First, ink cost.
Using full-coverage printing as an example, one liter of ink can print about 60 square meters. Calculating based on mid-range ink prices — say 200 RMB per bottle — that comes to roughly 3 RMB per square meter. If you're printing full coverage with both white and color ink, multiply that by two, which equals about 6 RMB per square meter.
Second, electricity cost.
A typical UV printer has a power rating of around 4,000 to 5,000 watts, which means it consumes about 4 to 5 kilowatt-hours per hour. At industrial electricity rates of about 1 RMB per kilowatt-hour, the hourly electricity cost is around 5 RMB. Based on a printing speed of 12 square meters per hour, the electricity cost per square meter is about 0.4 RMB.
Third, machine wear-and-tear cost.
The most expensive wear part on the machine is the printhead. Let's calculate the printhead depreciation cost. Take a machine with three printheads, each with an expected lifespan of about three years. Assuming 300 production days per year, that gives a total of 900 days. If each printhead costs 12,000 RMB, the daily cost per printhead is 40 RMB. Based on 10 hours of production per day, that's 4 RMB per hour. At 12 square meters per hour, the printhead wear cost is about 0.35 RMB per square meter.
Fourth, labor cost.
Assuming a labor cost of 20 RMB per hour per machine, and production of 12 square meters per hour, the labor cost comes to about 1.6 RMB per square meter.
In summary, the approximate cost of UV printing processing is around 8.5 RMB per square meter. This cost estimate is provided for your reference. The actual cost will vary depending on your production volume and specific products.