 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195354#msg-195354 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195354#msg-195354 crispy1 General Wed, 27 Mar 2013 12:41:00 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195344#msg-195344 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195344#msg-195344
I will be factoring in my time but it is really a machine cost (electricity and wear and tear) that I'm after. What is the life expectancy of a 3D printer?]]> martybee58 General Wed, 27 Mar 2013 12:26:58 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195336#msg-195336 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195336#msg-195336 crispy1 General Wed, 27 Mar 2013 12:07:20 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195335#msg-195335 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195335#msg-195335 3D Printer Calculator

When you go to print a part it gives you an amount of filament in mm that it is going to use.

Plug that into the program in the link and it will give you a build cost/weight and how many you could print out per roll.]]> hendo420 General Wed, 27 Mar 2013 12:01:08 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195326#msg-195326 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,195326,195326#msg-195326
Martin]]> martybee58 General Wed, 27 Mar 2013 11:49:31 -0400