3D printing costs

The legendary sci-fi author Arthur C Clarke once observed that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. With its ability to create useful objects from powdered plastic or ceramics, 3D printing certainly appears magical, but what about the costs? Surely this incredible technology is prohibitively expensive?

Costs for 3D printing are surprisingly low. You may not be willing to invest £1000 in a printer and accessories, but you can get your hands on 3D printed objects for as little as £5 from online 3D printing services. If you do decide to take the plunge and buy 3D printing equipment of your own, the per-object savings can be enough to pay for the printer in no time at all.

After you’ve paid for a UK 3D printer, the most significant cost is the print media itself. Depending on your printer, this could be plastic, ceramic, resin or metal based, and prices are highly variable. We keep an eye on the market, so you can be sure that our prices are among the best on the net.

With some machines available for as little as £600, why should you consider one of the more expensive options? Well, more expensive machines offer a far higher resolution, which allows the creation of even more detailed models. What’s more, some printers allow media to be re-used, so if the object you’ve made isn’t quite what you expected, you can melt it down and start again.

How much you’ll want to pay depends on your usage: if you’ll be making a lot of very intricate objects, you may want to consider a more expensive machine, while if you