Tool, Die, Mold & Fixture Estimating, For Work That's Rarely the Same Job Twice
Machined tooling components, priced from your own CNC data, plus a structured, repeatable place to enter the EDM, grinding, and fitting work that doesn’t come from a toolpath.
The Problem
Toolroom work is low-volume and high-variation by nature — every die, mold, or fixture is close to a one-off, which makes “price it like the last one” unreliable.
EDM, jig boring, grinding, and hand-fitting time typically get estimated from experience, with no structured record of what actually drove the cost on the last job.
Tooling projects often mix machined components with purchased tooling elements (inserts, standard mold bases, wear plates), priced in different places and reconciled by hand.
How Micro Estimate Estimates Tool, Die, Mold & Fixture Work
Machined components, calculated from the part.
For tooling components that are CNC milled, Micro Estimate reads the 3D file and calculates real, shop-specific cycle time from your own machines, tools, and speeds/feeds — the same CAD-driven path used for any milled component.
Structured entry for EDM, grinding, and fitting.
Wire and sinker EDM, jig boring, grinding, honing, and hand-fitting don’t have an automated way to read time off a drawing, so MicroEnterprise gives estimators a consistent, structured place to enter them — instead of pricing toolroom time from memory job to job.
Purchased tooling elements, in the same estimate.
Standard mold bases, inserts, wear plates, and other purchased tooling components are priced through the same purchased-parts and outside-services libraries used across the platform, alongside the machined and manually-entered work.
What's Included
Automatic Feature Recognition and CAMWorks toolpath generation for milled tooling components
Structured cost entry for EDM, jig boring, grinding, honing, and hand-fitting
Purchased parts and outside services libraries for mold bases, inserts, and wear plates
Material libraries for tool steel and mold-grade materials
Configurable labor rates, overhead, and margin rules
Customer quote letters, cost breakdowns, shop travelers, and routing documentation
Who It’s For
Toolrooms and shops building dies, molds, jigs, and fixtures — whether as a dedicated tool-and-die operation or as the toolroom function inside a larger machine shop.
we’ll route you based on which processes your work involves (Michael for CNC/MicroExpress, Leonard for fabrication and welding)