Manufacturing Costing
CAD to Quote
in Seconds.
Upload a STEP file. Get an instant per-part cost breakdown — material, tooling, manufacturing. Export to Excel.
< 60s
Quote Time
30+
Materials
100%
Browser-Based
How It Works
Upload
Drop any STEP file. No install, no signup required.
Analyze
Geometry parsed, features detected, costs calculated automatically.
Export
Per-part cost breakdown ready. Export to Excel or branded PDF report.
Built-in Engines
Injection Molding & HPDC.
Costed from geometry.
Purpose-built costing engines that understand your manufacturing process. Feature recognition, fill approximation, cycle time, and tooling breakdown — all derived automatically from 3D geometry. Every parameter editable to match your shop rates.
Feature Recognition
Bosses, ribs, holes detected automatically
Fill Simulation
Real-time fill approximation for cycle time
Tooling Breakdown
Steel, ejectors, sliders, cooling — line by line
Volume Pricing
Instant recalculation at any quantity
Costing without DFM
Any process.
Costing without DFM.
For machining, vacuum casting, sheet metal, or any manufacturing process — upload your existing Excel costing sheet. Pre6 detects the columns, formulas, summary rows, and branding. From then on, upload STEP files into an RFQ project and export finished quotations in your format.
Pricing
Pay per quote.
One account. Use both types of RFQ.
You only pay for the quotes you generate.
In-built Process
RecommendedDFM-powered costing.
Injection Molding & HPDC. Full engineering suite — DFM, fill approximation, and costing from geometry.
Your Excel sheet
Costing without DFM.
Any process. Upload your Excel sheet — Pre6 automates it with engineering insights.
First 10 analyses free. No credit card required.
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate is the costing?
Pre6 Costing uses the same cost drivers as production quoting: material weight, cycle time from fill approximation, clamp force for machine sizing, and feature-based tooling surcharges. Every parameter is editable so you can match your shop rates.
Can I use my own pricing assumptions?
Yes. Machine hour rates, material costs, tooling markups, margin percentages, and feature surcharge rules are all configurable. Make it match your actual shop economics.
How is Pre6 different from other costing tools?
Most costing tools either skip geometry entirely (you type in dimensions manually) or hide their cost models behind black-box pricing. Pre6 reads STEP files directly, exposes every cost driver for editing so estimators can audit each number, and bills per RFQ instead of by enterprise seat — no annual contract, no procurement cycle.
Can I compare what this part would cost in different regions?
Yes. The Insights tab includes a Regional Preview that prices the same part through any combination of USA, India, China, Germany, and Japan rate libraries side-by-side. Every regionally-driven rate carries a citation — source URL, methodology, derivation formula, and confidence badge — so procurement buyers can audit each number. The comparison and full citation chain export to a new tab in the costing Excel workbook alongside the existing mold and part sheets.
Can I run "what if?" scenarios on my quote?
Yes. The Insights tab's Compare Scenarios panel lets you clone your quote and edit a variant (material, cavity count, production qty, gate type, steel grade, surface finish, mold-life shots) — costs recompute live as you type, with red/green deltas. The Cost Drivers panel ranks the biggest geometric drivers (bosses, ribs, holes, complexity flags, slider undercuts) and gives each a "What if no X?" action that shows the inline manufacturing-cost savings and highlights the affected faces in the 3D viewer.
What is "Costing without DFM"?
Upload your existing Excel costing sheet for any manufacturing process. Pre6 detects the structure — columns, formulas, summary rows, and company branding. You can then reuse this template for bulk RFQ projects: upload STEP files, fill in costs in your familiar layout, and export finished quotations in your exact format.
Still wondering if Pre6 Costing is right for your quoting process?
Ask your favorite AI about Pre6 Costing's capabilities and how it compares to manual quoting.