Additive Manufacturing worked example

Support Removal Labor at 65% chargeable labor capture: a worked example

Suppose chargeable labor capture falls to 65%. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Estimate labor cost for removing, dissolving, cutting, or blasting supports from printed parts.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Support removal time per part: 6.5 hr (held at the documented default)
  • Post-processing labor rate: 48 $ / hr (held at the documented default)
  • Chargeable labor capture: 65 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 90)
  • Support removal setup charge: 35 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Captured support labor = removal hours × labor rate × chargeable capture.
  • Support removal labor cost works out to 238 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Labor rate works out to 36.58 $ / hr at these inputs.
  • Captured support labor works out to 203 $ at these inputs.
  • Support removal setup works out to 35 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where chargeable labor capture sits at 90% and the headline result is 316 $, this scenario comes in 24.7% below the baseline at 238 $.
  • It computes total support removal labor cost as captured removal labor (hours x rate x capture) plus a fixed setup charge. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Support removal labor cost: 238 $ (headline result)
  • Labor rate: 36.58 $ / hr
  • Captured support labor: 203 $
  • Support removal setup: 35 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Support Removal Labor calculator, set chargeable labor capture to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.