Revealing the TRUE Costs of 3D Printing!

You won't believe how expensive 3D printing really can be! This video is for both beginners and experts! We go over 10 of the most common unexpected costs, because your 3D printer is just the tip of the financial iceberg. 3D printing is one of the most amazing hobbies that exists, and can be relatively cheap to get into, but there are A LOT of hidden costs that can sneak up you!

The following links are for products that may have been shown in the video, some of these links may be affiliate or promotional links where we may receive compensation through your use of them. Products shown are not necessarily endorsed or sponsored, unless specifically stated.

Polymaker Filament

Bambu Lab

Gloop!

Micro Swiss

Slice Engineering

LDO Motors

Vision Miner

Creality

Sovol

ELEGOO

FixDry

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REXBETI Digital Caliper

No Clogger

Helmet Visor Material

Rust-Oleum Filler Primer

Krylon Camouflage Paint

Hexagonal Screwdrivers

Desiccant Packs - 250 Pack

Deburring Tool

Sandpaper - 90 Pcs of 400 to 3000 grit

Did you know that I am LIVE on Twitch 3x a week (Mon/Wed/Fri @ 5PM Pacific) where we nerd and geek out about 3D printing for HOURS! Oh, and we also have sponsored giveaways EVERY SINGLE SHOW! Come by, say hello, we'd love to see you there.

Also, we have one of the ABSOLUTE BEST 3D printing discords that have ever existed! An incredible, thriving and supporting community with weekly contests and giveaways as well as support channels and so much more! I do most of my announcements there as well, so you'll want to join for sure!

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@Polymaker @Sovol @Creality3D @Kingroon3DOfficial @SliceEngineering @MicroSwissLLC @ldomotors @ElegooOfficial @BambuLab @FixDry @chitubox_official @TH3DStudio

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#3DPrinting #3dPrinter #3dprinted

[EngineerWilky]

I know about all of this as I’ve only gotten into 3D printing for a little over a month. I went through printing one part a half of dozen times as attempting to modify a part to allow clearance for something else and I’m very new to using CAD program like Fusion360.

Then I went and bought each of the different size nozzles for my P1S.

Then the filament dryer was another.

To me the hidden cost is like a lot of other hobbies. Like Music production there’s production software, plugins for instruments and effects, hardware audio interfaces, hardware synthesizers, midi controllers, etc.

It’s always good having an understanding of what can be involved when getting into a hobby. I feel that the initial cost to get into 3D printing is much more affordable where you can get started with little upfront but need to know that there’s an ongoing cost to get further into the hobby.

[TheDPrintingGrandad]

I don't mention this as a negative for 3D printing or a deterrent for using an enclosure, but if any of the printer's electronics, including stepper moters, are inside an enclosure; they will be subjected to higher temperatures. Higher temperatures on electronics means lowered lifespan for the device. That reduction may be minimal, but it's something to consider.

[kensb]

I'd relate getting into 3d printing to getting into golf. My first printer was a FlashForge Finder that I think my wife paid less than $200 for new. You can get a set of starter clubs and a bag for around the price of a lower-end 3d printer. You'll tend to buy cheap balls (filament), not practice much, and just go play (download a file and hit print). You might buy a few things, like towels, tees, golf shoes.

My 2nd printer is a MKS3+ with MMU2S (upgraded to MMU3), and I plan to upgrade to at least the 3.5, but most likely all the way to the 4S. This is more akin to going to get fitted for custom clubs. I've started dabbling with Fusion 360, and I've created my first file from scratch for my barber that contains one of her logos. It's pretty simple, and I'm sure a more experienced user could make it better. This is probably similar to paying for golf lessons. With filament, you'll eventually probably start using more advanced types the same way you'd start going to nicer, more expensive golf courses. You'll slowly start adding some of the tools mentioned in this video, but not all at once (unless you just have the disposable income). You also may never sell a single print, rather just make things that fit in with your current likes and hobbies. My wife is always finding "cute" things for me to print.

So, in summation, sure you can make 3d printing an expensive hobby just like you can with golf. But most of us are just going to be happy with being mid to high handicap players that are going to print other peoples files, and likely only ever have 1 or 2 printers. We don't plan to be scratch golfers, giving lessons, or making a living of of it. I'd encourage people to give it a try if they're interested, even if it's just a Bambu A1 Mini or some other simple, low cost machine.

[lostinseale]

You ain’t lying about the hidden cost. When I went from single color printing to multi color printing the cost skyrocketed because of all the colors I now keep on hand.

[terpcj]

I've been printing for over seven years, now. For the most part, my consumable costs (other than filament) have gone down. This is due to two things: 1) I survived the learning curve and stopped making the errors that made me consume more; 2) the machines have gotten better so I don't need to replace/upgrade stuff all the time just to get/keep the thing working. Still, you need to clean, you need to lube, and depending on how much you're printing and with what, you have to replace. Filament aside, I think my most frequent expense is with build plates. A particularly tenacious filament will wreck that $30 build plate faster than you can say, "Don't wreck my build plate you mothe[redacted]!" -- even if you were careful and did everything right. The universe has a perverse sense of humor sometimes (not a challenge, universe...ya hear me?).

[DandTeePrinting]

Mods, Filaments, Mods, Build Plates, Mods, Tools, Mods, Subscriptions or Patreons, Mods, consumables and did I mention mods, all are my biggest costs.

[Happydprinting]

There are so many costs that people don’t understand with 3d printing. Compared to sla printing, fdm printing is simple and typically cheaper to get into the technology.
The first company that comes out with a cheap filament waste recycling machine for the home will be a success overnight.
This video as with all your videos is great for providing essential information and this video in particular should be a must be watched before starting down the road of 3d printing.

[buildersmark]

Folks need to know the consumables are more than just filament. Definitely encourage folks to get the necessary backup parts to keep a printer running without a long down time. I would include the part or hotend cooling fan too. Great video.

[BloodSteyn]

I'm really happy that I have solar installed to combat Loadshedding. So far since installing them, my overall power bill has been cut by almost half vs my neighbours (complex) and I run 2 to 3 printers daily. So while the sun is out, I'm basically running my printers for free (electricity wise).

[donnasousa]

Good explanation of possible costs. However in the interest of not scaring away newcomers considering a 3D printer, many of these costs can be controlled or spread out over time. But yes, you will spend more on filament than you think. There will always be a new color or glow in the dark, or tricolor filament you will just HAVE to buy! 😂

[Gooniesneversaydie-]

This was a great vid as many think of this stuff secondly and probably should think of all this first along with that purchase of printer. I ended up getting alot of the tools before i got my first printer. now i need to sell enough to build an add on to my house for a room just for all the filaments and printers. Thanks to you and filament stories haha.. I even had a spool of filament before i had a printer

[chuck]

One thing that frustrated me early on is discovering a lot of printers like the Ender 3 sort of work out of the box but require mods and add ons to actually make them usable. I could never get it working and it ended up being given away. I went with a different printer from Bambu Lab and I was able to print out of the box. There is still a learning curb. They've reduced it quite a bit. One thing I would suggest is creating more content on what features available and what they actually do. I went with the X1C but after using it for awhile I'm not sure if I would still go with that printer as some features are nice to have but aren't earth shattering.

[Raycinjaycin]

Ya just earned my subscription. I've been looking into 3d printing for a hobby and potential source of income. Either way, I dont want the equipment and maintenance to be the majority of the hobby. Any chance of you using any Qidi printers? They are appealing due to their customer service and printing capacities. Any advice for a newbie? I have good mechanical skills and have done body work.

[IndianaDiy]

If you're new to 3d printing Filament or Resin, DO Your Research. Look at video and review sites, make informed decisions on what you buy, and hidden costs will be substantially less. Examples include Slice Engineering Mako, wham bam Build plates, activated alumina desiccant in lieu of silica, and Diamondback nozzles. For Resin: Removable build plates instead of scraping off build plate, buying bulk Nitrile gloves, respirator with removable filters instead of masks, the list goes on etc.
For me, I have cut out a lot of hidden costs by researching beforehand for Upgrades, Software, filament and more. In The Majority of printing components, research their performance and buy based on what you're trying to accomplish with them. Repair parts are a must no one needs to go over board buying them, same with consumables buy some here and there, have small stock on hand for each printer.

[paintballercali]

I'll be honest I don't like this video. I think you took something that holds a lot of people back from committing to the hobby and made it look like a bigger deal than it really is. Trying to explain to someone they can get started under 300 dollars and then they find a video like this. You can buy like 20 nozzles for a dollar. After your AC unit basically everything else in your house has a negligible on your final bill. I support the transparency but these hidden costs are spread out over years in some cases. Yes I have multiple printers that cost over 1k dollars yes I have hundreds of dollars of specialized filaments. But for my first year I had an ender 3 and a few tools of filament. Rereading this post makes me sound more upset than I am considering deleting it.

[WARPAINTandUnicorns]

Some day I'll be able to order 3d Gloop! in Canada (aka when they can restock the local stores because the preorders have sold out months ago) 😜

Literally the only chemical welding choice for PLA and PETG. I know you can buy some for ABS pipes. But I've got some Weldon Psigrip 16 worth experimenting with ( PVC, ABS, styrene, butyrate, polycarbonate).

I know I going to get a nozzle set and a few texture beds for my Crealty K2 Plus but a lot of the upgrades are already built into that machine in advance. Also got the Nano polymer and filament dryers ready.

[brianwaterman]

I wasnt ready for the electric bill increase. Running an A1 and Mini basically non-stop has increased my monthly bill by easily $50 lol.

[colincampbell]

Hey there LM, can you tell me where in Prusa Slicer 2.8.0 do I set the Flow Rate for the filament when the 3D printer is printing?

I've looked online at the Prusa own help pages and on youtube and can't find it listed at all. I don't know what Prusa even call's it in the slicer?

When I use Cura I see it in the list of settings no trouble as Flow Rate. ( I am using Prusa on my main PC as it can't do the newest Cura only the Prusa version as it is a windows 7 system.
I have a newer Laptop now with Prusa and Cura on it as it is a windows 11 system so it can do the newer slicers ).

I don't always do the slicing on the laptop due to the limited processing,
My Main PC tower system has more power to do the slicer processing but not use the new slicers.

But in Prusa Slicer 2.8.0 I can't even see it listed.

It is a real pain having to set it up in the Neptune 4 Plus control touch screen menu when the print is going! There it is listed under speed menu as flow.
But that don't show up under the slicer area of speed, there is no flow rate listed there.

Please help as I would prefer to set it up in the slicer with the other settings so I don't need to wait for the print to print the 1st layer then use the menu to set the flow. Thank You. 😉

[massmike]

Here in Arizona I can really most of the time not worry about my filament getting to moist

[link]

I luck out on the electric, I have solar so my electric bill is cheap. I have 7 machines running