How much to charge for 3D printing: your hourly cost and break-even point
Describe your machine, electricity, working hours and the price of one part. The AI assistant EDi Business Advisor works out what a machine hour costs, how many parts a month bring you to zero and when the printer pays back. Its screen and answers are in Bulgarian.
Part of Ultra, 39 EUR a month, with 1500 credits each month.
- 30 creditsone question; at most 50 a month
- 12 monthscash flow with a running total
- PDF and CSVa financial model as PDF and its numbers as CSV
- 102 printersin the catalogue; not all have a euro price
What it takes to work out how much to charge
How much to charge for 3D printing starts with what an hour of your machine really costs. EDi Business Advisor is an AI assistant on EduFacturing for small manufacturers in Bulgaria: you ask in words, and it feeds your numbers into formulas and explains the result.
The calculations are not the AI's judgement: cost per machine hour, break-even point and payback are worked out by a program with fixed formulas, and the assumptions are written in the document.
It is part of Ultra: one question costs 30 credits, so at most 50 questions a month if you spend no credits on other assistants. If a run fails, the credits are returned.
What the assistant calculates for your printer
Works out the cost of a machine hour
Depreciation, electricity and maintenance in one cost per hour. Without a machine price, depreciation and maintenance come out as zero, with no assumption noted: give the price or a catalogue printer. Other gaps get a stated value: 5000 hours of life, 150 W, 0.28 leva per kWh, 1000 hours a year, 5% maintenance a year.
Finds the break-even point
How many parts a month cover your fixed costs. If the price does not cover the variable cost, the document says there is no break-even point.
Shows when the printer pays for itself
For a new machine: months to payback, the 12-month result and the flow by month. If it does not pay back, it says so.
Gives a pointer for a niche
The assistant is told to use the printer catalogue and EDi Brain, not live market research.
When to calculate the profitability of a 3D printer
Most useful before you buy a machine, set an hourly price or take a large order.
Before you buy a second printer
Give the price and expected income: you get months to payback and the 12-month result.
When you set an hourly rate
You see what an hour of the machine costs before you add your margin.
For a large order
Example from the screen, in Bulgarian: how to price 200 small parts.
For a new niche
Example from the screen, in Bulgarian: are lithophanes as gifts worth offering.
How the hourly cost and break-even point are calculated
Three layers sit behind the answer: your numbers, formulas in the program and an explanation written by AI.
You give the input
Machine price, electricity, hours, fixed costs, price and cost per part, monthly income and cost.
The catalogue gives the printer price
The assistant is told to look the machine up in the catalogue and take its euro price when it is there; otherwise you give it.
The program calculates
The formulas below run in a program, not in the language model's head; default values are written in the document.
| Applies to | Formula | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per machine hour | depreciation + electricity + maintenance | depreciation: price ÷ life in hours; electricity: W ÷ 1000 · price per kWh; maintenance: price · yearly % ÷ 100 ÷ hours per year |
| Break-even point | fixed costs ÷ (price − variable cost) | parts per month, rounded up |
| Payback | investment ÷ monthly net | net is income minus cost; at zero or negative it does not pay back |
The numbers are calculated, the assumptions stated
The formulas are fixed
The numbers in the PDF and CSV come from formulas; the AI only passes in the input and explains.
The assumptions are visible
Default values are written in the document as assumptions.
A loss is shown as a loss
The document says there is no break-even point or no payback, and says the same when you gave no price or costs.
The assistant does not know market prices in Bulgaria: rate, electricity and VAT are your numbers or assumptions, and the files calculate no VAT or taxes. Cost per machine hour covers only the machine, electricity and maintenance: material and labour are a cost per part you give. Income and costs are the same in all 12 months, only month 1 differs by the investment; the break-even point is for one product. The screen and answers are in Bulgarian.
As of 10.10.2026 the PDF and CSV show amounts in leva (1.95583 leva to the euro), and the catalogue price of a printer is in euro and is converted. In the CSV the four numbers of each month are in one cell. The answers are written by AI and may contain mistakes. Files are deleted after 24 hours.
Questions about charging for 3D printing
How much should I charge for 3D printing per hour?
The assistant works out your cost per hour; the selling price is yours to choose. It shows how many parts a month bring you to zero at that price.
Is 3D printing profitable?
It depends on your numbers, so the assistant is told to promise no figure and to give ranges and conditions. It works out payback as investment ÷ monthly net.
How to calculate how much to charge for 3D printing?
Describe your machine, electricity, hours, fixed costs and the price and cost of one part, then press the “Питай” (Ask) button. You get the cost per hour, the break-even point and a 12-month cash flow.
Which files do I get?
A financial model as a PDF and a CSV, and a payback PDF when you ask about a new machine: the assistant is told to make it. If it first asks a clarifying question, the credits are still charged. Files are deleted after 24 hours.
Does it work in English?
No. The screen is in Bulgarian and the assistant is told to answer in Bulgarian. In a test on 10.10.2026 an English question to another assistant, DFAM, got a Bulgarian answer.
How much does the 3D printing business advisor cost?
It is part of Ultra at 39 EUR a month with 1500 credits. One question costs 30 credits, so at most 50 questions a month if you spend no credits on other assistants. Credits are monthly and do not roll over.
The 3D printing business advisor is part of Ultra
Ultra costs 39 EUR a month: everything in Pro (45 tools), the EDi assistants and 1500 credits each month. Every run of an assistant spends credits.
In the Idea & selection group:
Related tools
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3D print or buy calculatorIs 3D printing cheaper than buying? Compare the shop price with the cost to print a part and see when the printer pays for itself. Free, no account.
3D printer electricity cost calculator3D printer electricity cost calculator: kWh and euros for one print and for a month, day and night tariff, the cost of a printer left on, and CO₂. Free to use.
Work out the numbers before you buy a printer or set a price
Part of Ultra, 39 EUR a month, with 1500 credits each month.