How Instant Quoting Works: Parts, Quote, and Order

Start by picking the service: CNC routing for wood, plastics and composites, fiber laser cutting for sheet metal, or CNC plasma cutting for steel, stainless and aluminum plate — the router, laser, plasma and waterjet comparison helps if you're not sure which. Each has its own quote with only the materials it cuts, and so does 3D printing, for parts printed from a 3D model. Machined, carved, tube and vinyl work is quoted on request instead — the CNC machining overview compares the machining processes. The quote then has three steps: Parts, Quote, and Order. You review geometry and price before ordering.

Step 1: Parts — upload and confirm

Upload STEP, DXF, or SVG files, or start from a shape. For STEP, check which face is up in the 3D preview. Review the detected features and depths, then choose material, thickness, and quantity. For plywood, grain matching is opt-in; it is off by default for the best yield. Confirm each part before continuing. Not sure which material to choose? The material library has a guide for every routed sheet, and the metal guides cover each metal the laser cuts.

Step 2: Quote — cutting, material, and timing

Cutting is priced per part. Wood and plastic the shop supplies are billed by the whole sheets your parts need; the layout shows how many. Metal is billed by the area your parts use, with a one-time setup charge per design. If you supply wood or plastic sheets for a routing quote, a per-sheet handling fee replaces the material charge; laser parts are cut from the shop's metal. Then choose a lead time and pickup or local delivery. The quote shows each part's price, any charge for a faster speed, delivery and the total. The pricing page walks through example jobs priced by the same engine.

Step 3: Order — proof and checkout

Review the proof with part features, depths, materials, and quantities. Sign in or create an account when asked, then approve and pay through Stripe checkout. While laser rates are being finalized, approving a laser quote sends an order request: the shop confirms the price by email, then you pay online. Nothing is charged until you agree. If a plasma quote marks its price as an estimate, the shop confirms the price by email before you pay. Once payment clears, the order enters the production schedule; status and completion ETA are in your account, and the shop emails you at each step.

Why we built it this way

File cleanup notes, face selection, feature confirmation, and proof approval give you explicit checkpoints before parts are cut. Revisit a step whenever something needs correcting.