Creating a new SLM machine will present a number of options for you to choose to set up your pricing structure. You can decide to use as many or as few of these as possible. Digifabster will analyse the geometry of a part and use the chosen calculations to formulate a final cost.

The following walkthrough details each option to help you decide how to create your pricing structure for SLM Printing.

This is the type of manufacturing process you are creating pricing for.

This features a list of pre-made machine names. You can also create your own machine name by typing the name and pressing 'Enter'

This is the maximum size your printer can manufacture or the maximum size of part you want to print.

This is the minimum size your printer can manufacture or the minimum size of part you want to print.

You can give your customers the option to upload a drawing with their CAD file or make it a requirement.

Choose to use the Price Matching Tool or to manually set up your pricing.

This is the speed at which your printer can print in the Z axis. The easiest way to calculate this is by using past order data. Find the average build height of a part and the average time to print, calculate the average mm per hour in z-axis.

This cost is applied for every copy of a part.

Example Calculation

If the part is 200mm in Z and the Nominal growth rate is set to 100mm per hour, the time to print the part totals 2 hours. This is combined with the price per hour, If set to $5 per hour, Total calculation cost = $10 per part.

This is the speed at which your printer can print a batch of parts in the Z axis. The easiest way to calculate this is by using past order data, Find the average build height of a part and the average time to print the batch, calculate the average mm per hour in the z-axis.

This cost is applied to the batch of parts.

Example Calculation

If the part is 200m in Z and the nominal growth rate, batch is set to 50mm per hour, the time to print the part totals 4 hours. This is combined with the price per hour, If set to $5, Total calculation cost = $20 per batch of parts.

This is the speed at which your machine can melt material together. This is measured in cm3 per hour. You can use the figures supplied by the manufacturer of gather data from previous builds to find the average time and average volume of melted material.

This is the standard layer thickness you would use during printing. This is used to work out how may layers are required and how long the print will take. If you offer multiple layer thickness options, these can be set up in the material settings.

The price you charge per hour of printing. This cost is applied to every part in the order.

Example Calculation

10 parts at 2 hours each would total 20 hours. At $5 per hour the total of this calculation would be $100

The price per hour you want to charge for the 'Batch' of parts. This is added in addition to the "price per hour, per part" above and calculated per 'Batch' of parts. If a customer orders 20 parts, the 'Batch' cost is charged once for all 20 parts.

Example Calculation

A single part takes 2 hours to print. At $5 per hour, batch. The total is $10. If a customer orders 20 copies of the same part, Total for Price Per Hour, Batch is $10. This is then added to the Price per hour, per part (if in use).

This applies the price per hour, batch cost to every 'Batch' of parts. For example. If a customer orders 20 copies of the same part but only 10 fit on the build plate, 2 x print runs/batches are required. The price per hour, batch total will now be $20.

This is a fee added to every part to cover costs like support removal or handling of the part.

This is a limit at which a customer will be able to order and pay online. If the qty for the same CAD model goes over this limit, the order will be held for manual review by the shop. The customer will still see the total price of the order.

This is a limit at which the customer will be no longer be able to see the price of the order. If the quantity of parts for the same CAD model exceeds the threshold, the order is held and price hidden until the shop has reviewed it.

This is used to limit the amount of parts that would fit into one 'Batch' of parts. For SLM this should be set to Area-Based Batches as parts can need to be attached to the area of the build plate. The percentage can be set based on how much of the print volume you generally try to fill. For example, if you combine orders to fill as much of the print volume as possible, setting this to 80% would fit more parts in one batch than if only 50% of the print area was being utilised.

This takes the height of the part in the Z-axis and multiplies it by the cost. This is counted for every copy of the same part.

Example Calculation

A parts is 200mm tall, price per mm is set to $0.1. Total price for 1 part is $20. If the customer ordered 20 copies, the total = $200

This calculation uses the surface area of the part and multiplies it by the cost. This is counted for every copy of the same CAD model.

Example Calculation

A part has a surface area of 100cm2, price per cm2 is set to $0.1. Total price for 1 part is $10. If the customer orders 10 copies, the total = $100.

This calculation uses the surface area of the part and multiplies it by the cost. This is counted once for the total quantity of parts.

Example Calculation

A part has a surface area of 100cm2, price per cm2 is set to $0.1. Total price for the batch is $10. If a customer orders 10 copies of the part, the batch cost is only applied once.

This applies the batch costs for each 'batch of parts. If a customer orders 20 parts but only 10 parts fit in the build volume, two build runs/ batches are required.

This calculation uses the x & y surface area of the bounding box for the part, or the space the bounding box uses on the build plate. It is applied for every copy of the same CAD model in the order.

Example Calculation

A part has a bounding box x/y surface area of 50cm2, price per cm2 is set to $0.2. Total price for the part is $10. If the customer orders 10 copies, the total = $100.

This calculation uses the x & y surface area of the bounding box for the part, or the space the bounding box uses on the build plate. This is applied only once for the batch.

Example Calculation

A part has a bounding box x/y surface area of 50cm2, price per cm2 is set to $0.2. Total price for the part is $10. If the customer orders 10 copies, the total = $10.

This applies the above batch cost for every batch of the same copy in the order. For example, if a customer orders 20 parts but only 10 fit on the build plate, 2 print runs/batches are required.

This calculation multiplies the volume of the bounding box by the cost per cm3. This is applied for every copy of the same part.

Example Calculation

A part has a bounding box volume of 500cm2, price per cm3 is set to $0.1. Total price for the part is $50. If the customer orders 10 copies, the total = $500.

This calculation multiplies the volume of the bounding box by the cost per cm3. This is calculated and applied for 1 part in the batch.

Example Calculation

A part has a bounding box volume of 500cm2, price per cm3 is set to $0.1. Total price for the part is $50. If the customer orders 10 copies, the total = $50.

This applies the batch cost for every batch of copies in the order. For example, a customer orders 20 parts but only 10 can fit in the printer volume. 2 print runs/batches are required.

Your standard lead time for this machine can be set here and additional options can be added.

The number of days for that specified lead time.

The additional cost added to the order in the event the customer chooses a faster lead time.

This is the name as it is displayed on your Quoting tool, for example 'Standard' or 'Quick'

This can be used to add any additional information for your customers, For example, "We will ship your parts as soon as possible"

This is a limit on the number of parts that can be shipped for the specified lead time. For example if the TBD threshold is set to 10 for your 3 day lead time and a customer orders 20 parts. The order will be submitted to the shop for review first before the customer can pay.

This determines where the lead time is placed in the list if multiple options are added. 1 at the top of the list, 2 next and so on.

You can add additional lead time by clicking the 'Add More' button

Make sure to save your settings once you have finished. Once save the machine will be added to your machines and materials list and you will be prompted to add a material if none are assigned.