"(uscs units) fused deposition modeling is used to fabricate a part which is a model of the step pyramid at sakkara in egypt (built circa 2670 bce). the model has six levels or steps, each with a thickness of 0.17 in. the bottom layer = 2.20 in on a side, and successive levels are 1.85, 1.50, 1.15, 0.80, and 0.45 in on a side, respectively. height of the pyramid = 1.02 in. in the fdm process, layer thickness = 0.010 in and the width of the extrudate deposited on the surface = 0.025 in. the extruder head moves in the x-y plane at a speed of 10 in/sec. a delay of 12 sec is experienced between each layer to reposition the worktable.
compute an estimate for the time required to build the part. setup time = 35 min. ignore post-processing time.
using the time estimated to build the part, determine the part cost (in $) if the abs polymer used in the process costs $9.50/lb and its density = 0.038 lb/in^3, machine hourly rate = $8.00/hr, and labor rate = $30.00/hr but labor will be used only 40% of the build time, mostly for setup