MJF vs Injection Molding: Find Your Break-Even (Free Calculator)

MJF vs injection molding break-even calculator

"When does injection molding beat 3D printing?" I get asked that every week, and my last post on it started a great debate in the comments. Some said the break-even is 1,000 parts, some said 10,000, and some said hundreds of thousands. The honest answer: it depends on your part, your quotes and how often your design changes.

So I built a calculator. Plug in your real numbers and see where HP Multi Jet Fusion stops making sense and a mold starts paying off.

MJF vs Injection Molding: Break-Even Calculator

Click any box and type in the numbers from your own quotes. Results and the chart update as you type. The starting numbers are only an example.

HP Multi Jet Fusion (no tooling)
Injection molding
Your program
Break-even quantity–
Total cost with MJF–
Total cost with molding–
Weeks saved to first parts–
MJFInjection molding (incl. mold + revisions)

Simple model: MJF total = parts × MJF price. Molding total = mold + (revisions × change cost) + parts × molded price. It ignores shipping, inventory, minimum order quantities and the cash tied up in tooling, which usually favor MJF at low volume. Get real quotes before deciding. Built by Tim Ruffner.

How to read it

  • Break-even quantity is the total number of parts where molding (tooling plus revisions plus piece price) costs the same as MJF.
  • Design revisions matter more than most people think. Every change to a mold costs money and time. A file change on MJF costs neither.
  • Weeks saved is the head start you get by printing while a mold would still be in the toolroom.

A smart play for many programs: launch on MJF, learn from real customers, and cut steel once the design and the volume are proven.

Price is only half the story. See what speed, no tooling and buying on demand are worth with my What Is Speed Worth? calculator.

Try it with a real part and tell me where your break-even landed. I'd love to see the range.

Tim Ruffner has spent almost 20 years in additive manufacturing and works at 3D Parts Unlimited, which runs HP MJF in-house. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

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