Additive Manufacturing Build Cost Estimator (Machine Time, Material, Post-Processing)
This calculator estimates what one powder bed fusion build costs and what each part carries, using the same logic as an AM service-bureau quote: time on the machine, powder consumed, fixed handling and post-processing. Change the nest count and watch the cost curve flatten.
Your numbers
Solid volume of one part from CAD, excluding supports.
Number of parts nested on the plate for this build.
Support and plate-anchor volume as a percent of part volume. Typical range is 5 to 40 percent, higher for overhang-heavy geometry.
Height of the tallest part in the build. Sets the layer count and recoat time.
Effective rate of solidified volume per hour for the alloy and parameter set, from your machine. Single-laser stainless is often 5 to 20; multi-laser systems are higher.
Time per layer that is not scanning: recoater pass, platform lowering, gas settle.
Fully burdened rate: depreciation, service contract, inert gas, filters, floor space, operator share.
316L 7.99, 17-4 PH 7.78, Ti-6Al-4V 4.43, AlSi10Mg 2.67, Inconel 718 8.19.
Delivered price of AM-grade powder.
Spatter, sieve rejects, samples and degraded powder that cannot return to the batch.
File prep, plate mounting, purge, unload, depowder and cleaning labor per build.
Stress relief share, wire EDM cut-off, support removal, finishing, outside heat treat, inspection.
Your results
Planning estimate. Build rate, recoat time and support volume vary by machine, alloy, parameter set and geometry. Calibrate with your own build logs.
Cost per part vs parts per build (build height held constant)
Sweeps Parts per build from 1 to 40, holding your other inputs fixed.
Cost AM jobs from live ERP data
Optional: a short review of how to pull machine hours and powder lot costs into your ERP job cost.
Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.
How to use it
Enter part volume from CAD, how many parts fit on the plate, and the tallest part height. Then enter the machine's real scan build rate and recoat time per layer from a recent job log, not the brochure value. Set the machine rate to your fully burdened cost per hour. The result shows total build hours, cost per build and cost per part. The chart sweeps parts per build from 1 to 40 with all other inputs fixed, which shows how quickly the fixed recoat time and setup cost are diluted.
- Use solid part volume without supports, then add support percent separately.
- Take build rate from actual build reports for the same alloy and layer thickness.
- Include operator, argon and filter cost in the machine rate, not as extras.
The model and formulas
Build time is the sum of two parts. Recoat time is layers x seconds per layer / 3600, where layers = build height / layer thickness. Scan time is scanned volume / volumetric build rate, where scanned volume = parts x part volume x (1 + support fraction). Machine cost is build hours x hourly rate. Powder cost is solidified mass x (1 + non-recycled loss) x price, with mass = volume x density. Total job cost adds setup labor and post-processing per part. Recoat time depends only on height, so it is shared by every part on the plate.
Reading the result
With the defaults (twelve 45 cm3 stainless parts, 90 mm tall) the build is roughly a day and a half of machine time and cost per part lands in the low hundreds of dollars. Machine cost usually dominates for dense nests of solid parts, while post-processing dominates for small or thin parts. If machine cost per part falls steeply as you add parts, nesting and orientation effort pays back. If it is flat, reduce support volume or post-processing instead.
Common mistakes
Estimators often use the theoretical laser build rate, which ignores contour scans, down-skin parameters and gas flow pauses, and so under-quote by 20 to 50 percent. Others forget that powder consumed includes supports and that part height, not part count, drives recoat time. Do not price scrap: if your first-pass yield is 90 percent, divide the cost per part by 0.9. Post-processing such as HIP, wire EDM and machining of interfaces is frequently left out of early budgets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What build rate should I enter?
Use the effective scan volumetric build rate from your own completed builds for the same alloy, layer thickness and parameter set. Divide solidified volume by scan hours, excluding recoat time. Vendor datasheet maximums assume ideal geometry and usually overstate real throughput.
Does recoat time really matter?
Yes. A 100 mm build at 40 um has 2,500 layers, and at 9 seconds each that is over six hours of non-scanning time regardless of how many parts are on the plate. Dense nests dilute it; single parts bear all of it.
How do I include HIP or heat treatment?
Add the per-part share of the outside processing charge to post-processing per part. For a batch HIP cycle, divide the lot price by the number of parts in the lot, then add machining and inspection.
Is this valid for binder jet or polymer processes?
The structure holds, but the rates differ. Binder jet and polymer powder bed processes are limited by build volume and packing density rather than scan rate, so use the nesting calculator and set the build rate to your measured volumetric throughput.
If your quotes live in an ERP routing and cost rollup, we can wire this logic into it so AM jobs are costed from live machine hours and powder lots.
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- ERP for Additive Manufacturing Service Bureaus: What to Look ForWhat an ERP for a 3D printing service bureau needs: build jobs with child parts, powder lot genealogy, machine-hour costing, post-processing routings and quality records.