The cost of a metal 3D printed part is mostly machine time: laser hours to melt the part and its supports, plus recoat time for every layer, at a high hourly rate. On top come the powder, inert gas, the build plate, a stress-relief heat treatment, cutting the parts off the plate, removing supports and any machining or finishing. Supports and post-processing are what most first estimates underprice, because they are mandatory in metal and largely manual.
Key points
- Machine time is scanned volume (part plus supports) divided by the build rate, plus recoat time per layer.
- Build rate depends on the alloy, the layer thickness and how many lasers the machine has.
- Supports are mandatory physics in metal: they anchor the part and carry heat away, and they are slow to remove.
- Stress relief, plate removal and support removal are part of every job, not options.
- Machining critical faces, HIP and inspection add cost for demanding parts.
- Per-part cost falls sharply when several parts share a plate.
How does metal powder-bed fusion work?
DMLS and LPBF, along with SLM, are names for the same family: a recoater spreads a thin layer of metal powder on a build plate, one or more lasers melt the cross-section of each part, the plate drops by one layer and the process repeats. The whole chamber is filled with argon or nitrogen to stop the metal oxidising.
Unlike polymer SLS, the loose powder does not hold the part up. Molten metal shrinks as it solidifies, building up stress, and the part has to be welded to a solid plate through supports to stop it curling.
What goes into the cost of a metal print?
| Cost line | What drives it | Charged per |
|---|---|---|
| Laser time | Part volume + support volume × support density, ÷ build rate | Build, shared by parts |
| Recoat time | Number of layers × recoat time | Build, shared by height |
| Inert gas | Hours of printing | Build |
| Powder | Part and support mass, plus loss through sieving and handling | Part |
| Build plate | Resurfacing after each build, eventual replacement | Build |
| Stress relief | Furnace cycle with the parts still on the plate | Build or batch |
| Plate removal | Wire EDM or bandsaw cut | Build |
| Support removal | Manual work, sometimes machining | Part, by supported area |
| Finishing | Blasting, machining critical faces, polishing, HIP, inspection | Part or option |
How is laser time estimated?
The core relation is simple:
print time ≈ (part volume + support volume × support density) ÷ effective build rate + layers × recoat time
- Build rate is the volume a laser can melt per hour for that material and layer thickness. It is often quoted in single digits to a few tens of cubic centimetres per hour per laser, and it varies a lot between alloys and parameter sets. Your machine maker’s figures and your own logs are the source.
- Lasers. A multi-laser machine builds faster, but rarely in direct proportion, because lasers share regions of the plate. Apply an efficiency factor.
- Layer height is typically 0.02-0.06 mm. Thinner layers give finer detail and better surfaces but more layers, so more recoats and more time.
- Recoat time is spent on every layer whether the plate is full or not. A tall build pays for its height.
Because both laser time and recoat time are shared by the plate, the cost per part depends heavily on how many parts fit and how tall the tallest one is. This is the same build-sharing logic as polymer powder, described in SLS pricing and nesting, but with the plate area as the main constraint, since metal parts are not stacked.
Why do supports cost so much in metal?
In metal, support structures do three jobs: hold up overhangs (usually below about 30-45° from horizontal, depending on the alloy and machine), anchor the part against residual stress, and conduct heat away from the melt pool. They are melted like the part, so they take laser time and powder, and they are welded on, so removing them is slow manual work with cutters, grinders or machining.
A useful way to price them is by supported area: minutes per square centimetre of supported surface, at the rate of the person doing it. Design changes that reduce supports, such as self-supporting angles, teardrop holes and a better orientation, often save more than any other change. Our design for 3D printing guide covers them.
What post-processing is unavoidable?
- Stress relief. A furnace cycle with the parts still on the plate, so they do not distort when cut off. Standard for titanium and nickel alloys, common for steels.
- Plate removal. Usually by wire EDM, sometimes by bandsaw. Charged per plate.
- Support removal. Per part, by supported area.
- Blasting. To clean the surface and give a uniform finish.
And common post-processing on top, offered as options:
- HIP (hot isostatic pressing) to close internal porosity, for fatigue-critical parts.
- Heat treatment to reach the specified properties.
- Machining of faces, bores and threads that need tighter tolerances than the print holds. This needs fixturing and CAM time; see CNC machining cost for how that is priced.
- Polishing, anodising or plating.
- Inspection and certificates, from dimensional reports to material certificates.
A worked example: a plate of six steel parts
Worked example: six 316L stainless brackets on one plate (example figures)
Each part: 30 cm³ of material, 8 cm³ of support envelope at 30 % density = 2.4 cm³. Scanned volume per part 32.4 cm³, plate total 194.4 cm³. Two lasers at 10 cm³/h each, 90 % efficiency = 18 cm³/h. Build height 60 mm at 0.04 mm layers = 1,500 layers at 12 s recoat.
| Line | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Laser time | 194.4 cm³ ÷ 18 cm³/h | 10.80 h |
| Recoat time | 1,500 × 12 s = 18,000 s | 5.00 h |
| Machine time | 15.80 h × €90.00/h | €1,422.00 |
| Argon | 15.80 h × €4.00/h | €63.20 |
| Powder | 194.4 cm³ × 7.9 g/cm³ × 1.05 loss = 1,612.5 g × €40.00/kg | €64.50 |
| Build plate resurfacing | Per build | €30.00 |
| Stress relief | Furnace cycle, per batch | €120.00 |
| Plate removal | Wire EDM, per plate | €60.00 |
| Set-up, de-powdering, sieving | 2 h × €45.00/h | €90.00 |
| Support removal | 6 × 25 min = 150 min × €45.00/h | €112.50 |
| Blasting | 6 × 10 min = 60 min × €45.00/h | €45.00 |
| Plate cost | Sum of the lines above | €2,007.20 |
| Cost per part | €2,007.20 ÷ 6 | €334.53 |
Machine time is about 71 % of the plate. The powder, at €64.50, is about 3 %. Print one of these parts alone and it still pays for the full 60 mm of recoats, the furnace cycle, the plate cut and the set-up, so the single-part cost is several times higher. Machining a critical bore, HIP or inspection reports would come on top.
How does metal printing compare with machining?
Metal printing rarely wins on a simple, blocky part that a CNC machine can cut from stock in one or two set-ups. It wins when the shape is hard to machine: internal cooling channels, lattices, organic shapes, several parts consolidated into one, or a light part that would mean removing most of a block. Many printed parts end up hybrid: printed close to shape, then machined where the tolerance matters. The tolerances and cost guide explains why tight limits drive cost in either process.
What to check before quoting metal
- Orientation and supports. They set laser time, support removal and surface quality together.
- Walls and holes. Thin walls, often below about 0.4-0.5 mm, may not build; large horizontal holes need supports or a teardrop shape. See minimum wall thickness.
- Trapped powder. Internal channels need a way for powder to get out.
- Residual stress. Sudden changes in cross-section can crack or distort.
- Requirements. Material certification, HIP and inspection change the price and lead time a lot, so ask before quoting.
Because so much depends on orientation and the buyer’s requirements, many shops review every metal order by hand before confirming the price. The general costing method behind these lines is in how to calculate 3D printing cost, and the 3D printing cost calculator runs the arithmetic for a single part.
Quotometry prices metal powder-bed fusion on this structure today: melted volume over the laser rate, recoating and gas per build, powder, support removal and the plate cut-off. By default every metal line goes to the shop’s review before the price is confirmed, a rule the shop can switch off (see metal 3D printing).
Questions people ask
Why is metal 3D printing so expensive?
The machines cost far more than polymer printers and build slowly, so the machine-hour rate is high and parts take many hours. On top of that, metal parts need supports welded to a build plate, a stress-relief heat treatment, removal from the plate, support removal by hand or machining, and often further finishing. Machine time is usually the largest line, but post-processing adds a lot.
How is the machine time of a metal print estimated?
As scanned volume divided by the build rate, plus recoat time per layer. Scanned volume is the part plus its supports at their density. The build rate depends on the material, layer thickness and number of lasers. Recoat time depends on build height and layer thickness. The total is shared by the parts on the plate, by footprint and height.
Do all metal 3D printed parts need stress relief?
Most do. Rapid heating and cooling leaves residual stress that can distort a part when it is cut from the plate. Stress relief before removal is standard for titanium and nickel alloys and common for steels. Some aluminium and steel parts can skip it if the supplier has validated that. Treat it as part of the process, not an optional extra.
When is CNC machining cheaper than metal 3D printing?
Usually for simple, blocky parts that can be machined from stock in a few set-ups. Metal printing makes sense when the shape is hard or impossible to machine, such as internal channels, lattices or consolidated assemblies, or when a light part would need most of a block removed. Many printed parts still need critical faces machined afterwards.
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