Where each input should come from
| Input | Best starting source | Check before using it |
|---|---|---|
| Material per item | Final slicer profile in grams | Whether supports and purge are already included |
| Print time | Slicer estimate plus actual completion records | Whether warm-up and calibration are omitted |
| Power | Average from an energy meter during a similar job | Do not confuse maximum rating with average draw |
| Machine rate | Purchase cost, useful print life and maintenance records | Avoid counting the same replacement parts twice |
| Labor | Timed setup, cleanup, inspection and packing | Do not treat unattended print time as labor |
| Failure rate | Successful and failed comparable prints | Do not combine unrelated materials and geometry |
| Selling fees | Current marketplace settlement documentation | Check payment, exchange and advertising fees |
MATERIAL
Separate slicer use from recurring loss
Use the final production profile, not an early draft. For a multi-part plate, divide the total material by the number of acceptable parts. Purge towers and prime lines are shared by the plate, so their per-part burden changes with the batch size.
Extra-use percentage is best reserved for material loss outside the slicer. Track tail ends, color transitions, calibration pieces and otherwise unusable material over several jobs. If supports and purge are already in the slicer grams, adding them again inflates the quote.
MACHINE
Machine cost prices the occupied production capacity
A zero machine rate never recovers printer purchase or maintenance. A simple quoting baseline divides the amount you want to recover by useful active print hours and adds maintenance per active hour.
(Purchase price − residual value) ÷ useful print hours + maintenance per active hourThis is an internal quoting method, not a formal accounting depreciation schedule. Decide whether nozzles, beds and lubricants belong in the hourly rate or per-part consumables, then avoid counting them in both places.
LABOR
Time work by task
File check, slicing, orientation, support review, material preparation and bed cleaning.
Part removal, support cleanup, surface work, dimensional and visual inspection.
Customer communication, labels, packing, settlement records and shipping preparation.
Work performed once per order belongs in fixed order overhead. Work repeated for every part belongs in per-part labor.
FAILURE RATE
Group similar jobs before calculating failure rate
Failed attempts ÷ (successful attempts + failed attempts) × 100A small PLA bracket should not determine the risk allowance for a large ABS enclosure. Group records by printer, material, nozzle, layer height, part scale and support difficulty. With a small sample, compare scenarios instead of claiming false precision.
WORK LOG
A short log is enough to improve the next quote
- Part name and model version
- Printer, material and color
- Nozzle and layer height
- Slicer grams and estimated time
- Actual start and finish
- Good-part quantity
- Failures and their causes
- Hands-on finishing time