3D Printing: Service Provider or Own Purchase?

Lisa Ernst · 20.11.2025 · Technology · 8 min

Monday morning in a small business somewhere between Zurich and Aargau: Someone needs a bracket for a new sensor housing "quickly." The STL file is designed in an hour – and then comes the question: Do we send the file to a 3D printing service provider, or do we finally get a printer for our workshop ourselves?

This is precisely the situation we encounter repeatedly at 33d.ch – with hobby makers as well as with SMEs and schools. On one hand, there's the allure of the freedom to print yourself at any time. On the other hand, there's the convenience of a service that takes care of materials, maintenance, and rejects. And somewhere in between, the budget asks: "What's really worth it?"

We'll show you how we approach this decision in practice: with simple key figures, realistic cost examples, and some lessons learned from our workshop in Switzerland.

Why the decision is more than just a price comparison

Anyone who only looks at the unit price quickly misses half the story. In our view, it always comes down to five points:

Direct Costs per part (material, electricity, machine time, service provider prices).
Time to finished part – i.e., lead time from idea to having the component in hand.
Quality & Risk : How often are there rejects, who checks the parts, how stable are the processes?
Resources & Know-how : Who takes care of slicers, maintenance, and error analysis internally?
Safety & Responsibility , especially in schools or open labs (emissions, supervision, protective measures).

When we talk to customers, we quickly realize: the "right" solution is rarely black and white. Often, it ends up being a hybrid form – standard parts in-house, special parts with a service provider.

Brief Comparison: 3D Printing Service Provider vs. Own Printer

Criterion	3D Printing Service Provider	Own 3D Printer (FDM)
Fixed Costs	No purchase, no maintenance – you pay per order.	Purchase from approx. 300–1,000 CHF plus accessories and occasional spare parts.
Unit Costs (small parts)	Often high unit prices for small batches, set-up fees, and shipping.	Material and electricity costs mostly in the low single-digit Swiss franc range per part.
Lead Time	Typically 3–7 working days including quote, approval, and shipping.	Iterations possible in hours – ideal for rapid prototyping.
Know-how	Little internal knowledge required, service takes care of everything.	A team member should take care of profiles, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
Flexibility	Very good for exotic materials, large parts, SLA/SLS/MJF.	Very good for recurring functional parts, holders, and simple jigs.

This overview is intentionally rough. It becomes interesting once we input concrete numbers.

Two calculation examples from practice

For our example calculations, we'll use typical values from practice: a solid PLA filament in the range of around 15–20 CHF per kilogram, such as 3DJake ecoPLA, as well as an electricity price of about 0.29 CHF/kWh according to current ElCom data for the year 2025 (swissinfo.ch). The power consumption of a typical FDM printer during operation is often around 80–150 W.

For service providers, we refer to cost ranges of about 0.50–3.00 €/cm³ for plastic parts, as mentioned in price lists from services like Rapidobject . Online platforms like theHubs 3D-Druck-Service show similar magnitudes and lead times of a few days, depending on material and urgency.

All figures are approximations – but they help to get a feel for when an own printer is usually worth it.

Example 1: 10 small brackets per month

Typical case: Small cable holders or clips, 30 g PLA per part, about 5–6 hours printing time on an FDM printer.

Material: 30 g is 0.03 kg. At 18 CHF/kg, that's about 0.55 CHF per part.
Electricity: 6 h × 0.12 kWh × 0.29 CHF ≈ 0.21 CHF.
Depreciation & Maintenance: If you calculate a printer for 500 CHF over two years with about 60 printing hours per month, you arrive at roughly 0.35–0.40 CHF per hour. For 6 hours, that's about 2.10–2.40 CHF, plus maybe 0.10 CHF for wear and tear (nozzles, glue, cleaning agents).

In total: approximately 3 CHF per part, if the printer is adequately utilized. For 10 parts per month, we're talking about around 30 CHF in variable costs.

With a service provider, the same part – depending on complexity and provider – can quickly cost between 15–40 CHF per piece, plus any set-up fees and shipping. However, the costs are predictable, and you don't have to deal with failed prints.

In our workshop, we've run through several similar cases. For 10–20 such small parts per month, teams almost always opt for their own printer – simply because the higher initial investment pays off after a few months.

Example 2: 50 jigs and fixtures per month

Now it gets more interesting: An SME wants to print around 50 test jigs and assembly aids per month. A part weighs about 80 g of PLA and prints in about 3 hours with slightly faster profiles.

Material: 0.08 kg × 18 CHF/kg ≈ 1.45 CHF.
Electricity: 3 h × 0.12 kWh × 0.29 CHF ≈ 0.10 CHF.
Depreciation & Maintenance: 3 h × 0.35–0.40 CHF ≈ 1.05–1.20 CHF, plus 0.15 CHF for wear and tear.

Rule of thumb: around 2.70–3.00 CHF per jig. For 50 pieces per month, the variable costs are thus roughly around 135–150 CHF – the printer pays for itself here very quickly.

With service provider quotes, we often see ranges of 25–80 CHF per piece for such parts, depending on the process, material, precision, and quantity. The service, in turn, takes care of quality assurance, packaging, and, if desired, finishing.

An anonymized 'Team Z', an electronics SME from the Zurich region, faced exactly this question. After a joint calculation (including conservatively estimated failed prints), they decided on their own FDM printer – and now occasionally use a service provider for heat-resistant special parts.

Quelle: YouTube

Recommended explanatory video: This (English) video shows step-by-step how to calculate 3D printing costs sensibly – practical if you want to use your own hourly rates and material prices.

Technology, Risk & Learning Curve: Where it gets tricky in practice

An own 3D printer is not a 'plug & play' device that you turn on and never touch again. In the first few weeks, we often see double-digit failure rates with new teams – not because the printer is bad, but because the profiles, part orientation, and small things like fans or bed adhesion aren't quite right yet. Honestly: it was the same for us in the workshop at the beginning.

Typical stumbling blocks

Failed prints: First layer doesn't stick, the part detaches halfway through the job or warps. A clean bed leveling workflow and a standard first-layer test save a lot of headaches here.
Wrong expectations: CAD is perfect, but the print isn't. FDM has limitations with overhangs, fine lettering, and very small holes. Anyone expecting tolerances of ±0.05 mm won't be happy with it.
Maintenance: Nozzle clogs, PTFE tubes age, print bed loses adhesion. Therefore, we plan fixed maintenance slots instead of just reacting when problems arise.
Emissions & Safety: Especially in schools or open labs, ultrafine particles and volatile compounds must not be ignored. Institutions like NIOSH recommend good room ventilation, enclosed housings, and sometimes filter solutions for 3D printers in makerspaces, libraries, and schools.

At 33d.ch, we've gotten into the habit of always testing new printers and materials "on a small scale" first: short standard parts, deliberately induced errors, documented settings. Only when that runs stably do we print production parts or let customers operate the machine themselves.

What has proven effective for us

Standard profiles in the slicer, which we only change slowly and deliberately.
A simple 'error logbook' (digital or paper) where we record failed prints with photos and causes – this saves discussions and repetitive errors.
A clearly defined 'print godfather' in the team who is responsible for maintenance, material ordering, and training.
For schools: A room concept with ventilation or an air purifier, enclosed printers, and clear rules on who can print when.

Who benefits from what? Hobby, Makers, SMEs, Schools

Hobby & Private Projects

If you only want to print a replacement clip, a phone holder, or a board game upgrade now and then, a service provider can be perfectly sufficient – especially if you first want to test if 3D printing is even for you. While the unit prices are higher, you don't have to free up space or time for your own printer.

As soon as you print regularly, experiment with mods, and perhaps design your own creations, the calculation quickly shifts towards owning a device. From roughly 5–10 parts per month, which are not extremely large or exotic, a solid FDM printer is usually worth it.

Makers & Prototyping Teams

Makers, startups, and prototyping teams thrive on fast iterations. Here, an own printer is almost a must – otherwise, you'll constantly be waiting for packages instead of printing two variants overnight one after the other. However, services remain interesting for special parts: e.g., SLS parts made of nylon or high-temperature materials that you don't need for everyday use.

SMEs & Production

In SMEs, we see two typical patterns: either the printer is used in development, providing brackets, jigs, and prototypes; or it's used in pre-production, printing small auxiliary and operational aids. In both cases, the device pays for itself very quickly if parts are needed regularly.

For safety-critical parts, very tight tolerances, or load-bearing components, many SMEs still gladly turn to specialized service providers – simply because test reports, material certificates, and experience with industrial processes are already available there.

Schools & Educational Institutions

Schools benefit enormously from owning a 3D printer: students directly see how a real object emerges from an idea. At the same time, clear safety and supervision rules are needed. In our view, enclosed FDM printers with PLA or PETG, good ventilation, and clear responsibilities are a sensible starting point. Chemically more complex processes like SLA/Resin should only be used with well-trained personnel and additional protective equipment.

Comparing 3D printers is the first step towards the right decision.

Quelle: netzsieger.de

Before you buy, an honest comparison is worthwhile: What build size do you really need, what materials should it print, and how loud can the printer be in the office?

A detailed comparison of technical specifications helps in selecting the right 3D printer.

Quelle: campus-schwarzwald.de

Specification tables are helpful – but even more important is that the machine suits your specific parts and your team.

Checklist: Own purchase or service provider?

An own 3D printer is particularly worthwhile if …

you regularly (e.g., > 5–10 parts/month) need similar components,
you want to quickly test prototypes and variants ('idea today, part tomorrow'),
someone in the team is eager to delve into slicers, materials, and maintenance,
you primarily print FDM-compatible parts (holders, clips, jigs, housings),
you can set up the printer in a suitable room with ventilation,
you accept that the first weeks will be a learning phase with failed prints.

3D printing service providers remain useful if …

you only need a few parts per year or want to test first,
it involves large components, metal, or high-performance plastics,
you require tight tolerances, test reports, or series quality,
there is no time or resources to build expertise internally,
you want to cover peak demand even if you already have your own printer.

The best solution in practice is often hybrid: standard parts run on your own printer, everything out of the ordinary goes to a service provider – that's how we see it with many of our customers.

Practical questions we often hear

"Doesn't the electricity cost eat up the whole budget?"
In our experience, electricity costs are negligible compared to material and labor time. With a typical FDM printer, we're talking about a few cents per printing hour – the big lever is how long the printer runs and how much waste there is.
"How bad are failed prints, really?"
Failed prints are annoying, but they are part of the process in the beginning. With clean start profiles, documented settings, and a small test part that you print first when making changes, they can be significantly reduced.
"Is Resin/SLA something for our school?"
For introductory prints, we would definitely start with FDM and PLA. Liquid resins involve additional risks with skin contact, vapors, and disposal – this is only sensible with teenagers with very clear protective measures and a lot of supervision.
"Can we switch from a service provider to our own printer later?"
Yes, many do. A practical approach is: first gain experience with service providers, refine geometries and requirements – and later move the most frequent parts to your own printer.