Manufacturing · Cost Estimation2024 - PresentSaaS Platform

Estimatic

An assembly-level cost estimation platform built end-to-end for the manufacturing industry. Manufacturers upload 3D CAD models, the system parses geometry into machinable features, maps them to real shop-floor machines and tooling, and produces machine-accurate quotes in minutes - replacing days of manual RFQ work with a configurable, repeatable pipeline.

Client
Estimatic
Industry
Manufacturing
Services
Product · Engineering · Design
Outcome
Hours → minutes per RFQ · machine-aware quoting · multi-facility ready
Estimatic - hero image

Project overview

Estimatic is a cost estimation platform built specifically for the manufacturing sector. It lets service providers and OEMs generate accurate, machine-specific quotes by analyzing 3D CAD models and aligning them with actual shop-floor capabilities - turning a multi-step, expert-driven workflow into an automated pipeline that produces consistent estimates in a fraction of the time.

The challenge

Manufacturing cost estimation sits at the intersection of engineering analysis, machine capability, material science, and business economics. For most manufacturers it is still a manual job: senior engineers interpret 2D drawings or 3D CAD, identify machinable features and tolerances, map them to available equipment, calculate cycle times from spindle speeds, feeds, and tool paths, and then layer in setup, material, scrap, labour, and overhead. The result is slow, inconsistent, and entirely dependent on individual expertise - a bottleneck during high RFQ volumes and a hard ceiling on how the business can scale.

Discovery & strategy

We approached Estimatic as a product, not a calculation tool. That meant internalising how manufacturers actually operate: every shop floor has a different mix of machines, tooling, materials, labour rates, and overhead structures. Rather than building a rigid one-size-fits-all engine, we designed the platform around configurability - a structured onboarding flow where each manufacturer captures their own shop setup, which then becomes the source of truth for every quote that follows.

Design process

The interface mirrors the mental model of an estimator: upload a CAD model, review automated feature extraction, select machines and processes, refine parameters, generate a quote. Every step exposes what the system detected and the assumptions it made, so engineers can trust, verify, or override - making the transition from manual to automated quoting gradual rather than disruptive.

Development execution

Estimatic was built as a modular system with clear separation of concerns: a CAD processing layer that handles uploads, geometry extraction, and feature recognition; a rules-based cost engine that applies validated, machine-aware cost models; a configuration layer for shop setups, tooling and material libraries; and a quoting workflow with scenario comparison, what-if analysis, and exportable customer-ready outputs. Cost models are versioned and updateable without disrupting active quotes, and the data model supports multi-facility manufacturers from a single platform.

Technology stack

Next.js
NestJS
TypeScript
MongoDB
Redis
TanStack
Three.js
AWS · Terraform
Vercel

Outcomes

Hours → minutes
Per-RFQ turnaround
~5×
More quotes per estimator
Machine-aware
Cost models tied to real shop-floor capacity
Multi-facility
Centralized quoting across sites

Project gallery

Dashboard - primary view
Product - secondary view
Product - marketing view
- LET'S TALK

Let's build something exceptional.

Tell us about the product you're building. Discovery calls are short, sharp, and free. You'll meet a senior engineer or designer - never a sales rep.

RESPONSE TIME
< 24 hrs