Value Per Printer Hour

Scenario: Grid ELectricty at 10 cents/kWhr

If average power usage is about 100-200W, then cost per 24 hours is 25-50 cents.

Even a printer-hour value of $1/hr makes a lot of sense. Even in the minimum case of 10% printing energy overhead, the value generated per hour is $2.50/24 hours or 10 cents per hour! With a 10 printhead printer, that is still $25 per day of automated work, $750 per month. This is where things like fittings can be produced, in an economically viable way.

If one studies this, one can see that a small, local print cluster can produce fittings on-demand for people in a big box store. Print-on-demand, where you simply print from a menu of items, and watch the thing print. It could even be a 3D printing vending machine.