“What should I charge my customers?” is a difficult question for an MJF business because cost, capacity, and the customer's requirements all matter. An instant quote can handle the repeatable part of that decision and create time for the conversations that need your judgment.
Our original discussion of MJF pricing followed a conversation with Ludwig Hendl on Phasio Connect. The central idea remains useful: automating straightforward RFQs should help a manufacturer focus on valuable customer relationships, including the repeat work that makes build planning more predictable.
Consider cost, value, and capacity
Three perspectives can inform pricing:
- Cost-plus: understand the resources a job requires and price above that cost.
- Value-based: understand the customer's application, service requirements, and the value you provide.
- Capacity-aware: consider the production commitments needed to deliver the order on its requested schedule.
They answer different questions. A cost model helps establish an economic baseline; it does not tell you whether the requirements are complete or whether the requested delivery is feasible. Nor does every shop need to change prices continuously with demand.
Decide what qualifies for an instant price
Take the example of a customer uploading a model for a shoe insert. The geometry may look familiar, but the customer later reveals requirements for patient-specific use, documentation, or validation that were not captured in the upload.
The lesson is to gather the application requirements before committing to a price. A higher price alone does not establish that your process can satisfy them. Route work outside your validated offering to the appropriate technical and commercial review.
For standard work, automation can provide a price and a convenient path to order. For nonstandard work, it can collect the specification and give your team a starting point. Use the review-required gate to define where manual attention is needed, and test that workflow in your storefront configuration.
Model the shared costs of an MJF build
MJF pricing needs to account for parts sharing a build and for work surrounding printing: preparation, powder handling, extraction, depowdering, and finishing.
Do not assume every material and machine cost is identical regardless of occupancy. Consumption, build height, material handling, refresh policy, and the actual production plan can change cost. Filling available space can improve cost allocation, but the saving must come from a feasible build.
An occupied-volume proxy is useful for an early estimate. It is not proof that a collection of parts can be nested together. Orientation, clearance, geometry, material, and delivery dates can prevent apparently compatible parts from sharing a run.
A simple allocation example
Suppose a confirmed build has €600 of shared cost and 100 identical parts. Each part also carries €2 of separately accounted material and handling cost. Assume those variable costs are excluded from the €600 shared figure.
Allocated shared cost per part = €600 ÷ 100 = €6
Estimated cost per part = €6 + €2 = €8
Price at an illustrative 30% margin = €8 ÷ 0.70 = €11.43, rounded
If a dedicated run with the same shared cost contains only 50 parts, the estimated cost becomes €14 per part: €600 ÷ 50 + €2. You should not promise the €8 cost basis merely because another 50 parts might arrive later.
These invented figures illustrate allocation, not MJF machine economics or Phasio default rates. For a mixed basket, allocate costs using a defensible method for the actual parts rather than dividing equally by count. See why mixed additive orders need order-level pricing.
Price finishing on its own terms
Capture the required color, appearance, surface treatment, inserts, and inspection before quoting. A standard finishing run and a dedicated custom-color batch may have very different setup costs.
Avoid assuming that the printed part is ready to ship without the agreed finishing work. Likewise, do not add an FDM-style support-removal charge to MJF simply because the model has overhangs. Use the operations required by your actual process.
Preserve the relationship around the quote
A first prototype can become recurring production work. Make it easy for the customer to ask questions and discuss the next order. For high quantities or unusual requirements, a follow-up can establish the production schedule, acceptance criteria, and commercial agreement more effectively than an unqualified automatic discount.
Phasio is software for additive manufacturers, not a bureau producing the quoted parts. Its three-level pricing architecture provides a place for your process, finishing, and order-wide rules.
Calibrate those rules against completed builds and track why estimators override them. Instant quoting works best when the software handles a defined, tested offering and the team remains responsible for the exceptions and customer relationship.
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