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

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

Quick Quote Formula

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

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

• Within capability
• Machine(s):
• Risks:

Operations Breakdown

Factors Applied

Adjusted cycle: Y × [combined] = Z min/part

Cost Calculation

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 estimating

• CNCSetup: Setup times based on actual setup sheet complexity

• TribalKnowledge: Adjust factors based on captured experience

• AutomotiveManufacturing: Link to PPAP/APQP costing requirements