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When you’re considering investing in 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, the 3D printer material cost will inevitably impact your overall 3D printing cost.
Depending on the 3D printing process you choose and the type of industrial 3D printer, you will work with different materials. These could include plastics, 3D printer filament, metal wires, resins, powders, paper, and even living cells.
The cost of working with these materials for 3D printing parts will vary substantially. In some cases, your 3D printer material costs will be considerable, so it’s vital that you understand the implications of working with a particular material. You can learn more about this in our article "How to calculate the cost of 3D printed parts".
This article offers you a simple guide to the 3D printer material costs for the three most popular 3D printing technologies:
- Powder Bed Fusion (MJF, SLS)
- Material Extrusion (FFF or FDM printers)
- Vat Photopolymerization (SLA, DLP, LCD)
Powder Bed Fusion
Powder Bed Fusion is one of the most common processes used in different industry sectors to make end-use 3D printed parts.
Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) are commonly used to produce 3D printed parts with polymers.
3D printer plastic price ranges – polymer powders
Polyamide or PA is the type of 3D printer polymer powder most commonly used in MJF and SLS, nylon in particular.
Polypropylene (PP)
The benefits of working with Polypropylene (PP) in the 3D printing process are its rigidity and flexibility, resistance to abrasion and shock-absorbing qualities.
Cable fastener printed with HP 3D High Reusability PP
HP 3D printing materials include a genuine 3D printing polypropylene material for Multi Jet Fusion technology that offers the same properties as many commonly used PP materials. HP 3D High Reusability PP also provides industry-leading reusability that translates into significant cost-savings because it delivers consistent performance with up to 100% surplus powder reuse.1
Average price range: $23-$53 per kg
Standard engineering polymers
PA12 and PA11 nylon are the standard PA powders. There are other PA powders such as, for example, glass-filled nylon - polyamide 12 reinforced with glass beads, also known as PA12 GB. PA11 is a bioplastic polyamide powder made from renewable resources derived from vegetable/castor oil.
Elongation mesh printed with HP 3D High Reusability PA 11
Average price range: $30-$60 per kg
Flexible polymers - Elastomers
Elastomers are polymers such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and thermoplastic polyamides (TPA) that are highly elastic and flexible. They’re used in anything from robotics and grippers to sports equipment and shoe midsoles.
Helmet protection printed with BASF Ultrasint® TPU01
Data courtesy2
Average price range: $40-$88 per Kg
High-performance polymer powders
Polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) have attractive material properties but are considerably more expensive than standard polymers. They are also manufactured in smaller quantities.
Average price range: $500-800 per Kg
3D printer plastic price ranges – Material extrusion filament
Thermoplastic materials are nearly always used in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). The cost of filament material, supplied in long filaments rolled up and packaged in spools, is mainly influenced by the type of polymer.
Quality, including dimensional stability and color, also determines how much each filament spool costs.
PLA
Polylactic acid (PLA) is currently the most popular filament material used in FDM 3D printing.
PLA is supplied in different blends and grades. Standard filaments tend to be the cheapest. Special filaments like silk PLA or color-changing PLA are more expensive.
Average price range: $10-$100 per Kg.
ABS
Made from petroleum, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) is frequently used in injection molding. In 3D printing, ABS can be difficult to print without a heated build plate. But, if the process is correctly controlled, ABS can deliver parts with good mechanical properties. When used in FDM 3D printing, ABS is reasonably cheap.
Average price range: $20-$150 per Kg
PETG
Polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) is similar to the PET plastic used in making bottles. In 3D printing, the glycol is partly replaced with cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM) to create a durable material that can withstand sustained contact with chemicals and be formed into any shape. PETG is surprisingly inexpensive.
Average price range: $30-$120 per Kg
HIPS and PVA
In some 3D printing processes, support structures are required for overhanging features of the 3D printed part. These are removed later. Support structures may cause complications in your 3D printing or add additional lead time. Some 3D printing processes such as HP Multi Jet Fusion don’t require support structures at all.
If you use a dual extrusion machine, you can use a support made from material that can be dissolved in a liquid. This must match the material your soluble support is made from. The temperature melting points also need to be similar.
The most commonly used materials for soluble supports are high impact polystyrene (HIPS) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). HIPS is an ideal soluble support for 3D printed parts made from ABS. PVA pairs well with PLA and is water-soluble, so you don’t need a chemical to dissolve the support.
Average price range: $20-$100 per Kg (HIPS), $15-$140 per Kg (PVA)
Flexible materials
When flexibility is vital for your 3D printing process, you’ll need to work with what’s known as thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs). These include thermoplastic polyurethane TPU, thermoplastic co-polyesters (TPC), thermoplastic polyamide (TPA), and soft PLA. If you want to work with a TPE, bear in mind that it’s a relatively expensive material.
Average price range: $35-$140 per Kg
Composite materials
As the name suggests, these are a blend of two materials with different properties such as strength or chemical resistance. In FDM 3D printing, composite materials are made by adding particles of a non-polymer material like metal to widely used filaments like ABS or PLA.
Wood fibers, metal, carbon fiber, magnetic materials, and marble are all used to make composite filaments. Depending on the quality of the additive and its uniqueness, they vary considerably in price. Carbon and wood fiber are the most popular additives.
Average price range: $35-$250 per Kg
3D printer plastic price ranges - Resin 3D printing material
With resin 3D printing, known technically as VAT Polymerization, layers of material are cured with light.
All forms of Resin 3D printing technology use thermosets. Like thermoplastics, these are polymers. But, instead of melting, they solidify when cured by light.
Standard resin
Standard material for a resin 3D printer is not cheap.
With resin 3D prints, post-processing includes removing residual liquid material before final curing. This is usually done with isopropyl alcohol (IPA), so you’ll also need to factor the cost of this into your calculations. IPA is highly flammable and damaging to skin, so it’s worth considering using a water- soluble resin.
Average price range: $40-$200 per Kg
Tough resin
In the 3D printing industry, resin 3D printing is usually used more for art-related projects because, compared to FDM 3D printing materials, the resin is not robust.
But there are resins known as tough resins designed specifically to make tough, durable parts. These have mechanical properties like ABS and are only a little more brittle.
Average price range: $60-$200 per Kg
Flexible resin
With a resin 3D printer, you can also create 3D printed parts using flexible resins that have a rubber-like quality and a Shore Hardness from 50 to 90A. Flexible resins are used for 3D printed parts such as handles, grips, and overmolds as well as ergonomic parts where you need some flexibility and compressibility.
You can also mix flexible and standard resins to reduce brittleness. Whether you choose to use flexible resins alone or mix them with standard resins, you must make sure the resin is compatible with your 3D printer.
Average price range: $60-$200 per Kg
As you can see, the cost of entry into 3D printing is about more than just 3D printer costs. 3D printing materials are a significant factor when making your hardware choice. Learn more about the materials themselves here.
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Footnotes and disclaimers
- Based on internal HP testing, May 2020. HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing Solutions using HP 3D High Reusability PP enabled by BASF provide up to 100% powder reusability ratio, producing functional parts batch after batch. For testing, material is aged in real printing conditions and reclaimed powder is tracked by generations (worst case for reusability). Parts are then made from each subsequent generation and tested for mechanical properties and accuracy showing no degradation of properties up to three generations of use.
- Data courtesy of Kupol