Why are these parameters important?
Hardware $5000 + maintenance $500/year + 2000 hours lifespan → €2.75/hour depreciation. Small? No - for serial production it's €1000/month difference.
Depreciation Calculator
Real cost per operating hour - depreciation + maintenance + electricity
You bought a €1500 printer thinking every hour is 'free'? It isn't. Depreciation, maintenance, energy, consumables - they add up. This calculator computes the real cost per operating hour by technology (MEX, VAT, PBF, MJ, BJ, DED, LOM), machine price, maintenance, energy, and throughput. You also see break-even - how many hours the machine must run before it pays for itself. Covers 7 tech groups and 5 preset printers from Creality to Stratasys.
Available with the Pro plan (15 EUR per month). The printed book includes 3 months of Pro.
Key features
7 technology groups
MEX (FDM/FGF), VAT (SLA/DLP/LCD), PBF (SLS/DMLS/SLM), MJ (PolyJet/NPJ), BJ (Binder Jetting), DED (WAAM/LENS), LOM (Sheet Lamination).
Ready presets
Creality Ender 3 Pro, Bambu Lab P1S, Prusa MK4S, Ultimaker S5, Stratasys F370 - 5 presets. Load one and the calculator configures itself.
Full hardware parameters
Printer price, upgrades and accessories, annual maintenance, expected operating life.
Full operating parameters
Power (W), hours/year, electricity price, throughput (cm³/hour).
Break-even analysis
See exactly how many hours the printer must run before it pays for itself. For a Bambu A1 €420 at standard parameters - about 350-400 hours.
Cost per cm³
The calculator computes cost per printed cm³. Use this number directly in client pricing.
How it works
- 1Pick technology group - MEX, VAT, PBF, MJ, BJ, DED, LOM.
- 2Load a preset or enter your printer.
- 3Hardware: price, upgrades, maintenance/year, lifespan in hours.
- 4Operations: power, hours/year, electricity price, throughput.
- 5Calculator shows: depreciation €/hour, maintenance €/hour, electricity €/hour, total €/hour.
- 6See cost/cm³ + break-even hours + chart of cost/hour vs accumulated operating hours.
Who it's for
Printer buyer
The calculator shows whether €1500 for a Bambu X1-Carbon makes sense for you.
Small shop with multiple printers
Look at cost/hour for each machine. The lowest is your workhorse.
Business planning
ROI of a new machine. Bambu A1 €420 → cost €0.20/hour → at €5/hour client rate → break-even at 90 hours.
Teachers
What does a class printer cost for 100 students/year? The calculator computes exactly.
Frequently asked
Want full access to all 148 instruments?
The Big Book of 3D Printing includes 90 days of Pro access to every instrument with the physical book's code - 30 days with the ebook. Calculators, wizards, comparisons, generators, and more.
Get the book