General > General Technical Chat
Cost - 3D printed enclosure vs Project box?
kalel:
Once you do have a 3D printer (they are still a bit expensive but getting more affordable with time), how much would it cost to build an enclosure for your project?
I'm interested in the price ratio of 3D printed boxes versus purchased boxes. I know this might be a complicated comparison, since 3D printing can give you an exact fit for your project, and project boxes cannot match that.
But if there is any way to compare the costs, I would like to know.
sleemanj:
Raw material cost only, a Kilo of filament runs, for cheap PLA from Aliexpress, about $30 USD.
A typical project box for my projects, would be maybe 100g, including support material, so you get 10 to a kilo. 30/10 = $3 USD.
kalel:
--- Quote from: sleemanj on October 28, 2017, 01:51:00 am ---Raw material cost only, a Kilo of filament runs, for cheap PLA from Aliexpress, about $30 USD.
A typical project box for my projects, would be maybe 100g, including support material, so you get 10 to a kilo. 30/10 = $3 USD.
--- End quote ---
So not exactly free, but relatively cheap, especially considering it's custom. About how large in dimensions is that 100 box? When looking at plastic project boxes from China, I usually don't look at the weight.
sleemanj:
This is 73mm deep, 60mm high, 125mm wide, and according to cura would require about 100g of PLA and take 6 and a half hours with my current settings.
CatalinaWOW:
Don't forget that the 3D printed one can eliminate a lot of standoffs and other mounting hardware, so in terms of material will have a large advantage. But something somewhere has to pay the cost of the printer. Chalk it up to learning and the cost to the box is nothing, but if you make only a few boxes a year you have dozens of dollars in printer cost.
The six hours on the machine actually doesn't compare too badly with the time required to cut square holes, drill mounting holes and other machining on a project box.
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