Reducing 3D Printing Costs: Tips for Smarter Designs

Why Design Choices Affect Cost

3D printing costs are driven by three factors: material usage, print time, and complexity. All three are directly influenced by how your model is designed. A few simple changes to your CAD model can often cut the price by 30–50% without sacrificing function.

1. Reduce Infill Where Possible

Infill is the internal structure of a 3D print. Most parts don't need to be solid — a 15–20% infill gives adequate strength for prototypes and display parts. Higher infill (40–60%) is only necessary for load-bearing or impact-resistant parts.

Tip: If you need strength in one direction, ask for a rectilinear or aligned infill pattern. It uses less material than cubic infill while being stronger along the primary stress axis.

2. Optimise Wall Thickness

More walls = more material and time. For most applications, 2–3 wall layers (0.8–1.2 mm) is sufficient. Going beyond 4 walls rarely adds meaningful strength but significantly increases cost.

Exception: If the part needs to be waterproof or airtight, 4+ walls are justified to eliminate gaps.

3. Minimise Supports

Support material is printed only to be thrown away — it adds cost and post-processing time. Design your part to minimise overhangs greater than 45° where possible:

• Use chamfers instead of fillets on bottom edges. A 45° chamfer self-supports; a fillet needs support material underneath.
• Orient your model so the largest flat surface is on the build plate. This often eliminates most supports.
• Split complex geometry into two parts that can each print flat, then glue them together. Two simple prints are often cheaper than one complex one.
• Bridge where possible. Most printers can bridge up to 30–40 mm horizontally without supports. Design horizontal spans to stay within this range.

4. Choose the Right Layer Height

Finer layers (0.12 mm) look better but take 2–3x longer than standard layers (0.20 mm). For functional parts where appearance doesn't matter, draft-quality layers (0.28 mm) print significantly faster.

Layer Height	Use Case	Relative Cost
0.12 mm (fine)	Display, detailed parts	Higher (~1.5x)
0.20 mm (standard)	General purpose	Baseline
0.28 mm (draft)	Prototypes, jigs, internal parts	Lower (~0.7x)

5. Choose Material Wisely

Don't over-specify material. PLA is the cheapest option and works perfectly for prototypes, form checks, and display models. Only step up to PETG, ASA, or Nylon when the application truly requires it.

Common over-specification: Using PETG for a desk organiser that will never see heat, impact, or moisture. PLA would produce a better surface finish at a lower cost.

6. Batch Your Orders

Printing multiple parts in a single batch is more efficient than separate orders. The printer's setup time (heating, calibration, bed preparation) is amortised across all parts. If you need several components, submit them together for the best per-unit price.

7. Size Matters — A Lot

Cost scales roughly with volume. A part that's 10% larger in each dimension is actually ~33% more expensive (1.1 × 1.1 × 1.1 = 1.33). Before ordering:

• Check if you can hollow out solid sections
• Reduce wall height or overall size where function allows
• Consider splitting a large part into smaller assembled pieces

Quick Savings Checklist

• Use 15–20% infill unless the part needs to bear load
• Keep walls to 2–3 layers
• Orient the model to minimise supports
• Use chamfers instead of fillets on bottom edges
• Choose standard (0.20 mm) or draft (0.28 mm) layer height when appearance isn't critical
• Use PLA unless the application demands a stronger material
• Batch multiple parts in a single order
• Hollow out solid sections where possible