Additive Manufacturing Service Bureau Quoting calculator
Support Removal Labor Time Calculator
Support removal is a common source of underestimated service bureau labor, especially for resin, FDM, and metal AM jobs. This calculator turns supported part count and removal throughput into planned labor hours so quotes include clipping, cutting, dissolving, blasting, and cleanup time.
What this calculator does
- Estimate support removal hours from supported parts, removal throughput, and handling allowance.
- a post-processing lead or estimator needs support-removal hours before finalizing a quote
- Returns estimated labor hours for support removal and cleanup.
Formula used
- Base support removal time = supported parts ÷ support removal throughput
- Quoted support removal time = base time × (1 + difficult-support allowance)
Inputs explained
- Supported parts: undefined
- Support removal throughput: undefined
- Difficult-support allowance: undefined
How to use the result
- Use it for quotes with dense supports, soluble supports, metal anchors, delicate features, or customer cosmetic requirements.
- Actual labor depends on orientation, support density, access, operator skill, tooling, and acceptable surface finish.
Common questions
- Should depowdering be included? Include depowdering here only if it is part of the same support-removal labor estimate; otherwise quote it as post-processing.
- What is throughput based on? Use measured parts per minute from similar geometry, material, and support settings whenever possible.
- How do I price the hours? Multiply the result by your post-processing labor rate or include it in the post-processing cost calculator.
- Why add an allowance? Complex supports, fragile parts, and cosmetic cleanup often take longer than the base removal rate.
Last reviewed 2026-05-12.