In this quick reference guide, we will discuss how much power does a 3D printer use and also show you a chart that lists power consumption for the most popular printers on the market.
How Much Does It Cost To Run A Standard 3D Printer Per Hour?
The overall cost of 3D printing is relatively low, but some printers are more efficient than others.
A standard 3D printer consumes about 70 Watts per hour with an average hotend temperature at 205°C & 60°C bed temperature, similar to incandescent light bulbs.
For a 7 hour print, it would be about 0.42 KWh that costs around $11.5 – $14 / KWh (Depend on where you live)
The main question here is about the hidden cost when performing prolonged 3D printing tasks, and different 3D printer models consume different levels of electricity, and other factors include:
- Print volume
- Higher temperature requirement
- Time it takes to print
- Energy cost based on location
3D Printer Power Consumption Chart
| Printer | Max Wattage |
| Creality Ender 3 | 350 W |
| Creality Ender 5 | 350 W |
| Prusa Mini | 160 W |
| MakeBot Replicator + | 150 W |
| Ultimaker S5 | 500 W |
| Anycubic Photon Mono X | 120 W |
| Anycubic i3 Mega | 130 W |
Long Hour 3D Printing Power Consumption VS Short Term
There are users who 3D print things for fun at low production volume, and there are users who run 3D print farms for business with 10 – 30+ printers running at the same time all day.
Running a 3D print farm will definitely drive up the power consumption and it will be counted as expenses to run the business.
Ways To Reduce Power Consumption Without Compromising Print Quality
The user can try the following tips when see fit to reduce power consumption. The key is to test and come up with the best 3D manufacturing recipes to have the best quality while reducing cost.
- Speed up the printing process
- Insulate heated print bed
- Use enclosure
- Reduce print size (Based on design)
- Use filaments that don’t require head bed or high extruder temperature
Common FAQ
When Does A 3D Printer Consumes The Highest Amount Of Power?
- Heating up the hot end is one of the most power-draining stages of the printing process. Higher temperature requirement printers for Nylon, ABS, and Polycarbonate will cost you more electrical consumption.
- Heating up the print bed goes hand in hand with that of the hot extruder to improve bed adhesion to prevent warping
- Heat loss will prompt the printer to draw more power to maintain the desired temperature for the necessary component
- Stepper motors move alot and they controls the movement of the nozzle from the beginning of the print to completion
For example:
A standard printer has a 30 amp and 12V power source, this means it will have a maximum wattage of 360W (30A X 12V). It’s also important to understand that the printer will not immediately run at this rate right off the bat, but it will fluctuate based on the stages of the print.
Heating up the hot end and the bed will push the power usage up just like any other appliance in your home, and it falls as time goes on under steady normal operation.
How To Measure Actual Power Consumption To Be More Accurate?
Measuring exact power consumption can never be exact because there are so many variables and it’s really not worth your time doing so. The best and the easiest way is to install a power meter with a built-in power usage monitor to calculate the power consumption and cost.
Try the Poniee PN1500 Portable Electricity Monitor.
- Easy to use
- Play and plug design
- High precision current sensor to give you exact reading
- Backlight screen that is easy to view
- Use for other applications as well