How to price a 3D printed ring: what it costs to make.
Material and electricity cost from the studio's filament estimate.
The cost of a printed ring starts with how much filament it uses. Morcano Studio shows the estimated weight and length of filament before you export, and from the weight you can work out the material cost. This page explains the method. It does not say what to charge.
The method
Read the filament estimate
The studio status card shows the estimated weight and length of filament. The sample card on the home page shows a US 7 ring using about 2.0 g, or 0.66 m, of PLA Silk+.
Work out the material cost
Divide the spool price by the spool weight in grams, then multiply by the grams the ring uses.
Add electricity
Multiply the printer's power in kW by the print hours and by your price per kWh.
Add everything else
Your time, packaging, shipping, payment and marketplace fees.
Illustrative example, not a Morcano price. If a 1000 g spool cost 20 in your currency, a ring using 2.0 g would use 2.0 × (20 ÷ 1000) = 0.04 of material. The numbers are assumptions chosen to show the arithmetic.
How accurate is the estimate
- Filament
- Compared with Bambu Studio on the 0.20 mm Standard profile, PLA Basic, 15% infill, the studio's filament estimate matched within 5%.
- Time
- Print time matched within 10 to 25% on the same comparison.
- Cost & plastic card
- In the studio, the Cost & plastic card adds filament, purge, print time, electricity and the cost of the piece for the printer you pick. The figures are estimates: check them against your slicer on the first print.
Questions
Does Morcano tell me what price to charge?
No. This page gives a method for the cost of making a ring. The price is your decision.
What does the studio estimate before export?
The weight and length of filament, shown on the status card.
Which material does the sample estimate use?
The home page status card shows PLA Silk+. Standard PLA is the material the rings are designed for.
Is there a printing time estimate?
Yes, in the Cost & plastic card. Compared with Bambu Studio, the studio's time estimate matched within 10 to 25%.
