Print cost calculator for Ender 3-class printers
Classic open-frame "bed slingers" — the Creality Ender 3 family, Anycubic Kobra and Prusa MK3S+ — move the bed back and forth on the Y axis. They are inexpensive to buy but print slower than newer machines, so time-based costs matter.
- File
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- Size (X × Y × Z)
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- Volume
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- Surface area
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- Triangles
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- Mesh check
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- Build volume
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Cost estimate
| Cost | How | Amount | Share |
|---|
Printer, time & electricity
Labor, failures & markup
Running cost at a glance
| Examples | Creality Ender 3 / Ender 3 V2, Anycubic Kobra, Prusa MK3S+ |
|---|---|
| Average power | ≈ 120 W (0.12 kWh per hour) |
| Electricity per hour | $0.02 at $0.18/kWh · $0.04 at $0.35/kWh |
| Machine wear | $0.15 per hour |
| Typical build volume | 220 × 220 × 250 mm |
| Speed assumption | 5 mm³/s average flow (22 g of PLA per hour) |
Example prints on a entry-level bed slinger
PLA, 15% infill, 1.2 mm walls, 5% waste, $20.00/kg, $0.18/kWh and a 10% failure buffer:
| Model | Weight | Time | Electricity | Machine | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 mm calibration cube | 4.7 g | 19 min | $0.01 | $0.05 | $0.16 |
| 50 mm sphere | 23.2 g | 1 h 08 min | $0.02 | $0.17 | $0.73 |
| 70 mm twisted planter (sample) | 52.7 g | 2 h 28 min | $0.05 | $0.37 | $1.62 |
| 50 mm ring (torus) | 7.2 g | 25 min | $0.01 | $0.06 | $0.24 |
| 100 × 100 × 3 mm plate | 34.0 g | 1 h 37 min | $0.04 | $0.24 | $1.05 |
These printers draw roughly 100–150 W on average while printing PLA, with short peaks of 250 W or more while the bed heats up. The calculator uses 120 W, which at $0.18 per kWh is about 2 cents per hour.
Speed is where they differ from modern machines. A stock Ender 3 at 50–60 mm/s deposits around 5 mm³ of plastic per second on average once travel and slower outer walls are included, so a 50 g PLA part takes roughly 2–2½ hours. That longer run time adds electricity and wear to every print.
Machine wear covers the purchase price spread over the printer’s life plus nozzles, belts, PTFE tubes and build plates. For a $200 printer that lasts 2,000 printing hours with $100 of parts, that is about $0.15 per hour — the default on this page.
Learn more in how much electricity a 3D printer uses and how to calculate 3D printing cost.
FAQ
How much electricity does a entry-level bed slinger use?
About 120 W on average while printing (100–150 W depending on model and settings), or 0.12 kWh per hour — about $0.02 per hour at $0.18 per kWh.
What does it cost per hour to run a entry-level bed slinger?
About $0.17 per hour: $0.02 of electricity plus $0.15 of machine wear and depreciation, before material and labor.
What size parts fit on a entry-level bed slinger?
Typical build volumes are around 220 × 220 × 250 mm. The calculator warns you when a model is too big and shows the largest scale that fits.