by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
Most quoting systems handle single parts well. Feed in a STEP file, pick a process, apply your rate card, and you have a number. Assembly jobs break that model fast. You’re not pricing one widget — you’re pricing a bill of materials, multiple process...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
Laser cutting looks straightforward on paper: flat material, 2D geometry, fast cycle times. But shops that quote by rough perimeter length or flat hourly rates regularly leave money on the table — or lose jobs to competitors who priced tighter. The difference comes...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
Tooling is one of the most common line items that derails a quote. Whether it’s custom fixtures for a CNC run, molds for injection molding, or progressive dies for sheet metal, tooling costs are often underestimated, buried in overhead, or presented in a way...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
You’ve seen the RFQ: a precision CNC part, tight tolerances, and a note at the bottom — “Full FAI required per AS9102” or “CMM report with every shipment.” The geometry looks straightforward, but that inspection line changes everything....
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
Every minute a machine sits idle during changeover is a minute you’re not making money. For digital manufacturers — CNC shops, 3D printing services, sheet metal houses, and on-demand producers — setup time is often the single biggest hidden cost on the shop floor. It...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
Ask ten shop owners how they calculate machine hour rates and you’ll get ten different answers — most of them incomplete. Some use a flat $75/hr for everything. Others take the machine purchase price, divide by five years, and call it a day. Neither approach...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quoting FDM jobs is relatively straightforward: material weight, machine time, and a little labor for support removal. Resin printing — SLA, DLP, and MSLA — adds layers of complexity that catch many shops off guard. If you treat resin jobs like filament jobs, you will...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
Your customer just sent revision three. The pocket depth changed, two holes moved, and they added a chamfer callout that wasn’t on the original print. The RFQ notes say “quick turn.” You could re-run the entire quote from scratch — toolpaths, cycle...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
Most shops have a solid handle on pricing the primary operation — CNC machining time, 3D print volume, laser cut nesting. But ask an estimator how they priced the four tapped holes, the deburring pass, or the first-article inspection on that same part, and the answer...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
Heat treatment is one of the most common — and most underestimated — secondary operations in digital manufacturing. Whether you’re running a CNC shop, a sheet metal house, or a hybrid service bureau, quoting jobs that require hardening, annealing, stress relief,...
