"How much does 3D printing cost?" is the most common question we get, and the honest answer is: it depends on five things. Here's what actually drives the number on your quote, in the order they usually matter.
1. Material
Standard PLA and PETG are the cheapest, at roughly $0.08–$0.15 per gram of finished part. Engineering materials like PA-CF (nylon-carbon), TPU, and ASA sit closer to $0.30–$0.60 per gram. Multi-material and full-colour prints add a colour-change surcharge because material is purged between swaps.
2. Print time
Machine hours dominate anything over ~200 g. A small prototype might print in 3–4 hours, but a full-scale helmet shell can run 30+ hours on a single machine. We charge machine time separately from material because the same object at 0.12 mm layers takes twice as long as at 0.24 mm.
3. Size and orientation
Bigger parts need more support, more slicing time, and — past our 320 × 320 × 320 mm bed — need to be printed in sections and bonded. Orientation matters too: a part flat on the bed prints in half the time of the same part standing up.
4. Finishing
Bare off-the-printer parts are the cheapest. Support removal, sanding, priming, painting, or a smooth vapour-polish pass on ABS/ASA all add labour. For consumer-grade cosmetic parts, finishing often costs as much as the print itself — this is worth being explicit about at quote time.
5. Turnaround
Our standard turnaround is 3–5 days once the file is approved. Rush jobs (24–48 hours) carry a 20–40% expedite fee because they displace scheduled work on the print farm.
Rough guide for common Sydney projects
- Palm-sized functional prototype in PLA: $60–$140
- A5-sized signage plaque in walnut (laser-cut): $80–$180
- Custom trophy or award, printed + laser-etched base: $180–$420
- Reverse-engineered mechanical replacement in PA-CF: $250–$900 depending on scan complexity
Every quote is fixed and delivered within 24 hours on weekdays. Upload an STL on our pricing page for an instant estimate, or send a photo and we'll write back with a scope.