Keep each fabrication cost visible in the workbook

Start with the purchased blank and the flat

The default flat blank is 8 × 6 inches on a 48 × 96-inch sheet with half-inch edges and 0.125-inch spacing. The workbook checks two uniform orientations and fits 77 blanks per sheet. It charges whole $180 sheets to the release rather than multiplying finished area by an optimistic utilization percentage. The flat size must already include the correct bend allowance; the workbook does not develop geometry or check a bend sequence. Grain restrictions or clamps can make the maximum-orientation count unsuitable.

Keep machine time and purchased lines separate

Laser time uses the published catalog relation for 32 cut inches, five pierces, 0.063-inch thickness and cutting factor one. Rates begin at $175 per laser hour and $80 per brake hour. Brake setup is twenty minutes plus three per bend; run is 0.2 minute per bend. Four bends, $2 installed hardware per part and $125 plus $3.50 per part finish complete the illustrated scope. These are editable assumptions, not supplier quotations. The optional weld minutes and consumables must be filled from the actual weldment routing when needed.

Review each quantity before issuing an offer

The step from 77 to 78 pieces buys another whole sheet under this allocation policy, so material cost does not fall smoothly at every quantity. Outside-process lot charges are applied once per quoted release, while piece costs multiply by quantity. Keep those alternatives as separate offers rather than summing them as one order. The workbook contains internal costs and should stay in the shop; transfer only approved quantities, prices, scope, validity and delivery to the buyer’s quote. Add deburring, packaging or special inspection when the print requires them.

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