How Much Does Custom 3D Printing Cost? What Makes up the Price and How to Lower It
What 3D printing costs in Slovakia: price per gram for FDM and SLA, 3D modelling per hour, minimum order, a worked example and what lowers the price.
Short answer: a small plastic part printed with FDM costs €0.05 to €0.20 per gram excl. VAT in Slovakia for common materials. A 40 gram part therefore comes to €2 to €8. For a single piece, though, you usually pay the minimum order, which is typically €10 to €20. If you have no 3D model, add modelling at €11 to €35 per hour. The ranges come from the public price lists of 15 Slovak studios (as of September 2026).
This article explains what the price is made of, which rates are common on the market, what the maths looks like for one piece and for twenty, and what you can do to lower the price before you send a quote request.
What Is the Price of 3D Printing Made of?
Every 3D printing quote counts five items:
- Material. Part weight in grams times the material rate. Engineering materials such as carbon fibre nylon cost several times more than PLA.
- Machine time. Finer layers, denser infill and taller parts mean more hours on the printer. More parts on one build plate cut the time per part.
- Preparation. Checking the model, repairing file errors, orienting the part and planning supports. Minutes for a clean file, up to an hour for a broken model.
- Finishing. Support removal is usually included. Sanding, painting or heat-set threaded inserts are charged separately.
- Delivery. Packeta costs €3 to €4, a courier €6 to €7.
Most Slovak studios merge material and machine time into one rate per gram. Some charge per printing hour, usually €3 to €4.50 plus material. For ordinary parts both methods land in a similar place.
What Does 3D Printing Cost in Slovakia?
In September 2026 we went through the public price lists of 15 Slovak 3D studios. Typical ranges excl. VAT:
| Service | Typical range |
|---|---|
| FDM printing, PLA and PETG | €0.05 to €0.20 per gram |
| FDM printing, ASA and ABS | €0.10 to €0.16 per gram |
| FDM printing, nylon and polycarbonate | €0.22 to €0.24 per gram |
| FDM printing, carbon fibre nylon and flexible TPU | €0.30 to €0.35 per gram |
| SLA resin printing | €0.15 to €0.30 per gram |
| 3D modelling | €11 to €35 per hour |
| Finishing | €9 to €20 per hour |
| Minimum order | €5 to €100, most often €10 to €20 |
The lowest per-gram rates usually apply to PLA at standard quality. Higher rates often include finer layers, an engineering material or a dimensional check. When you compare quotes, ask what exactly the rate covers.
How Much Does a Specific Part Cost?
Take an electronics enclosure of 80 × 60 × 30 mm in PETG with 2 mm walls. It weighs about 40 grams.
- One piece: printing at €0.05 to €0.20 per gram comes to €2 to €8. That is below the minimum order, so you pay €10 to €20.
- Twenty pieces: 800 grams cost €40 to €160 in total, so €2 to €8 per piece. The minimum order no longer matters and the parts print together on one plate.
If you know you will need the part again, order a spare straight away. Until the order passes the minimum value, a second piece often costs you next to nothing extra.
What Does a 3D Model Cost If You Do Not Have One?
If all you have is a broken part, a sketch or a photo, the model has to be built first. Modelling is charged by the hour, typically €11 to €35 in Slovakia. Indicative time for typical jobs:
| Job | Modelling time |
|---|---|
| Simple bracket or adapter from a photo with dimensions | 1 to 2 hours |
| Electronics enclosure with connector cut-outs from a board | 3 to 6 hours |
| Assembly jig for a production line from a part and description | 4 to 8 hours |
You pay for the model once. Every further piece costs only the printing. If you have the model in a CAD program, see how to get an STL file. If there is no model at all, custom 3D modelling covers it.
What Raises the Price and What Lowers It?
The price goes down with:
- a standard lead time instead of express,
- more parts on one build plate,
- freedom to choose the part orientation,
- less infill where the part carries no load,
- no finishing when the part never reaches a customer’s hands.
The price goes up with:
- overhangs that need supports,
- fine layers of 0.12 mm or less,
- engineering materials such as PA-CF or polycarbonate,
- several colours in one part,
- tight tolerances that need a test piece first.
The biggest saving is a model prepared for 3D printing: sensible wall thickness, no needless overhangs, holes with clearance. What we check in a model is in how to prepare a model for 3D printing. To pick a cheaper material that still does the job, see PLA vs PETG vs ASA.
When Is 3D Printing Not Worth It?
3D printing pays off from one piece up to tens or hundreds of pieces. For thousands of identical parts, injection moulding is usually cheaper, even though the mould alone costs thousands of euros. Highly loaded metal parts belong on a CNC machine. If that is your case, we say so in the quote and recommend a better route.
How Do You Get an Exact Price for Your Part?
- Upload your STL to the 3D printing calculator. You see dimensions, volume, weight and print time straight away in your browser.
- Send a quote request with the file, sketch or photo, the material and the quantity.
- Within 48 hours you get the price, material, technology and lead time. If we see a cheaper way, we tell you.
Lead times by technology and order terms are on the pricing page.