AI Quoting for Metal Fabrication
RFQ in. Priced quote out. Your agent reads the drawing, works out material and routing costs, builds the quantity breaks and sends the quote from your shop system.
Works using
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No new system.No integrations.
quoted while they're still deciding ↗
- MaterialA36 · 3/16"
- Flat blank14.25" × 9.5"
- Bends2 × 90°
- Weight7.2 lb each
- HE-4471-B rev C bracket · qty 5038.40
- HE-4471-B rev C bracket · qty 10029.75
- HE-4471-B rev C bracket · qty 25024.10
- First article inspection report175.00
Can you supply mill certs with the parts?
Yes. Mill test reports for the A36 plate ship with every lot. It's on the quote under notes, at no charge.
- 01RFQ
- 02Drawing
- 03Material & routing
- 04Quote
- 05Answers
Instant quotes. Win more deals.
The first good quote usually wins the job. Your agent sends it while the customer is still deciding.
- Request sits in the inbox
- Quote goes out 3–5 days
- Deal lost. The buyer already placed the PO with a faster shop.
With your agent✦ Instant- Picked up the moment it lands
- Drawn, priced, approved, sent same day
- First in the inbox. Deal won.
From RFQ drawings to a shop quote
- What comes in
- Start with the customer’s PDF print, STEP or DXF file, quantity breaks and requested finish. Capture the drawing revision and material callout with the request.
- How the quote is built
- The agent uses your CAD and shop screens to prepare the takeoff and price material, setup, cutting, bending, welding and finishing from your rules.
- What gets done
- A shop quote with quantity breaks, the correct drawing revision and your lead-time terms, sent to the buyer. The agent handles follow-ups using the quote and job records.
- Example request
- An RFQ asks for 100 brackets, then a revised print changes the hole spacing. The agent identifies the new revision, applies your setup and routing rules, recalculates the price and sends the updated quote.
Quoting for metal fabrication is messy
- RFQs that sit. Answered late, or never
- One estimator. Every quote waits on one desk
- Steel moves. Plate price from last month
- Missed details. Tolerance, finish, cert required
An agent that handles the messy parts your way.
- 01Prints, not formsPDF, STEP, DXF, sketches
- 02Steel by the poundPriced today, not last month
- 03Routing hoursYour machines, your rates
- 04Quantity breaksSetup spread right
- 05RevisionsRev C is not rev B
Every quote, by hand. Agents should!
- ManualAgent Open the RFQ
- ManualAgent Read the print
- ManualAgent Redraw in CAD
- ManualAgent Material & weight
- ManualAgent Call for steel
- ManualAgent Cut & bend time
- ManualAgent Weld & finish
- ManualAgent Outside process
- ManualAgent Qty breaks
- ManualAgent Key the quote
- ManualAgent Answer the buyer
No new system. No integrations.
You're not buying software. You're adding an agent that uses the software you have.
- Your screens It uses your CAD, quoting system and inbox with keyboard, mouse and screen.
- Nothing to connect No API projects, no new software, no data migration. Your systems stay as they are.
- Built by talking Explain your process like you'd train a new hire. It learns by doing a real quote.
- You approve Drawings, prices, discounts, sends. Wherever you want a person, it stops and asks.
- Every run on record Screenshots, values read, prices used and who approved, for every quote.
Hand the whole quote to an agent
- Reads the RFQ
- Draws it in CAD
- Prices the steel
- Routes the job
- Estimator approves
- Sends the quote
- Answers the buyer
- Follows up
Agent does itYou decide
Any format in. CAD out.
Hand sketch, PDF print, photo or fax. The agent redraws it in your CAD, takes off the job and builds the quote.
What buyers send
- PDF print
- Hand sketch
- Phone photo
- Marked-up old drawing
- Fax or scan
- STEP / DXF
- MaterialA36 · 3/16"
- Flat blank14.25" × 9.5"
- Bends2 × 90°
- Weight7.2 lb each
Your buyer sends the print. The agent prepares the flat pattern and weight in your CAD, then prices the material and operations in your shop system. How sketch-to-CAD works →
Five steps. One quote.
One job, start to finish: Hartwell Equipment, mounting bracket, 3 quantities.
- 01
It draws it in CAD
PDF print, photo or hand sketch, modeled in SOLIDWORKS with flat pattern and weight.
Drawing/CAD · HE-4471-B- MaterialA36 · 3/16"
- Flat blank14.25" × 9.5"
- Bends2 × 90°
- Weight7.2 lb each
HE-4471-B rev C · bracket
- 02
It prices the steel
Weight from the drawing. Price from your service center, today.
Service center portal · ratesItem From Price A36 plate 3/16, 60×120 Service center $0.62 / lb Laser, 3/16 mild steel Shop rate $165 / hr Press brake, 2 hits Shop rate $95 / hr Powder coat, blackQuote is 41 days old Outside vendor $4.80 / pc - 03
It routes the job
Laser, brake, weld, powder coat. Your rates, your hours.
JobBOSS² · Quote 23-0418Quote 23-0418Hartwell EquipmentDraftDescription Qty Unit Amount HE-4471-B rev C bracket · qty 50 50 ea 38.40 HE-4471-B rev C bracket · qty 100 100 ea 29.75 HE-4471-B rev C bracket · qty 250 250 ea 24.10 First article inspection report 1 lot 175.00 Lead time 3 weeks ARO · valid 30 daysQty 100: $3,150.00 - 04
It sends the quote
Quantity breaks, lead time and terms, in your shop system's PDF.
Outlook · New messageToJ. Okafor
SubjectQuote 23-0418 for RFQ 88-214
Hi James, our quote for the HE-4471-B bracket at 50, 100 and 250 is attached. First article in 3 weeks after PO. Steel pricing is held for 30 days.
Quote 23-0418.pdf
Send - 05
It answers the buyer
Material certs, lead time, revisions. From the quote and the print.
Email · Hartwell EquipmentCan you supply mill certs with the parts?
Yes. Mill test reports for the A36 plate ship with every lot. It's on the quote under notes, at no charge.
Answered from: Quote 23-0418, note 2
Metal fabrication: every step
From the first request to the sent quote and follow-up. One agent, working across your software.
your process, from start to finish
- RFQ email with drawings
- Read print, sketch or photo
- Drawing complete?No → ask the buyer
- Redraw in CAD: blank & weight
- Price material at service center
- Route: laser, brake, weld
- Outside process quote current?No → request new quote
- Build qty breaks
- Enter quote in shop system
- Margin above target?No → estimator decides
- Estimator approves
- Email quote PDF to buyer
- Answer buyer questions
- Revision or new rev?Yes → re-quote, re-approve
- Follow up in 3 days
- PO received. Convert to job
Agent does it You decide Rule check
Built around how you quote
Not a template. Your steps, your price book, your approvals.
- 01
Explain it once
Talk or type, like training a new hire. Hand over your SOP, price book and a few past quotes.
When a request comes in, first check: drawing complete? If not, ask the buyer.
Quoting SOP.pdf Price book 2026.xlsx 3 past quotes - 02
Watch it work
It works a real job on your screen. You correct it the way you'd correct a person.
Use the 2026 price book, not last year's.
Got it. Switched to 2026 and re-priced 4 lines.
Read requestDrawingPricing - 03
Save your process
A written procedure and a flowchart. Every run follows the version you approved.
- Read print, sketch or photo
- Drawing complete?
- Redraw in CAD: blank & weight
- Price material at service center
- Route: laser, brake, weld
- Outside process quote current?
Change anything. Any time.
Any step, any rule, any approval. Say what changed. Approve the new version.
- Price material at service center
- Check this customer's historyAdded
- Vendor quote over 30 days?Changed
- Email quote PDF to buyer
- Estimator approvesRepeat customers: skip
- Margin above target?
Add a step after “Price material at service center”: check this customer's history and flag anything unusual.
Step added
New rule: Vendor quote over 30 days → get a new one.
Rule changed
Repeat customers under the limit don't need my approval anymore.
Approval changed
Saved as version 4. You approved it. The next run follows it. The last runs keep the version they ran on.
Your rules. Exactly.
Written once in plain English. Followed every time.
- Vendor quote over 30 days? Get a new one
- Tolerance under ±0.005? Estimator reviews
- New customer? Estimator approves
Never, on any run
- Quote from an old revision
- Accept a tolerance it can't read
- Promise a ship date
- Change your shop rates
Approvals, where you want them
It stops and asks you.
What it built, what it checked, what looks off and what it suggests. Approve, edit, reject, or take the wheel.
from your desk or your phone ↘
Approve quote 23-0418 for Hartwell?
You asked to approve every new-customer quote.
Agent suggests: Approve and sendOne item needs a look. Everything else checked out.
QUOTE 23-0418 · HE-4471-B rev C
MaterialA36 3/16 · $0.62/lb today
Laser + brake0.11 hr/pc · shop rates
Powder coat$4.80/pc · vendor quote 41 days old
Qty 50 / 100 / 250$38.40 / $29.75 / $24.10
Margin at qty 10027% · target 25%
Total at qty 100$3,150.00
Review notes
- Weight checked against the flat blank
- Powder coat price is older than your 30-day rule
- Rev C matches the RFQ
Your team, before and after
| Today | With your agent | |
|---|---|---|
| RFQ response | When there's time | Same day |
| Your estimator | Keys and calls | Checks and wins |
| Steel price | From memory | Checked each quote |
| Quotes answered | The easy ones | Every one |
One quote, start to finish
if you wish to see it in action!
How many hours can you get back?
Your volume, your times, your labor cost. Estimates, not results.
RFQs × (minutes today − minutes with the agent) ÷ 60 × hourly cost
These are example assumptions, not results. Example for a 40-person fab shop: minutes cover reading the print, material, routing, entry and the email. Use your own numbers.
What should an RFQ-to-quote workflow capture?
- The correct part revision
- Keep the part number, drawing revision, material specification, quantities and requested finish with the RFQ. Define how conflicting prints and models should be escalated before the estimating steps continue.
- The shop’s cost structure
- Use your costing method for material, setup, run time and outside services. For quantity breaks, agree how setup is allocated and where minimum charges apply. Your routing and manufacturing rules handle standard parts; exceptions can go to the estimator.
- A traceable quote
- Prepare line items with the requested quantities, lead-time terms and exclusions from approved records. Carry the drawing revision into the quote and any later job handoff so production can identify what the estimator priced.
- Try it on your work
- Choose a repeat part family and provide drawings, routing rules, shop rates and prior quotes at two quantities. Include a changed revision. Check staff time, omitted operations and differences from the estimator’s approved cost calculation.
Questions owners ask us
Can quotes run fully automatically?
Yes. Once your process is configured, LaunchAI runs the quote from start to finish: reads the request, prepares the drawings or job details, applies your prices, builds and sends the quote, and handles follow-ups in your existing software.
What happens when a customer sends a new drawing revision?
The configured workflow can flag the revision change, attach the new drawing and prepare an updated draft. It applies your rules for tooling, operation times and inspection requirements. Standard revisions can be sent automatically; changes outside your limits go to your estimator.
Can it read our customers' drawings?
It reads PDF prints the way an estimator does: title block, revision, material callout, dimensions, hole and bend notes, finish and general notes. It can open STEP and DXF files in your CAD to get the flat blank and weight. When something's unclear, it asks the buyer before it quotes.
Does it work in JobBOSS², E2 or ProShop?
It works the screens your estimator uses, with their login, so it isn't tied to one product. We confirm the exact steps on your version before a pilot.
How does it price material?
Weight from the drawing, price from your service center's portal or your latest price list, plus your drop and scrap allowance. If the price came from an old list, the line is flagged.
How are labor hours set?
From your routing rules: laser time by thickness and cut length, brake time by hits, weld time by inches, setup by operation. You write the rules once and they're applied the same way every quote.
Does it send quotes on its own?
Only if you say so. Most shops start with the estimator approving every quote, then let repeat parts at standard margin go straight out.
Which RFQ should we quote first?
Bring one RFQ, its drawing and the quote you sent.
no new system. no integrations. ↗