3D Printing Calculator | Free Online Tools for Makers
Discover 3DRoma's free tool suite for additive manufacturing, with no subscriptions or limits:
• Cost Calculator: Estimate true part costs by filament weight, power usage, and machine wear.
• Shrinkage Compensation: Precision dimensional scaling for technical polymers.
• STL/OBJ Viewer & Converter: Inspect and convert 3D meshes locally inside your browser.
• Filament Technical Library: Instant reference for printing temperatures, densities, and bed settings.
3D Printing Cost Calculator & Filament Quotation Tool
Calculate an accurate manufacturing price accounting for raw material, actual electrical consumption, wear and tear, and profit margins.
Filament Shrinkage & Axis Scaling Calculator
Calculate exact dimensional compensation percentages for materials prone to thermal contraction in Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer, PrusaSlicer, and Cura.
Free Online 3D Converter & Model Viewer (STL to OBJ / OBJ to STL)
Drag and drop your 3D mesh to preview it in real-time, inspect triangle counts, and convert between STL and OBJ formats without transmitting files to any remote server.
Drag & Drop your STL or OBJ file here
or click to browse from your device (max 100 MB)
3D Printing Filament Guide & Properties Matrix (Temps & Densities)
Quickly look up volumetric densities for volumetric flow calibration alongside recommended hotend and bed temperature ranges.
| Material | Density (g/cm³) | Nozzle Temp (°C) | Bed Temp (°C) | Enclosure Required | Print Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLA | 1.24 | 190 - 220 | 45 - 60 | Not Required | Easy |
| PLA+ / Tough | 1.25 | 205 - 225 | 50 - 65 | Not Required | Easy |
| PETG | 1.27 | 230 - 250 | 70 - 85 | Optional | Moderate |
| ABS | 1.04 | 240 - 265 | 95 - 110 | Required | Moderate-High |
| ASA | 1.05 | 240 - 260 | 90 - 105 | Required | Moderate-High |
| TPU 95A | 1.21 | 210 - 235 | 30 - 50 | Not Required | Moderate |
| PC (Polycarbonate) | 1.20 | 260 - 300 | 100 - 120 | Required | High |
| PA-CF (Carbon Fiber Nylon) | 1.15 | 260 - 290 | 80 - 100 | Recommended | High |
| PVA (Water Soluble Support) | 1.23 | 190 - 215 | 45 - 60 | Not Required | Moderate |
| Standard UV Resin | 1.12 | N/A (Liquid) | N/A | Ventilated | Moderate |
Frequently Asked Questions on 3D Print Costs, Materials & Meshes
How do you calculate the exact cost of a 3D printed part?
The total production cost is determined by combining four main pillars: raw filament cost (part weight in grams multiplied by price per gram), electrical consumption during active printing hours, machine wear and tear depreciation (nozzles, PEI build sheets, belts), and a contingency allowance for failed prints (typically 5-10%). Once net operational cost is calculated, target profit markup is applied.
How much electricity does a 3D printer consume per hour?
A standard consumer desktop FDM printer consumes between 80 W and 150 W on average while printing. While heating up the heated bed draws initial spikes up to 300 W, holding 60 °C (for PLA) requires around 90 W, whereas ABS or Nylon requiring a 100 °C bed raises consumption to ~180 W. At an average rate of $0.19/kWh, electrical cost remains low, around $0.02 to $0.04 per hour of operation.
What is thermal shrinkage and how is scaling calculated?
Thermal shrinkage is the volumetric loss a thermoplastic undergoes as it cools from extrusion temperature (~250 °C) down to room temperature. To prevent finished parts from coming out undersized, apply the compensation formula:
Scale (%) = [100 / (100 - % Shrinkage)] × 100.
For instance, with an ABS filament featuring a 1.60% shrinkage rate, apply an exact scale of 101.63% in your slicer.
Why do technical materials like ABS and ASA warp and crack so easily?
Unlike PLA, polymers like ABS and ASA feature a high coefficient of thermal expansion without slow-crystallizing polymers. Rapid cooling against ambient room air creates large thermal gradients between upper layers and the heated bed, resulting in severe internal tensile stress that pulls up print corners (warping) or splits layers apart (delamination/cracking). Maintaining a heated chamber or draft-free enclosure at 45 °C to 60 °C is essential.
How do you convert STL to OBJ or OBJ to STL online for free without external software?
The integrated converter on 3DRoma reads and processes polygonal mesh data entirely inside your web browser's local memory using WebGL and Three.js. When dropping your STL or OBJ model, the parser reads vertices and surface normals locally, letting you download converted files instantly without downloading heavy software or exposing proprietary CAD files to third-party servers.
What are the main differences between STL, OBJ, and STEP file formats?
An STL file represents only a surface skin composed of raw triangles with no intrinsic units, color channels, or material definitions. An OBJ file stores richer polygonal geometries, including smooth vertex normals and UV coordinates for texture mapping. A STEP file is an industrial CAD standard retaining mathematical solid boundary representations (B-Reps, NURBS curves, and true holes), making it ideal for mechanical design prior to slicing.
How do you calculate how many meters of filament remain on a spool?
Subtract the tare weight of the empty spool (usually 190 g to 250 g) from the total measured weight. With net weight in grams (M), filament radius (0.0875 cm for 1.75 mm filament), and material density (D, e.g. 1.24 g/cm³ for PLA), use the cylinder volume formula:
Meters = M / (D × 3.1416 × 0.0875² × 100).
A typical 1 kg spool of 1.75 mm PLA holds approximately 330 meters of filament.
How do you determine the selling price of 3D prints for retail clients?
A standard industrial pricing formula for 3D printing service providers is:
Final Price = [(Material Cost + Power + Depreciation + Labor Time) × (1 + % Failure Buffer)] × (1 + % Margin Markup).
Labor time accounts for file slicing, filament swaps, support cleanup, and packaging. For on-demand custom parts, a gross profit margin between 40% and 60% is commonly recommended.
What role does filament density play in overall part weight?
Density dictates the physical mass of a given solid volume. For example, Polypropylene (PP) has a very low density (~0.90 g/cm³) whereas PETG reaches ~1.27 g/cm³. This means a model sliced with identical wall thickness and infill will weigh roughly 30% less when printed in PP or ABS than in PETG or PLA, reducing raw material consumption and shipping weights.
How do you fix undersized internal hole tolerances in OrcaSlicer or PrusaSlicer?
During extrusion, molten plastic pulls toward the inside curve of tight radiuses, causing bolt and bearing holes to print slightly smaller than modeled in CAD. Instead of redesigning CAD geometries, configure the X-Y Hole Compensation setting in your slicer with an offset of +0.10 mm to +0.20 mm to achieve exact fitment.