Helmet 3D Printing

P4X6

Hello! I never did anything to be 3D printed. about to start my first project: a concept helmet for a DJ. it's gonna be used on digital media etc, but I get a bonus for making it ready for 3D printing. so here is my question:

What are main differences from making a concept just for digital use to an actual 3D printing project? and second, a fair price for a project like this...

 I have my clients head data, size and picture. my guess I have to think on the inner depth layer of the helmet and ergonomy. no clue about printing materials and real industry. please enlight me! thank you very much o7

PAX6

Eric Chadwick

Have you seen this thread?

http://polycount.com/discussion/156891/tell-me-everything-about-3d-printing

DRoss3d

The thread Eric pointed to is pretty good at explaining the basics of getting your 3d model ready for printing as well as the different types of materials and techniques. I noticed that there really isn't any information on how to price a model. 

First thing to consider, is the type of material and how much is going to be used. ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and PLA (Polylactic Acid) are the two most common filaments used in desktop 3d printers. Most ABS/PLA filament spools have 1kg (~2.2 lbs) of material and cost anywhere from $20-$80  depending on the manufacturer.  Different filaments may cost more depending on the type material and manufacturer. 

Now here's where it gets a little tricky. Most 3d print services/websites charge based on the amount of filament measured in cm^3.

ABS/PLA

To find the cost of materials for a print, find the density of the material in cm^3 or m^3 and use this formula. 

(Most manufacturers will have the material density posted on the website or on the Material Safety Data Sheet)

Weight of material / Material density = Amount of material on spool cm^3

Cost of spool / Amount of material on spool cm^3 = Cost per cm^3

 

 ABS has a density of 1.04 grams per cm^3. So a 1kg spool  has ~960cm^3 (1000g/1.04g = 961.54cm^3) 

PLA has a density of 1.25 grams per cm^3. So a 1kg spool has ~800cm^3 (1000/1.25 = 800cm^3) 

 To make enough to cover the cost of a $35 spool of ABS or PLA you would need to use the whole spool and charge ~$0.04 per cm^3.
The average price that I have seen from various hubs/print services for ABS/PLA is anywhere between $0.45-$1.00 per cm^3. 

Then you've also got to consider the cost of your time and electricity. Every city/state has different electric rates and every printer has different power requirements. 

Sorry if this is a lot but I hope it helps.

P4X6

Extremely helpful. Thank you a lot! o7

Steve Schulze

The advantage of ABS over PLA for something like this is that you can smooth it using acetone. It's not ideal for doing small stuff as you tend to lose a bit too much detail, but for something large object with lots of smooth surfaces like this, it's likely to save you a butt-load of cleanup work.