Evaluating the Cost of a Machined Part

Run the Costing tool to determine the cost of manufacturing a machined part.

1. In a machined part, click Costing (Tools toolbar or the Evaluate tab on the CommandManager) or Tools > SOLIDWORKS Applications > Costing.
   If there is enough information in the machining template, and if the part has a material assigned to it that matches the template, a cost estimate is performed and the Costing Task Pane displays the Estimated Cost Per Part. If there is not enough information in the template, or if you want to edit the Costing input values, follow the steps below.
2. In the Costing Task Pane:
   1. Under Machining Template, select a template. Default templates are available or you can create templates to use custom manufacturing data.
   2. Under Material, make selections for Class and Name if they are not populated. The Class and Name are populated if the material in the part matches a class and name in the machining template.
      If you want custom classes and materials to appear in the Costing Task Pane, create a template with material information and information about how the materials will be machined.
      The Material cost is the cost in the template for the selected Class and Name combination. You can override Material cost without editing the template. Overrides affect only the part that is open, not the template. If you override Material cost, the text box appears in yellow.
   3. Under Stock Body, select the type of stock material from which you will machine the part. If you select Block, the softare assumes that milling and drilling will be used to create the finished part. If you select Plate, the softare assumes that a combination of 2D machining operations such as waterjet, laser, and plasma cutting, as well as milling and drilling operations will be used to create the finished part. If you select Cylinder, the software assumes that a combination of turning, milling, and drilling operations will be used to create the finished part.
      The selection of stock body is critical. It determines the types of machining operations used to remove material from parts.
   4. If you selected:
      • Block, select Input specific size and set the X, Y, and Z values of the block, or type the Additional stock on values.
      • Plate, select a Thickness from template. If an appropriate thickness is not available, edit the template.
      • Cylinder, select Input specific size and set the D (diameter) and L (length) of the cylinder, or type the Additional stock on values.
   5. Under Quantity, set the Total number of parts and Lot size.
   6. Optionally, under Shop Rate, set a cost per hour to determine the cost of all manufacturing operations regardless of what machine is used.
   7. Optionally, under Markup/Discount, adjust the material cost or the total cost using a percentage factor.
      The software extracts material information from the material set in the part and performs a cost estimate. The CostingManager displays manufacturing features such as milling and hole operations that were recognized in the part. The Machining Costing Task Pane displays the Estimated Cost Per Part.
3. Click Begin Cost Estimation.
4. Optionally, in the CostingManager, add custom operations, and edit and override existing operations.