Learn CNC Costing with the ACE Report – A Complete Guide

CNC machining plays a crucial role in manufacturing high-precision components across industries like aerospace, automotive, and medical. However, estimating CNC machining costs accurately is often a challenging and time-consuming task for cost engineers. That’s where the ACE - Automated Costing Engine comes in.

ACE simplifies the process of CNC costing by generating detailed reports in just seconds. This blog provides a step-by-step CNC costing report breakdown, explaining each section with practical insights, and answering key questions like “What is a CNC costing report?”

How to Generate and Download Your ACE CNC Costing Report

Wondering how to calculate CNC machining costs accurately? With ACE, it’s as easy as uploading your 3D CAD file in formats like STEP or STP. The tool instantly generates a CNC costing report, offering a detailed breakdown of costs such as raw material, setup, and machining time.

How to download your CNC costing report? Once the costing is complete, simply head to your ACE dashboard and click on the "Costing Report PDF" button to instantly access your file.

For this blog, we’ll use a sample CNC costing report. Access the sample files below:

• Sample CAD File → Download CAD File
• Sample CNC Costing Report → Download Costing Report

1. Basic Component Details

This section outlines the essential details of the component:

• Item Name: The uploaded 3D file, e.g., Robotic Base Plate.STEP.
• Process: The machining process gets auto-detected using AI algorithms. This will auto-detect parts into 3 types -some text
  •  Milling
  • Turning
  • TurnMill
• Material: Aluminium 6061, a widely used and machinable material. ACE offers a library of over 40 material options.
• Quantity: Number of components, e.g., 5 pieces in this example.
• Surface Finish: "As Manufactured" indicates no extra finishing processes are specified.
• Tolerance: ISO 2768 - Medium defines acceptable dimensional deviations.

Why it matters: These inputs guide the entire CNC quoting process. For instance, tighter tolerances increase machining complexity, while higher quantities reduce setup costs per component due to economies of scale.

2. Component Dimensions

ACE calculates crucial details, including:

• Mass: Finished weight (e.g., 562 grams).
• Size: Final dimensions (150.0 × 75.0 × 25.0 mm).
• Surface Area: Total external area (39,557.26 mm²).

How do these dimensions affect CNC machining costs? The mass and dimensions determine the raw material block size needed, while surface area influences machining time, as larger surfaces may require multiple tool passes.

3. Raw Material Cost

• Material Cost: ₹449.0 for 5 components.
• Cost Per Kg: ₹450.0/kg, based on Aluminium 6061’s market rate.some text
  • This cost is adjustable and can be edited at the user's convenience to reflect current market trends or supplier rates.Click on Edit Rate to edit raw material cost.
• Stock Dimensions: 154.0 × 80.0 × 30.0 mm, ensuring machining allowances.some text
  • These dimensions have been determined based on standard sizes provided by raw material manufacturers and dealers in the industry. This approach ensures optimal raw material selection based on availability and suitability for machining.
• Stock Weight: 998 grams per block.

In practice: Efficient selection of stock dimensions reduces material wastage, a critical factor when calculating raw material costs for CNC parts.

4. Machining Cost

• Machining Time: 1 hr 3 mins 13 secs, including tool movement and cutting.
• Loading & Unloading Time: 1 min per part.
• Machining Cost: ₹421.5, calculated at ₹400/hr.

Machining time includes operations like drilling, contouring, and finishing. Optimizing tool paths and feed rates can help reduce time, saving both money and machine wear.

How to optimize CNC machining costs? ACE calculates machining time using AI algorithms which takes into consideration the features of the CAD geometry and the manufacturing operations. By using a data repository of more than 8000 tools it selects the correct tool and considers the optimal speeds and feeds to calculate the machining time. With setup insights it also calculates the time to change the tool adding precision to the time calculated.

5. Setup Cost

• Total Setup Cost: ₹1045.0 for 5 components.
• Setup Cost Per Item: ₹209.0.
• Number of Setups: 2, indicating two distinct machining stages.
• Setup Time: 2 hrs 36 mins 36 secs.

Breakdown of Setup Activities:

• Programming & Quality Check Time: Preparing and validating the CNC program (1 hr 1 min 12 secs).
• Machine Override Time: Manual adjustments during machining (37 mins 12 secs).
• Tool Setting Time (Tool Offset): 21 mins for tool calibration.
• Work Setting Time (Work Offset): 27 mins for aligning the raw block.
• In-Process Inspection: 10 mins 12 secs to check dimensions mid-process.

Why it matters: Setup costs play a significant role in CNC machining. ACE allows costing engineers to evaluate and optimize setup times, helping answer the question, “What factors affect CNC machining costs?”

Considering all the possible activities happening at a shop floor during machining ACE tries to simulate the real cost of machining a component. These details helps costing engineers to deep dive into specifics allowing them to control the costing in a better way.

6. Surface Finish Cost

• Cost: ₹0.0 in this example.

For high-quality components, finishing processes like polishing or anodizing are often significant cost drivers. ACE factors in surface area and weight to provide accurate finishing cost estimates.

7. Cost Summary

• Total Cost: ₹5397.5 for manufacturing 5 components.
• Cost Per Component: ₹1079.5.

This final section sums up all costs, enabling quick responses to RFQs. With ACE, understanding CNC machining cost reports is simple, transparent, and fast.

Why Choose ACE for CNC Costing?

Traditional CNC costing methods are often slow and complex, relying on expertise and time-intensive calculations. ACE speeds up this process by providing:

• Instant Quotes: Generate detailed costing reports in just seconds without the need for advanced software or specialized expertise.
• Clarity: Get a transparent breakdown of material, machining, and setup costs.
• Time Savings: Eliminate manual effort and lengthy calculations, allowing you to focus on strategic tasks.
• Ease of Use: No installations or licenses required—ACE works seamlessly online for anyone in your team.

Tips to Reduce CNC Machining Costs

1. Optimize Designs: Simplify geometries and minimize tight tolerances where possible.
2. Order in Batches: Spread setup costs over larger quantities to save money.
3. Choose Cost-Effective Materials: For prototypes, select economical alternatives.
4. Plan Finishes Smartly: Specify post-processing only where necessary.
5. Use ACE for Pre-Quotes: Quickly identify cost drivers before finalizing.

What is the fastest way to get CNC machining quotes? By leveraging ACE’s instant quoting tool, you can save time and respond to RFQs faster than ever.

Conclusion

The ACE CNC Costing Report bridges the gap between traditional and modern costing methods. It not only provides quick and accurate estimates but also helps you understand cost drivers and optimize your processes.

Start exploring ACE today and see how it transforms your CNC quoting workflow!

Register Now for FREE!