Kinetic Cost

How to find your machine rate: take what the machine cost and divide by the hours you expect to run it. 2,000 is a fair guess. Add bits, wear, and power, then round to what your market supports. Garage CNC shops charge $35 to $75 an hour. Your labor rate is what you pay yourself for setup, sanding, and finishing. Make it at least $20 to $25 an hour.

How to find your machine rate: take what the laser cost and divide by its expected lifetime hours. Add power and consumables like lenses and honeycomb, then round to your market. Typical hobby rates: diode $30 to $45, CO2 $45 to $75, fiber $75 to $120 an hour. Gut check: most engravers end up charging $1 to $3 per machine minute. Your design rate covers art and setup time.

This is what you pay yourself per hour. Set a floor of $20 to $25. "It's a hobby" is not a discount code. If a job takes 3 hours, 3 hours of wages belong in the price.

Printer wear is the printer price divided by about 5,000 print hours, plus a little for upkeep. A $699 P1S is about $0.15 an hour. A $1,449 X1C is about $0.30. The default of $0.35 covers either one. Wattage is the real average while printing (X1C about 120W, P1S about 100W, A1 about 150W), not the peak on the label. Power is the per kWh line on your electric bill. The US average is about 18 cents.