How much electricity do 3D printers use?

[crusty's feet]

I'm trying to convince my wife that my 3D printer doesn't cause our electric bill to be as high as it is. Although it does seem as though it's been higher ever since I got my 3D printer. Does anyone know about how much electricity per hour a 3d printer burns? Also, what is the cost/hour of running a 3D printer?

[CaptainObvious]

Depends on the printer, obviously; the temperature of the hotend, heating bed, wether there's other bells and whistles like fans, lights, etc...
You can check the specs of the power source, the maximum power rating will give you the absolute upper limit of your power consumption.
For example my printer has a 30A 12V power source, that's 360 Watts maximum; of course it doesn't run at that limit, probably half as much or even less. I know for a fact that the hotend uses no more than 40W, and it's the biggest load in the system.

For a more accurate figure you'll have to measure the Amps drawn from the source by the printer under different circumstances.

[Kingoddball]

Up-Mini uses 190W if I recall... Repraps generally around 350-400w

[Mjolinor]

Mine draws up to 2kw and generally hovers around 1 kw when printing. :bawling:

Makes my heart bleed when it sits for hours working things out.

[jimc]

Haha wow id like to know what kind of printer that is you have that is pulling 2kw? It it a commercial printer? A strat or 3ds?

Average printer you have a 40w heater for the hotend + a heated bed which is the biggest draw and average one of those is around 180w. Some larger beds with a high power heater can get up into the 300w neighborhood. The power draw for the electronics and steppers is peanuts so average printer say 220w-350w. There are exceptions of course.

[poishishikochi]

I don't know how it was before, but now 3D printers are energy-saving, so I don't think they use more electricity than an electric stove. By the way, I don't really know anything about electrics and would like to learn this profession. I found an interesting article about this and if you want, you can find it here electricianclasses.com. It turns out that electrician is one of the most popular professions in the world. 3D printing no longer brings me the same income as before, so I'm thinking of taking a course in electrics. I think this is a good idea and I would like to know your thoughts on this topic.

[airscapes]

Not much I think mine was 100 watts in standby and 400 printing.. Do a google search for kill-a-watt meter. They are cheap and good to have on hand to check what an item uses and cost to run over time..

[curious aardvark]

work on the principle that the power supply for most 3d printers is somewhere between 100-300 watts.
I've rarely seen anything over 350 watt listed in a speification.
So the printer can't pull more than that and usually it uses a lot less.

Once an extruder and hotbed are up to temp then the power draw drops considerably as maintaining that temperature costs less power than heating cold metal up to it fairly quickly.

They are certainly draw a LOT less power than an electric oven.

[WendyMorrisone]

I don't know how it was before, but now 3D printers are energy-saving, so I don't think they use more electricity than an electric stove. By the way, I don't really know anything about electrics and would like to learn this profession. I found an interesting article about this and if you want, you can find it here electricianclasses.com. It turns out that electrician is one of the most popular professions in the world. 3D printing no longer brings me the same income as before, so I'm thinking of taking a course in electrics. I think this is a good idea and I would like to know your thoughts on this topic.

My friend was just looking for this information. Thanks