Economic Cost Analysis for Making a Lever-Type Part Through Different Materials and Technologies

Evaluating production costs is a critical phase in the product development life-cycle and market launch. This study presents a comparative techno-economic analysis of manufacturing a lever-type component using four distinct materials and technologies: traditional CNC machining (steel and aluminum alloy) and additive manufacturing via Fused Filament Fabrication (PLA and carbon fiber composites). The economic model comprehensively evaluates direct material procurement, labor, energy consumption, waste recovery, and indirect manufacturing overheads. The results demonstrate that economic viability is highly sensitive to production volume and technology-specific overheads. While additive manufacturing (PLA) proves highly cost-effective for small to medium batches due to minimal indirect costs, traditional subtractive machining (steel) maintains economic dominance for large-scale production. This paper establishes a quantitative decision-making framework, clearly distinguishing between direct material expenses and total manufacturing costs, to optimize technology selection in modern industrial environments.