Estimating price in preference

[xenopaul 0]

Hi guys.

I've had my Ultimaker for only a week now and having so much fun. Just got a huge commision for a cosplay piece it's a Hawkeye's quiver from the Avengers and is 1/1 scale.

I was wondering how I estimate the cost to quote the client. I saw something in preferences about KG but what is the standard length of a roll of PLA for UM? Is there an easy formula for working this out? :???:

Paul

 

[illuminarti 18]

Filament is sold by the kg in most places. Depending on the precise mix of additives, colorants, etc, the density is about 1.27g/cm³.

So 1kg is approximately 1000/1.27 = 787.5cm³ of plastic.

Then take the diameter of your filament to calculate the volume of a length of it. If the diameter is 2.85mm (which is about the average for most filaments) then the volume of 1 linear meter of filament is: (1000mm x pi x 2.85mm x 2.85mm /4) mm³. There are 10x10x10mm³ in 1cm³ - so divide that by 1000 to get pi x 2.85 x 2.85/4 = 6.38cm³ per meter.

This means that 1kg of plastic is roughly 787.5/6.38 = 123.4m long.

If you have a reasonably accurate digital scale that measures to below gram accuracy, then another approach is just to measure off a few meters, and weigh them to calculate the weight per meter, then divide that into 1kg to get the length. That will avoid any uncertainty over the diameter or density of your plastic.

You should be able to get the total volume of your object from your modeling software, but the actual print volume will be less if you have less than solid infill in the print. Your slicer should be able to tell you the volume of plastic it actually intends to use, and the cost of that, based on the numbers you supply in the preferences. The actual amount will likely be even less than that, as some slight under-extrusion tends to occur due to filament slipping, even in normal operation, but in theory you could use even more plastic if you over-extrude due to an increased flow setting in the UltiController, or an incorrect steps-per-e setting.

 

[gr5 2,210]

The price for the wear and tear of the ultimaker and your time is probably

much higher than the price of the materials. Plus it may take you 2 or 3

tries to get it right.

 

[xenopaul 0]

The price for the wear and tear of the ultimaker and your time is probably

much higher than the price of the materials. Plus it may take you 2 or 3

tries to get it right.

 

I'm not sure if we are allowed to put links here but if you check my website link you can follow the progress. Thanks guys

Paul