Design for cost with QY CAD


QY CAD users with a Premium or Classic license can use commands in the Design for Cost docking window to analyze geometry and provide statistics for calculating an approximate cost to manufacture a sheet metal part.

For a sheet metal part, Design for Cost provides:

All of the information is stored in the QY CAD document as custom properties that can be added to a draft or linked in a variable table. Examples of custom properties associated with Design for Cost are: Estimated Bends, Estimated Cuts, and Estimated Mass.

Working with Design for Cost

When you open a QY CAD sheet metal document (.psm), the Design for Cost pane is accessible from View tab→Show group→Panes .

Use the Design for Cost pane to:

  • Analyze your QY CAD sheet metal part.

    To evaluate the model and determine the manufacturing operations, Design for Cost must be able to flatten the sheet metal model. Ensure flattening can occur by:

    • Using a sheet metal (.psm) document. A part file (.par) with a sheet metal body is not eligible.

    • Ensuring the active design body is a sheet metal body. A part design body in a sheet metal document is not eligible.

    • Verifying there are no disjoint regions in the body.

    • Ensuring there are no overlapping plates.

  • Export costing information to a CSV file.

    The CSV file is saved to the same location as the model document. Look for a file name in the format <filename>_Cost.csv.

  • Print costing information.

Supplying operation costs

To obtain an estimated cost to produce your sheet metal part, you must enter an estimated cost per manufacturing operation (for example, cost per bend). You can use the Manufacturing Estimate table to:

  • Enter the manufacturing cost directly in the corresponding cell of the Cost column.

  • Double-click a cell in the Cost Formula column, and use variables to supply costing information.

    The variables related to Design for Cost begin with Cost_ .

    Example: Cost_Mass, Cost_Cut, Cost_Bend

Out-of-date estimates

Occasionally, the manufacturing cost estimate can become outdated. This can happen when changes are made to the sheet metal part that affect:

  • Mass, volume, or surface area.

  • Physical properties such as a change of material.

  • The geometry of the model.

  • The units for the document.

When an estimate is out-of-date, the Design for Cost docking pane indicates Estimated cost out of sync with the model and the Analyze button changes to reflect the need to reexamine the model based on its current state. To get an updated estimate, click Analyze .

Creating flat pattern drawings Design for cost (workflow)

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