Configurable to Your Shop. Structured to Protect Your Margins.
Mirror your workflows, machines, and pricing logic — without sacrificing consistency or profitability.
Many Machine Shops Still Estimate and Quote Using Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets became the default because they are familiar and could handle the nuances and complexities of a machine shop's pricing. But over time, they become single points of failure — with pricing logic tied to individuals, files scattered across hard drives, and margins that vary from estimate to estimate.
Machine Research replaces spreadsheets with a configurable, shared system — so your workflows stay intact, but your knowledge becomes structured and scalable.
Configurable to How Your Shop Runs
Everything mirrors your shop — but within guardrails that standardize pricing and protect margins.
Templates that work like your spreadsheets — only better
Preserve your nuances while unlocking consistency, speed, and accuracy.
Lock in best practices
Standardize estimating logic
Reduce variation between estimators
Train new hires faster
Scale without losing consistency
Your expertise becomes a system — not a file.
Margin Protection Built into Every Estimate
- Applies structure to your pricing logic
- Every estimate reflects true costs, consistent markups, and repeatable decision-making
- True cost visibility so you know exactly where profit is made or lost.
- Reduces guesswork and protects consistency across the team.
Adjust pricing by customer, process, or job type — without losing structure or oversight.
More Ways to Configure to Your Shop
Branding
- Apply your logo, colors, and formatting to customer-facing quotes
Pricing & Markups
Global markups
Customer-specific pricing
Process- or operation-level adjustments
Machines
Thousands of machines preloaded
Editable setup and run rates
Add your exact machines if they’re not listed
Materials
Thousands of materials included
Update pricing anytime
Add specialty materials or alloys
Build material-specific templates
Start Quoting Your Way, Except Faster
See how easy it is to configure to your shop, use templates to replace your spreadsheets and protect your margins.
Turn RFQs Into Revenue—Without the Chaos
Everything you need to organize, estimate, price, and send professional quotes—fast.
3D CAD Viewer
Upload CAD, PDFs, or Drawing Files, Individually or in Batches
Supported File Types: CATIA, X_T, SLDPRT, CATPART, STEP, X_B, SAT, SAB, IPT, PRT, PAR, JT, IGS.
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ShapeSearch
Search for Similar Parts With ShapeSearch
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SECURE RFQ MANAGEMENT
Capture Every Opportunity, Faster
Automatically bring every customer request from your website or email into one secure, organized place—no more lost files or manual re-entry.
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PART LIBRARY SOFTWARE
Organize Job Files in One Secure Place
Every part, drawing, file, quote, communication and revision stored in one ITAR/CMMC-compliant system—never hunt down or lose track again.
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AI ESTIMATING FOR MACHINE SHOPS
From 3D Model to Estimate—In a Split Second
Powered by AI and machine learning, Machine Research scans CAD models to generate instant time estimates and costs for programming, setup, and production times.
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CAPTURE TRIBAL KNOWLEDGE
Work Together, Share Knowledge, Quote Faster
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QUOTE FASTER
RFQs Move Fast — Now Your Quotes Can Too
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Security You Can Trust
Meet Cybersecurity Standards for Machine Shop Estimating and Quoting Processes
Modern Technology, Built for Machine Shops
Built by a Machine Shop that understands how shops work
Fast and easy to implement and use, no steep learning curves
Affordable, no contracts, eliminates the need for additional software
ITAR compliant and registered, CMMC 2.0 ready, hosted in AWS GovCloud
Build quotes the way your shop actually runs
See how Templates and customization let you quote faster, price consistently, and protect your margins — without giving up control.
How do machine shops replace spreadsheets for estimating?
Most machine shops replace spreadsheets by moving to estimating software built specifically for machining workflows. The right system should easily replicate customer-specific pricing, multi-operation jobs, subcontracted processes, and machine rates — while standardizing pricing logic across the team.
Why are spreadsheets risky for machine shop quoting?
Spreadsheets often live on individual hard drives and evolve over time. This creates tribal knowledge, version confusion, inconsistent pricing, and margin variability between estimators.
What is configurable estimating software for machine shops?
Configurable estimating software allows a machine shop to define its own workflows, pricing rules, machine rates, materials, and templates — while maintaining structured, repeatable estimating processes that protect margins.
How can a machine shop eliminate tribal knowledge in estimating?
By capturing pricing logic, machine rates, and estimating workflows inside a centralized system with templates, shops can turn individual knowledge into standardized processes that the entire team can access and follow.
How do machine shops protect margins during estimating?
Margin protection comes from consistent pricing logic, accurate machine and material costs, standardized templates, and visibility into true cost per operation. Structured estimating software reduces guesswork and variability between quotes.
Can estimating software handle complex, multi-operation jobs?
Yes. Modern AI-powered machine shop estimating software can model multi-machine operations, secondary processes, subcontracted work, and customer-specific pricing — without relying on spreadsheets.