Aligner Fabrication Cost Calculator

Per-tray cost for in-house clear aligner production.

Medical Disclaimer

This calculator is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about your health. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of results from this tool.

Inputs

Thermoform sheet cost ($)

Model resin cost ($/mL)

Resin per model (mL)

Trays per case

Labor per tray (min)

Lab tech rate ($/hr)

Overhead allocation (%)

Cases per month

Tab to move between fields

Results

Total cost per tray ($)

$17.70

≈ 4 cups of coffee

Total cost per case ($)

$354.00

≈ 6 tanks of gas

Material per tray ($)$7.16

Labor per tray ($)$7.00

Overhead per tray ($)$3.54

Material per case ($)$143.20

Labor per case ($)$140.00

Trays per month200

Monthly fabrication cost ($)$3,540.00

Monthly labor (hrs)40

How to Use This Calculator

Enter the Thermoform Sheet Cost and Model Resin Cost per mL.
Input Resin per Model (mL) and the number of Trays per Case.
Set Labor per Tray (min) and Lab Tech Rate ($/hr) to capture labor cost.
Enter Overhead Allocation (%) and Cases per Month for volume costing.
Review Cost per Tray to compare in-house fabrication against outsourced aligner services.

How the result changes with Labor per tray (min)

Labor per tray (min)	Total cost per tray ($)	Total cost per case ($)
6.9	$13.98	$279.63
22	$24.99	$499.83
39	$37.39	$747.75
54	$48.33	$966.50

What each input means

Thermoform sheet cost ($): Cost per PETG/Zendura sheet (typically $3-8 for 0.030"-0.040" thickness).
Model resin cost ($/mL): Cost per mL of model resin for 3D printing (standard dental model resin ~$0.08-0.15/mL).
Resin per model (mL): Volume of resin used per arch model (typically 15-25 mL depending on hollowing).
Trays per case: Number of aligner trays in a typical treatment case (10-40+ stages).
Labor per tray (min): Minutes for trimming, polishing, and QC per tray (typically 8-15 min).
Lab tech rate ($/hr): Hourly rate for dental lab technician.
Overhead allocation (%): Percentage for equipment depreciation, utilities, QC supplies, etc.
Cases per month: Number of aligner cases started per month.

What each result means

Total cost per tray ($): All-in cost per individual aligner tray.
Material per tray ($): Sheet + model resin cost per tray.
Labor per tray ($): Trimming and polishing labor cost per tray.
Overhead per tray ($): Allocated overhead per tray.
Total cost per case ($): Full case fabrication cost (all trays).
Material per case ($): Total material cost for one full case.
Labor per case ($): Total labor cost for one full case.
Trays per month: Total trays fabricated monthly.
Monthly fabrication cost ($): Total monthly cost for all aligner production.
Monthly labor (hrs): Total technician hours for monthly production.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Thermoform sheet cost ($) = 5, Model resin cost ($/mL) = 0.12, Resin per model (mL) = 18, Trays per case = 20 = 8 input(s) provided
Calculate Total cost per tray
Total cost per tray = directCostPerTray + overheadPerTray
17.7 = $17.7
Calculate Total cost per case
Total cost per case = totalCostPerTray * traysPerCase
354 = $354
Calculate Material per tray
Material per tray = round((sheetCost + modelCost) * 100) / 100
7.16 = $7.16
Calculate Labor per tray
Labor per tray = (laborMinPerTray / 60) * laborRatePerHour
7 = $7