Quoteestimator | Skills Pool
Quoteestimator Rough cycle time and cost estimation for CNC machined parts. Uses MNMUK plant capabilities and standard estimating factors. USE WHEN user says 'quote', 'estimate', 'cycle time', 'how long', 'cost estimate', 'pricing', 'how much to make', or describes a part needing a rough quote.
QuoteEstimator - MNMUK Quoting Support
Purpose: Rapid rough-order-of-magnitude estimates for quoting. Not a replacement for proper process planning, but gets you in the ballpark fast.
When to Activate
"How long to make this part?"
"Rough quote for [part description]"
"Estimate cycle time for..."
"What would it cost to make 500 of these?"
"Quick estimate for quoting"
Disclaimer
These are rough estimates for quoting purposes. Actual times depend on:
Specific geometry complexity
Tolerance requirements
Surface finish specs
Fixturing approach
Tooling availability
Operator experience
Always add contingency and verify with experienced estimator for critical quotes.
Machine Hourly Rates
npx skillvault add robdtaylor/robdtaylor-personal-ai-infrastructure-skills-quoteestimator-skill-md
星標 0
更新時間 2026年3月29日
職業
MNMUK Rate Card (Adjust to your actual rates) Machine Category Machine Rate (£/hr) Notes 5-Axis Mill NMV3000, DMU50, NHX500 £85-95 High capability 4-Axis Mill Vertical VMC £65-75 Standard work CNC Turning NLX2500, ALX2000 £60-70 Live tooling adds £5 Precision Turning HARDINGE £75-85 ±0.003mm work Swiss CITIZEN £80-90 High volume, precision Wire EDM MITSUBISHI £55-65 Slow but precise Spark EDM MITSUBISHI £50-60 Electrode cost separate Fast Response Haas £45-55 Prototypes
Rate Factors Base Rate × Material Factor × Tolerance Factor × Complexity Factor = Effective Rate
Material Factors Material Factor Reasoning Aluminium (6061) 0.8 Fast cutting, easy Aluminium (7075) 0.9 Slightly harder Brass/Bronze 0.85 Free machining Mild Steel (1018) 1.0 Baseline Carbon Steel (4140) 1.1 Harder, more wear Stainless 303 1.2 Free machining SS Stainless 304/316 1.4 Work hardening, gummy 17-4PH 1.5 Tough stainless Tool Steel (pre-hard) 1.3 Abrasive Tool Steel (hardened) 2.0+ EDM only typically Titanium (CP) 1.6 Slow speeds required Titanium (6Al-4V) 1.8 Very slow, careful Inconel 718 2.2 Extreme tool wear Hastelloy 2.5 Worst case scenario Delrin/Acetal 0.7 Easy, watch heat PEEK 1.3 Expensive material Nylon 0.75 Easy, flexible
Tolerance Factors Tolerance Band Factor Notes ±0.25mm (±0.010") 0.9 Loose, fast ±0.125mm (±0.005") 1.0 Standard ±0.05mm (±0.002") 1.2 Careful work ±0.025mm (±0.001") 1.4 Precision ±0.012mm (±0.0005") 1.7 High precision ±0.005mm (±0.0002") 2.0 Grinding territory ±0.003mm 2.5 Swiss/HARDINGE only
Complexity Factors Complexity Factor Examples Simple 0.8 Round part, few features Standard 1.0 Typical machined part Moderate 1.3 Multiple setups, tight tolerances mixed with loose Complex 1.6 5-axis, multiple operations, thin walls Very Complex 2.0+ Extreme geometry, exotic material + tight tolerance
Cycle Time Estimation
Turning Operations
OD Turning Time (min) = (Length × Passes × π × Diameter) / (Feed × Speed × 1000)
Simplified:
Rough: Volume removed (cm³) × 0.5 min/cm³
Finish: Surface area (cm²) × 0.02 min/cm²
Quick Estimates - OD Turning:
Part Size Rough Finish Total Ø25 × 50mm 0.5 min 0.3 min 0.8 min Ø50 × 100mm 2 min 1 min 3 min Ø100 × 150mm 6 min 2.5 min 8.5 min Ø150 × 200mm 12 min 4 min 16 min
ID Boring Multiply OD time × 1.5 (slower, less rigid)
Deep bores (L/D > 4): × 2.0
Threading Single-point: 0.3 min per 25mm thread length (standard pitch)
Thread milling: 0.5 min per thread
Tapping: 0.1 min per hole (standard)
Grooving/Parting Grooving: 0.2 min per groove
Part-off: Diameter (mm) × 0.01 min
Milling Operations
Face Milling Time = (Area / (Width of Cut × Feed Rate)) + Approach
Quick: Area (cm²) × 0.02 min/cm² for roughing
Area (cm²) × 0.01 min/cm² for finishing
Pocket Milling Volume (cm³) × 0.8 min/cm³ (aluminium)
Volume (cm³) × 1.5 min/cm³ (steel)
Volume (cm³) × 3.0 min/cm³ (stainless/titanium)
Add 50% for finishing passes
Drilling Standard drill: Depth (mm) × 0.02 min/mm
Peck drilling: Depth (mm) × 0.04 min/mm
Deep hole (>5xD): Depth (mm) × 0.08 min/mm
5-Axis Contouring Surface area (cm²) × 0.15 min/cm² (aluminium)
Surface area (cm²) × 0.3 min/cm² (steel)
Surface area (cm²) × 0.5 min/cm² (titanium)
Complex surfaces: Add 50-100%
Swiss Operations Small precision parts (Ø3-10mm):
- Simple: 30-60 sec/part
- Standard: 60-120 sec/part
- Complex: 120-300 sec/part
Medium parts (Ø10-25mm):
- Simple: 60-120 sec/part
- Standard: 120-240 sec/part
- Complex: 240-480 sec/part
EDM Operations
Wire EDM Cut length (mm) × thickness (mm) × 0.003 min/mm² (roughing)
Add 50% per skim pass (typically 2-4 skim passes)
Example: 100mm perimeter × 25mm thick
- Rough: 100 × 25 × 0.003 = 7.5 min
- 3 skims: 7.5 × 1.5 × 1.5 × 1.5 = 25 min total
Spark EDM Volume to remove (cm³) × 30-60 min/cm³
Roughing faster, finishing much slower
Electrode making: Add 1-4 hours depending on complexity
Setup Time Estimates Operation Type First Setup Repeat Setup Simple turning 30 min 15 min Complex turning (live tooling) 60 min 30 min Swiss 90 min 45 min 3-axis milling 30 min 15 min 4-axis milling 45 min 20 min 5-axis milling 60-90 min 30 min Wire EDM 30 min 15 min Spark EDM 60 min + electrode 30 min Multiple operations Sum of each Sum × 0.7
Total Cost = (Setup Cost) + (Run Cost × Quantity) + (Material Cost) + (Secondary Ops)
Where:
- Setup Cost = Setup Time × Hourly Rate
- Run Cost = Cycle Time × Hourly Rate × Material Factor × Tolerance Factor
- Material Cost = Weight × £/kg × Waste Factor (typically 1.3-1.5)
- Secondary Ops = Finishing, heat treat, plating, inspection (get quotes)
Quantity Breaks Quantity Multiplier Notes 1-5 1.5 Prototype pricing 6-25 1.2 Small batch 26-100 1.0 Standard 101-500 0.9 Efficiency gains 500+ 0.8 Volume pricing
Estimation Workflow
Step 1: Feasibility (Use PlantCapability)
Can we make it?
Which machine?
Any showstoppers?
Step 2: Operation Breakdown | Op# | Description | Machine | Setup | Cycle |
|-----|-------------|---------|-------|-------|
| 10 | | | min | min |
| 20 | | | min | min |
| 30 | | | min | min |
Step 3: Apply Factors Base cycle time: X min
× Material factor (Y): X × Y = Z min
× Tolerance factor (T): Z × T = A min
× Complexity factor (C): A × C = B min
Adjusted cycle time: B min
Step 4: Calculate Costs Setup: [time] × £[rate] = £____
Run: [cycle] × [qty] × £[rate/60] = £____
Material: [weight] × £[per kg] × 1.3 = £____
Secondary: £____
Subtotal: £____
Margin (25-40%): £____
**Quote: £____**
Quote Output Template # ROUGH QUOTE ESTIMATE
**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Customer:**
**Part:**
**Quantity:**
---
## Part Summary
- Material:
- Envelope: L × W × H mm
- Weight (est): kg
- Key tolerances:
- Surface finish:
## Feasibility
- [x] Within capability
- Machine(s):
- Risks:
---
## Operations Breakdown
| Op | Description | Machine | Setup (min) | Cycle (min) |
|----|-------------|---------|-------------|-------------|
| 10 | | | | |
| 20 | | | | |
| 30 | | | | |
| **Total** | | | **X** | **Y** |
---
## Factors Applied
| Factor | Value | Reasoning |
|--------|-------|-----------|
| Material | × | |
| Tolerance | × | |
| Complexity | × | |
| **Combined** | **×** | |
**Adjusted cycle:** Y × [combined] = Z min/part
---
## Cost Calculation
| Item | Calculation | Cost |
|------|-------------|------|
| Setup | X min × £[rate]/60 | £ |
| Run (× qty) | Z min × [qty] × £[rate]/60 | £ |
| Material | [wt] × £[/kg] × [qty] × 1.3 | £ |
| Secondary ops | [detail] | £ |
| **Subtotal** | | **£** |
| Margin ([%]) | | £ |
| **Quote Total** | | **£** |
**Per Part:** £ each at qty [X]
---
## Assumptions & Exclusions
### Assumptions
-
### Exclusions
-
### Validity
- Quote valid for: 30 days
- Lead time estimate: X weeks
---
## Notes
### Risks
-
### Alternatives
-
---
*Rough estimate only. Final quote subject to drawing review and process planning.*
Quick Reference Tables
Cycle Time Rules of Thumb Part Type Quick Estimate Simple turned (Ø25-50) 2-5 min Complex turned (Ø50-100) 8-20 min Swiss part (small) 1-3 min Simple prismatic (milled) 5-15 min 5-axis component 20-60 min Wire EDM profile 30-120 min
Setup Time Rules of Thumb Scenario Estimate Repeat job, tooling available 15-30 min New job, simple 30-45 min New job, complex 60-120 min New job, 5-axis or Swiss 90-180 min
Cost Sanity Checks Part Type £/part Range (qty 100) Simple turned bushing £2-8 Complex turned shaft £15-50 Swiss precision pin £3-15 Milled bracket (aluminium) £10-40 5-axis aerospace part £50-500 EDM detail £30-200
Example Estimates
Example 1: Turned Shaft Part: Ø50 × 150mm shaft, 4140 steel, ±0.025mm on bearing diameters
Qty: 100
Operations:
- OP10: Face, turn OD, drill center (NLX2500)
- OP20: Flip, face to length, finish bearing seats
Cycle estimate:
- Rough turning: 4 min
- Finish turning: 2 min
- Total: 6 min base
Factors:
- Material (4140): × 1.1
- Tolerance (±0.025): × 1.4
- Complexity (standard): × 1.0
- Combined: × 1.54
Adjusted cycle: 6 × 1.54 = 9.2 min
Costs (at £65/hr):
- Setup: 45 min × £65/60 = £49
- Run: 9.2 min × 100 × £65/60 = £997
- Material: 2.3kg × £3/kg × 100 × 1.3 = £897
- Subtotal: £1,943
- Margin (30%): £583
- Quote: £2,526 (£25.26/part)
Example 2: Swiss Medical Pin Part: Ø4 × 20mm pin, 316SS, ±0.01mm, qty 1000
Machine: CITIZEN LFV
Cycle estimate: 90 sec base (complex small part)
Factors:
- Material (316SS): × 1.4
- Tolerance (±0.01): × 1.5
- Complexity (moderate): × 1.3
- Combined: × 2.73
Adjusted cycle: 90 × 2.73 = 246 sec = 4.1 min
Costs (at £85/hr):
- Setup: 90 min × £85/60 = £128
- Run: 4.1 min × 1000 × £85/60 = £5,808
- Material: 0.02kg × £8/kg × 1000 × 1.3 = £208
- Subtotal: £6,144
- Margin (30%): £1,843
- Quote: £7,987 (£7.99/part)
Integration
PlantCapability: Check feasibility before estimatingCNCSetup: Setup times based on actual setup sheet complexityTribalKnowledge: Adjust factors based on captured experienceAutomotiveManufacturing: Link to PPAP/APQP costing requirements 02
When to Activate
項目管理
Production Scheduling Codified expertise for production scheduling, job sequencing, line balancing, changeover optimization, and bottleneck resolution in discrete and batch manufacturing. Informed by production schedulers with 15+ years experience. Includes TOC/drum-buffer-rope, SMED, OEE analysis, disruption response frameworks, and ERP/MES interaction patterns. Use when scheduling production, resolving bottlenecks, optimizing changeovers, responding to disruptions, or balancing manufacturing lines.