What is the price of 3D printing?
The technology of 3D printing has become a popular solution for industrial, marketing and private purposes, and with its growing popularity, the most common question we receive is precisely this - what is the price of 3D printing?
Do you need an exact price for your project?
We offer a free 30-minute consultation where we analyze your needs and create a personalized quote.
Why read this article to the end? If you don't have a finished model, need help choosing materials, or are just exploring the possibilities of 3D printing - this article will explain to you exactly what affects the price and how to save money with good planning. After reading, you will understand why some projects cost 50€ and others 5000€, and how to make smart decisions before you even request a quote.
In this article we explain why the price of 3D printing varies so much from project to project, focusing on FDM technology, with which we have the most experience in industrial and serial production.
The key factors that determine the price
Do you have a finished 3D model? This is the first and most important question. If you have a model that is already designed and optimized for 3D printing, we skip the design phase and the price is significantly lower. However, we emphasize the word “optimized” - a model that is not properly prepared for 3D printing can increase the production cost by 50-100% due to poor design that requires more material, longer print time or additional support.
The three main price factors are the choice of material, quantity and dimensions of the object. An object measuring 5×5 cm and an object measuring 50×50 cm are nowhere near the same production cost. We can print a smaller object on any standard 3D printer, while for a larger object we need industrial 3D printers whose working hour is 3-10 times more expensive, depending on the dimensions.
The material also drastically affects the price. We take PLA and PETG as reference points - these are materials printed on standard Bambu Lab 3D printers. However, if a project requires industrial materials that need printers with an actively heated chamber (such as ABS, PC, nylon or technical materials), the price increases by 30-200% compared to PLA or PETG, depending on the complexity of the material and the required equipment.
For custom projects where modeling, optimization or consultation is needed, each project is unique and we create an individual quote according to your exact requirements. We invite you to a free consultation where we define the best solution together.
You don't have to be 3D printing experts - that's our job. You just need to clearly define which problem you are solving and which requirements need to be met regarding mechanical and temperature properties. Everything else - choosing the optimal material, optimizing the design for printing and selecting the technology - you leave to our expert team, which has experience in hundreds of projects from various industries: automotive industry, museums and cultural heritage, marketing agencies, event organizers, medical industry, military industry and many others.
Factors that affect the price
1. Material selection
Materials differ drastically in price, mechanical properties and printing requirements. For detailed information on each material, see our materials page → or the materials blog →.
A quick comparison of the most popular materials:
| Material | Price | Temp. resistance | Application | Complexity |
| PLA | € | do 50°C | Prototypes, decoration | Jednostavno |
| PETG ⭐ | € | do 80°C | Most projects - best price-quality ratio | Jednostavno |
| ABS | €€ | do 100°C | Industrial parts, housings | Demanding |
| Nylon | €€€ | do 120°C | Tools, gears, functional parts | Very demanding |
| TPU | €€ | do 80°C | Flexible parts, seals | Slow |
| PEEK/PEKK | €€€€€ | do 250°C+ | Aerospace, medicine | Extremely demanding |
Concrete price examples for an object weighing 50 grams:
Standard materials (PLA/PETG):
- Single sample: ~20€
- Series of 100 pieces: ~5€/pc
- Series of 1000 pieces: ~3€/pc
Premium materials (PEEK/PEKK):
- Single sample: ~200€
- Series of 10-100 pieces: ~100€/pc
Don't be afraid of extreme prices - PEEK and PEKK are used only in the most demanding applications such as the space industry. For 95% of projects, standard or mid-range materials are sufficient which offer excellent performance at a reasonable price.
3. Model fill (Infill)
Imagine you want to print a cube. You can print it as hollow - just the edges, which will use minimal material and be done quickly. But you can also fill it completely, which will require incomparably more material and time. This difference in fill has a huge impact on the price.
In practice, our engineers find the optimal ratio of strength and price for each project. 100% fill is not always necessary for a product to be sufficiently strong - often 20-30% fill with a properly set pattern gives excellent results at a significantly lower price.
4. Serial production vs. single print
Here the math becomes very clear. Every project requires consultation, design, preparation and testing - these costs exist whether you print one or a hundred pieces. Let's take as an example that a designer needed one hour of work at a price of 200 euros to prepare the model for printing.
If you print only one piece, that one piece carries the design cost of 200 euros. But if you print a series of 50 pieces, then the design for each individual piece is only 4 euros. This is incomparably more cost-effective, especially if your product will be used in further production or sale.
This is exactly why serial production becomes increasingly cost-effective as the quantity grows. The cost of material and printer exists for each piece, but all preparatory steps are spread across the entire series.
The production process
Our process always begins with a free consultation where we together define the purpose of the product, deadlines, the required quantity and technical requirements. Only when we have a complete picture of your project can we properly assess how to make the print, which materials to use and whether the product will withstand your use.
Then follows CAD modeling and industrial design. The price of this phase depends on the complexity - from a few hundred euros for simple objects to several tens of thousands for complex projects with many parts. If you don't already have a finished 3D model, you can look for ready-made models on specialized platforms where you can often find them for free or at affordable prices. For specific projects that don't exist anywhere, you can engage us to create a completely new 3D model.
Prototyping is a key phase that must not be skipped. We make a test print, test the functionality and send you the prototype for evaluation. Is it printed correctly? Does something need to be changed in the design or the print itself? Only when you are satisfied with the prototype do we begin serial printing. The worst thing that can happen is that we print an entire series you are not satisfied with - that is a senseless waste of both your and our time and money.
Finally comes serial printing where we inspect each individual piece for the purpose of quality control. If necessary, sanding, painting or other post-processing follows.
Why is there no universal price list?
Each project is unique due to the combination of various factors - type of material, printing technology, design complexity, number of pieces and special requirements. Two seemingly similar projects can differ drastically in price due to just one different requirement.
We have a fixed price list, but… it refers exclusively to serial production where you already have:
- A finished 3D model optimized for printing
- Defined specifications (material, dimensions, quantity)
- No need for consulting or solution development
However, for projects that include:
- Consultation and problem definition
- CAD modeling and design
- Optimization of the model for 3D printing
- Development of solutions for specific requirements
- Prototyping and testing
…we create an individual quote because each such project requires a different amount of expert work and time.
Our philosophy is clear: we reject projects where 3D printing is not the optimal solution. We accept only projects where we can provide the best value and where we know that 3D printing technology will be the right choice for your needs.
Contact us for a free consultation
With over 10 years of experience working with museums, the automotive industry (including parts for the Rimac Nevera), medicine and the restoration of cultural heritage, we can recommend the best solution for your project.
We offer a free consultation and create personalized quotes according to your exact needs - because we believe you deserve transparency and expertise before embarking on any collaboration.
Note: This article focuses on FDM technology. 3D Tvornica also works with SLS and SLA technologies, which we can explain in more detail during a consultation.