Detailed breakdown
Preview
Download Link
Evidence
The following is evidence of quotes and costs.
3d Printing
Nylon
Quotes for each part from Materialise.
PLA Matte - Charcoal
1 kg spool of filament is £20.99. The cost of the mount is £1.05, and for the special mount, it is £1.09.
PETG Transparent
1 kg spool of filament is £20.99. The cost for the lenses is: Day 498 - £0.35, Day 23 - £0.22, Day 351 - £0.05, Day 72 - £0.17.
Electricity cost for 3D Printing
Cheap rate (23:30 until 05:30) and normal rate. All printing would be done at normal rate. Based on print time and the average kWh usage of a Bambu Lab A1, I can calculate the cost of electricity per print.
Mounting
Neopixel and Seeeduino Nano
The NeoPixel is £7.20 for one, and the Seeeduino is £7.90 for one.
USB-C Cable (5M)
The USB-C cable powers the Seeeduino, which in turn also powers the NeoPixel.
USB-C Power Adapter
The Power Adapter for the USB-C cable.
Amortised Products
For more expensive products and products that are not single-use, for each product I have decided to amortise them (spread the cost) over the four pieces.
Wire Stripper and Cutter
Wire strippers and cutters for the wiring.
Stanley Knife
For the nylon refinement.
Dupont Wires
Dupont wires for the wiring between the NeoPixel and the Seeeduino. I use three wires per piece. So my calculation is (5.94/120) ×3, bringing the cost per part to £0.15.
Sandpaper
For the nylon refinement. One sheet per piece.
Screws
Screws to fix the mount to a wall. These are drywall screws, which would be what they would be mounted to. I use four screws per piece. So my calculation is (5.99/100)*4, bringing the cost per part to £0.24.
Bambu Lab A1 3D Printer
For the PETG lenses printing and the PLA Matte - Charcoal mount printing.
Bambu Lab A1 0.2mm Hotend
For the PETG lenses printing.
Bambu Lab A1 Smooth PEI Plate
For the PETG lenses printing.
Bambu Lab Liquid Glue
For the Smooth PEI Plate, which is for the PETG lenses printing.
Inbound Shipping Costs
Materialise
Shipping is at standard rate, so I expect this cost even if I had only one of those parts printed.
The Pi Hut
Shipping is standard rate, so I expect this cost even if I had only one of those parts delivered.
Amazon
Shipping is included in the cost of Amazon Prime, which is £95 per year, making it £7.92 per month.
Bambu Lab
Free shipping on orders over £45. So shipping is £0. Since the filament is out of stock, I cannot add it to show an accurate total cost of the basket, but evidence of the price was included previously.
ASC Direct
£18 shipping. I have redacted my personal information.
Labour Cost
My labour
According to the Artists' Union England, my hourly rate is £27.08 as a new graduate artist.
Outbound shipping cost
Cardboard Box
Using the dimensions of my objects, they will all fit inside a Royal Mail small shipping box with room to spare.
Void Fill
To take up the remaining space inside the box so the items don't get damaged. I know the volume of the objects and their mounts, so I can roughly calculate the exact cost of void fill per box.
Tape
Tape to secure the box. I can calculate how much tape I will use by using the dimensions of the box.
Postage
Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1 p.m. was the cheapest option, and this has the option to select how much insurance I want. The commission on the piece will dictate which insurance I will have to select, but up to £2,500 will cover me up to 60% commission. This delivery service also collects from my door, and they provide the label so I don't need to travel or print anything, reducing costs.
Contingency
25%
A 25% contingency seems sensible. In a presentation from Geoff, he said 20/30% contingency is best, so I've gone down the middle. This covers me for any unforeseen issues, whether that is failed prints, extra shipping costs, price hikes, I take longer than expected, etc. All these things are covered by contingency.
Market Positioning
Why?
Market positioning is important, so ensure I'm not selling my product for less than its worth. Nylon 3D-printed lights are hard to find; I haven't found a single product like mine. But there are similar products that are 3D-printed in other materials that are like my product, so aligning my price with them would ensure the value of my product is fair. I gave Grok AI my dimensions and cost and asked it to calculate a suitable markup to compete with Rollo Studios. It recommended a 15%-20% markup to compete with Rollo Studios. Nylon is significantly more expensive to manufacture than sand with resin binder, which is what they use, so my prices will be more expensive for a smaller product.
Final Display Price
Base Price
Day 498 - £1199
Day 23 - £949
Day 351 - £799
Day 72 - £1099
At 25% Commission
Day 498 - £1549
Day 23 - £1249
Day 351 - £1049
Day 72 - £1349
At 30% Commission
Day 498 - £1699
Day 23 - £1349
Day 351 - £1099
Day 72 - £1549
At 40% Commission
Day 498 - £1999
Day 23 - £1549
Day 351 - £1299
Day 72 - £1799
At 50% Commission
Day 498 - £2349
Day 23 - £1899
Day 351 - £1549
Day 72 - £2199
At 60% Commission
Day 498 - £2949
Day 23 - £2349
Day 351 - £1899
Day 72 - £2699
Take Home example at 40% Commission
I decided to add a Take Home column that would help me understand how much of a profit each piece would generate at the median commission rate.