Reducing 3D printing costs requires looking past the sticker prices for equipment and materials. Other factors add up, too. Manual labour for software prep and part finishing after builds, that’s money and hours. Excessive energy use ticks the electricity bill up, and failed print jobs mean wasted materials and time, squandering both.
The easy wins come from refining how you use your 3D printer daily. For example, you can fill up build volumes and stack parts together in some printers, maximising loads without exceeding packing density limits – perfect for large runs. Going too dense risks failure mid-job, so find that sweet spot for reliability’s sake.
Additionally, consider automating peripheral tasks – software preparation, post-processing work, quality checks – these manual efforts occupy operator time and machine availability. Streamlining the workflow through automation cuts labour expenses noticeably and frees up your time for other stuff.
How else can you reduce 3D printing costs? Here are five tips:
-
Invest in the Right Technology
The three most common 3D printing technologies are fused filament fabrication (FFF), stereolithography (SLA), and selective laser sintering (SLS).
FFF printers melt thermoplastic and extrude it layer by layer to build parts – they are more affordable and accessible for novices than other machines. Print quality can be very good, but layer lines are visible fresh off the print bed. Materials like PLA, PETG, and ABS are commonly used. An UltiMaker S5 or S7 is ideal for professional applications.
SLA printers use an ultraviolet laser to cure liquid resin layer by layer selectively. They produce highly accurate parts with smooth surfaces, perfect for cosmetic appearances. The material properties are diverse, ranging from elastic to rigid. Common resins include standard, tough, flexible, castable, and dental variations. The Formlabs Form 3+ is an outstanding desktop SLA printer.
SLS uses a laser to selectively fuse powdered material, allowing very complex geometries. No support structures are required, and unused powder can be reused. The Formlabs Fuse 1+ 30W is a fantastic choice.
-
Choose the Best Printer for the Job
Once you decide on the technology that aligns with your applications, selecting the right printer is critical for part quality and long-term costs.
An inexpensive printer may have higher failure rates, wasted filament from botched prints, and additional labour to resolve issues. Investing in a reliable, high-performance 3D printer like the UltiMaker, Formlabs machines, or others from reputable companies like Markforged and Bambu Lab generally pays dividends over time.
Sufficient training and experience are equally vital to operating any printer efficiently. Without knowing the principles behind generating high-quality prints and how to prepare and handle materials properly, costs inevitably increase.
Consider formal training or mentoring when bringing new operators up to speed. Mastering the fundamentals both saves money and expands what applications you can take on.
-
Choose Suitable Materials
The material selection heavily influences costs for several reasons:
- Material price per gram – Entry-level PLA can cost £25 per kg, while advanced resins run over £500 per kg.
- Quantity needed – Small batches vs mass production.
- Shelf life – Some resins expire in 6 months.
- Support materials – Required for some geometries.
- Adhesion aids – Glue, tape, and sprays affect the first layer.
- Post-processing – Smoothing, painting, drying.
Understand the end application and determine the necessary mechanical properties, accuracy, appearance, and other requirements. Then, match the optimal material to that.
Know expected print runs and timelines as expired material is wasted spending. Economical PLA makes sense for iterative prototyping, while a rigid resin might be used for short production batches. Rightsizing the material type prevents overspending, just as the printer technology should align to applications.
-
Optimise Prints to Use Less Material
Careful design optimisation during the 3D modelling and print preparation stages is critical to reducing material usage and cost. When modelling the part geometry, focus on minimising the overall volume and weight as much as functional requirements allow. Explore alternative shapes that reduce material rather than just extruding 2D profiles. Leverage more organic, bionic shapes and structures seen in nature, often lighter while still providing strength and stiffness.
Self-supporting geometry without openings uses less support material as well, as a fully enclosed (but non self-supporting) part will trap support structure inside with no way to remove it. For stereolithography, this risks trapping wet, uncured resin. For selective laser sintering, this risks filling the interior with unfused and unreclaimable powder.
Orient the part vertically on the build plate if no broad flat sections require heavy supports underneath overhangs. Support interfaces leave behind roughness and material, so minimising their need reduces post-processing time, effort, and material waste.
When preparing the model for printing, further optimisation occurs:
- Reduce the infill percentage where suitable. A 20% cubic structure may provide enough integrity for prototyping rather than defaulting to 100% solid. Higher infill uses more material.
- Use lighter print plate adhesion methods like brims rather than dense rafts. For example, a few outline loops build enough surface area to prevent warping without excessive material.
- Choose a layer height based on allowable tolerances, time constraints, and surface finish requirements. A 0.2 mm height finishes faster at acceptable quality rather than 0.05 mm layers taking days.
Test multiple iterations with different orientations, settings, and designs to dial in the most efficient balance of model integrity, print time, post-processing, and expense for each application. What works for visual concepts may differ from functional prototypes or production parts.
-
Improve Design of Builds
Incorporating design principles specifically for additive manufacturing is critical to minimising print failures, additional supports, and post-processing that drive up costs.
Consider overhangs and bridges early in the CAD process. Determine minimum wall thicknesses and span lengths that can print unsupported based on your printer and material capabilities. Including small radii, ribs, gussets, or other reinforcements lets you print thinner features reliably.
Analyse angles and orientation to avoid shallow slopes prone to visible layer lines which require sanding or vapour smoothing. Parts designed for aesthetics often need more finishing than prototypes focused on function.
Instead of defaulting to solid blocks of material, explore lattices, meshes, honeycombs or topology optimisation methods to lighten pieces. Remove any internal volumes that do not serve mechanical purposes, reducing material use and print time.
All these strategies fall under Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM). More than just designing a part, it means fully integrating knowledge of the production method early in the CAD phase.
We hope this article helps you out. Any questions? Leave a comment below.