How the price of a 3D printed part is calculated

Two terms are enough to get the production price. The first is fixed: €0.50 setup per part. It covers queuing, configuration and machine time, whatever the size of the object.

The second depends on the actual volume of the part, expressed in cubic centimeters, and on the price of the chosen material. You simply multiply the volume by the rate per cm³.

A 200 cm³ part in PLA therefore costs €0.50 + 200 × €0.033, or €7.10. No other line is added to the production itself.

Three materials are available, and the gap between them is modest. PLA is €0.033/cm³, PETG €0.038/cm³, ABS €0.040/cm³.

On a 100 cm³ part, switching from PLA to ABS adds €0.70. In other words, you choose the material for its use, not its price: heat resistance, impact strength, surface finish.

The three materials, and the cases where each one is the right choice, are covered in PLA, PETG or ABS.

What you pay for is the material in the part, not the space it takes up. Two objects of the same height can have very different volumes depending on their wall thickness and infill.

This is a direct lever on your cost. Hollowing out a solid part, reducing an unnecessary wall thickness, adding openings to a pattern: every cm³ removed comes off the price at the material rate.

The reverse is also true: a downloaded model designed as a solid render can cost twice what it needs to. Open it before you order rather than after.

Batches lower the unit price in three tiers: -3% from 10 parts, -6% from 50, -10% from 200. The discount applies to production.

These tiers come with no commitment: you sign nothing, you simply order a quantity. A seller with steady sales can move from 5 parts to 10 parts as soon as sales allow.

There is no minimum order either. A single part is a valid order, at full price, with no extra fee.

There are two lead times: 7 business days standard, 3 business days express with a 30% surcharge on production. Express changes neither the material nor the inspection, only your place in the queue.

Shipping is billed separately. Allow €6.90 for delivery to you, the seller, or €7.90 for direct delivery to the end customer, in an unbranded package under your shop's name with tracking sent back to the shop.

Direct shipping is the main offer, and in terms of cost it is often the cheaper of the two: one shipment instead of two, and no repacking on your side.

Take a bedside lamp printed in two parts. Each part has its own STL file, so each carries its €0.50 setup fee and its material volume. The whole thing comes to about €10 in production.

This lamp sells for about €39.90 in a shop. In between, there is shipping, the platform fee, VAT and the time you spend on selling.

The full calculation, with everything that eats into the gap between €10 and €39.90, is laid out in calculating your real margin on a 3D printed product.

There is no subscription on the site: everything is paid per order, with no sign-up fee or monthly plan. You only pay for parts produced.

One exception: AI 3D generation works with credits. Each generation costs one credit: 10 generations for €7, 50 for €29. It is a design tool, not an access fee for the printing service.

Finally, if your product needs assembly (bulb, socket, screws), you specify it in the production note. The workshop confirms the price before starting: nothing is charged without your prior approval.

Bobitech Cloud3D is a service of Bobitech, a plastics manufacturer of about 150 people based in the Plastics Vallée, in Oyonnax, France. Production and inspection are carried out in France.

The pricing strategy is deliberate: the price stays close to cost, and the margin comes from the volume produced in the workshop. This is not a launch offer, it is the model.

To price your own part, the simulator works from the volume, and the pricing page lists the full rate card. The manufacturing process is described on the production page.