3D Printing Filament Costs

[Larry]

Ok, so the typical 3D printing filament costs anywhere from $25-$45 per Kg on average. Quite pricey, however I think we are about to see some major changes within the market.

Did you know that the plastic pellets which are melted down to create the filament only costs approximately $2.50 per Kg in bulk? This means that the markup on spools of this stuff is crazy high. Sure there are development costs, machine and power costs to turn the pellets to filament, but they can't be that high.

There are several companies looking to sell spools of filament for 3D printing much cheaper. There is a company called BQ readers who thinks that they can get the price per kg down to $10-$15 easily and still make a profit. This along with a lot of new competitors entering the market is sure to make prices drop dramatically over the next 12-18 months.

opinions?

[QuiveringToad]

Sounds like those filament companies make a killing. I guess that's why there are so many of them. I just wonder why the prices haven't dropped if the mark up is so high and there is so much competition now.

[MysteryAlabaster]

It's also a small wonder that nobody has perfected a plastic reclaimer yet... Once this is made a commercial product, the price of plastic will drop even further, my guess is down into single digits...

The closest anyone has gotten is the Filabot but they had development problems once they got to the grinder.

[ralphzoontjens]

Yes a lot of small new companies are popping up all over the place selling 3d printing filament, they're probably doing good business.
I would consider buying a Filabot but it seems to reach a break-even point after at least 25-30 kg of filament, I don't think I'll ever use that amount of plastic.
It would be nice though to be able to compose your own colors of filament according to a Pantone/RAL reference but I think getting the color right will take a lot of time and effort and I wonder how consistently the color will come out of the extruder.

I am going to get my own 3d printer next week and want to order some filament. If prices are going to drop dramatically over the next months, I assume it's advisable to wait a little longer before I stock up on filament and just start out with a few basic spools?

[CNCKing.com]

The only issue with using "third party filament" is that it may void your 3D printer warranty - I know in my case, my 3D Systems Cube could be "fixed" to use third-party stuff but if it breaks, I'm screwed. Yes, these companies are making a killing - the business model for 3D printers is the same as regular printers - who cares about the profit margins for the machines, it's the consumables that give you ongoing $$$$.

Jon

[jalbo01]

We're selling bq High Quality PLA in USA for $24.99. If you think about duties, shipping, etc, it's not very far for what you said. CubiMap distribution.

[DavidS]

Where can you order the pellets for $2.50 per KG?

If it is that low of cost it seems to me to be worth making a filament extruder and buying the pellets, local retailers charge about $20 per KG for the pellets.

[Davo]

The only issue with using "third party filament" is that it may void your 3D printer warranty - I know in my case, my 3D Systems Cube could be "fixed" to use third-party stuff but if it breaks, I'm screwed. Yes, these companies are making a killing - the business model for 3D printers is the same as regular printers - who cares about the profit margins for the machines, it's the consumables that give you ongoing $$$$.

Only if you decide to purchase a machine that requires proprietary material; not all do.

[Wolfie]

It's also a small wonder that nobody has perfected a plastic reclaimer yet... Once this is made a commercial product, the price of plastic will drop even further, my guess is down into single digits...

The closest anyone has gotten is the Filabot but they had development problems once they got to the grinder.

No, actually ExtrusionBot got closer.
http://www.extrusionbot.com/product/the-eb2/
I think its a better unit with higher production rate and seems to have more diameter constancy.

And they didn't drop the ball on the grinder either:
http://www.extrusionbot.com/product/the-cruncher/

Problem is, they are WAY over priced for what they do. $1500 for the pair is outragous and costs more than many very good 3D printers. A grand and a half buys a hell of a lot of filament. The cost recovery time makes them unviable for a home tinkerer who isn't running a hundred printers at once.

We're selling bq High Quality PLA in USA for $24.99. If you think about duties, shipping, etc, it's not very far for what you said. CubiMap distribution.

Great. Now put up a site where people can buy something. If http://www.cubimapdistribution.com is yours, you need to get the bad mug shots off and put some products on it people can buy.

Where can you order the pellets for $2.50 per KG?

If it is that low of cost it seems to me to be worth making a filament extruder and buying the pellets, local retailers charge about $20 per KG for the pellets.

~$3/lb
http://www.revolve3d.com/collections...47-abs-pellets

Google ABS Resin Pellets and you should find enough.

Then you have to purchase colorant. You are going to have to purchase bulk, dry and then extrude it. You will need dry storage for the pellets, the dried pellets and the produced filament. Oven(s) to dry the pellets. An extruder and mixer for the colorant batches. Precise scales to weigh the pellets and colorants for precise color between batches. Its not just the extruder, its all the associated junk required to support it. And the space. And the time.

Is it worth saving $30 a roll? Not at my current rate of use. I would take me a month or more to actually use up a KG spool with one printer and the odd stuff I print. At that rate it would take me more than two years to pay off the extruder alone. If I was a commercial shop and went through a KG spool in less than a day, ok, yea, worth my time and investment at that point. But thats not me. And I suspect that not many here are running that many printers at that volume were it would be viable to produce in-house filament.

Now, what would be wicked cool is for a 3D printer to accept raw pellets (colorant mixed) and be able to melt and extrude that directly. When you really think about it, isn't it silly we melt resin into filament, pay exorbitant prices for spools of that filament, then melt it again and turn it into even smaller filaments and squirt it out into printed objects. Seems like it would be something for an engineer to get on with going directly from pellets to squirting out as a 3D object totally bypassing the filament/spool stage, no?

As for recycling printer waste, well, I guess that subject is verboten. I tried to start a thread about how people organized their waste for the purpose of recycling it into filament and I got no constructive feedback at all. It seems like if you talk about recycling the spent or waste plastic around here its reacted to like you are handling nuclear waste or actively club cute baby seals.

Only if you decide to purchase a machine that requires proprietary material; not all do.

I would think most don't but I could be wrong. I would never buy a 3D printer that required me to purchase their "special" filament. But thats me I guess.