FDM — the cost workhorse
Single-part FDM in PLA or PETG, 50 mm part, standard infill: ₹150-₹500. Same part in ABS / ASA: ₹250-₹700. Same part in Nylon-CF: ₹1,200-₹2,500. The big drivers are print time (machine hours) and material grade. Volume discounts are real: 25 units gets you 10-15% off, 100 units gets 20-30% off.
SLA / DLP resin — fine detail at moderate cost
SLA pricing is more material-driven than time-driven. Standard resin: ₹400-₹1,200 for a small 50 mm part. Tough resin: ₹600-₹1,800. High-temp resin: ₹800-₹2,500. Most SLA bureaus charge a minimum order of ₹400-₹800 to cover wash-and-cure labour.
SLS — production-grade Nylon, partner-bureau pricing
Single-part SLS Nylon PA12 starts at ₹2,000-₹6,000. The economics flip at volume — by 50 units, per-part cost is ~50% of single-quote; by 200 units, it's ~30%. Below 25 units, SLS rarely beats good FDM Nylon; above 100 units, SLS wins outright.
Post-processing — the cost line most quotes hide
Vapor smoothing on ABS / ASA: +30-50% on print cost. Hand-sanding to 600-grit: +20-40%. Primer + paint to a single matte color: +50-100%. Threaded heat-set inserts: ₹30-₹80 per insert installed. Always ask for post-processing line items in the quote.
A real worked example
Recent project: 80 units of a robotic gripper finger, PETG-CF, 70 mm long, with two M3 heat-set inserts each. Single-unit quote: ₹650 + ₹120 = ₹770 each. At 80 units we landed ₹540 + ₹100 = ₹640 each — about 17% off single-quote. Total project: ₹51,200 + GST, delivered in 7 working days.