Quoting software for machine shops
An RFQ lands with a STEP file or a drawing and a quantity. Setell reads the CAD geometry — size, solid volume, stock weight — and drafts a structured quote (material, setup, run-time) in seconds, then takes it all the way to an invoice in QuickBooks. Reading CAD & STEP files is free on every plan.
Free to start · no credit card · works with QuickBooks & Xero
Send us the STEP file.
We'll read it.
STEP, IGES, DWG, DXF — read on Free, Business, and Pro alike. Setell opens the model and pulls the numbers you actually quote from: bounding box, solid volume, stock weight per material. They land in the draft, marked with how far the geometry can be trusted.
Dedicated CAD estimators put reading behind a monthly subscription. For a machine shop it's the front door — so for us it's free, on every tier.
RFQs are where machine-shop margin leaks out
Every RFQ is a little different — a new part, a new quantity, a tolerance callout, a material substitution. So you re-quote from scratch every time, digging through old jobs to remember what you charged. The estimate sits on your desk for three days while the customer emails two other shops. By the time you send it, the job is gone — or you under-priced the setup to win it and lost the margin. Quoting is the bottleneck, not the machining.
How machine shops quote with Setell
Built for the way machine shops actually quote
Defense & aerospace work? Setell adheres to ITAR.
The standard Setell platform isn’t for export-controlled technical data. For shops that handle ITAR- or EAR-controlled drawings, Setell ITAR Edition runs in a dedicated AWS GovCloud (US)enclave — US data residency, US-persons access to controlled data, and the AI kept inside the controlled boundary. It’s provisioned per engagement, and you remain the exporter of record.
- US data residency in AWS GovCloud (US) — at rest, in transit, and in compute
- US-persons-only access to the enclave and controlled technical data
- AI inference kept inside the boundary — controlled data never hits a commercial model API
ITAR compliance is self-determined — there is no government “ITAR certification,” and Setell does not claim one.
You start with structure, not a blank page
Quotes that speak RFQ — setup, run time, material, and inspection, every time. Apply it during onboarding and your quotes start from the lines below — no template-building weekend first. Covers CNC machining, fabrication, welding, prototyping.
Setell runs on the books you already keep — it reads your history to price, matches your customers, and writes the invoice back on approval. See QuickBooks quoting software or Xero quoting software, see how the pricing engine learns your shop, or browse quoting software for every trade.
Machine Shops quoting: FAQ
Does Setell read STEP and CAD files?
Yes — and on every plan, including free. Setell reads native 3D geometry from STEP and IGES solids (bounding box, solid volume, stock weight) plus 2D drawings and PDFs, and feeds it straight into the estimate. Where dedicated CAD estimators put that behind a paid subscription, Setell reads your CAD geometry free on every tier.
Can Setell quote from a drawing or RFQ email?
Yes. Setell reads the customer’s RFQ email and drafts a structured estimate — material, setup, run-time — that you review and adjust. You stay in control of the final numbers; Setell removes the from-scratch typing.
Does it handle material, setup, and run-time pricing?
Yes. Machine shops price on those components, not a flat per-service rate, so Setell drafts quotes in those terms and learns your rates from the jobs you actually send.
Can it re-quote for a different quantity?
Yes. Tell Setell "make it 100 instead of 50" and the revision engine re-prices the quote, creates a new version, and shows the price delta — no rebuilding the estimate.
Does it sync to QuickBooks?
Yes. When a quote is approved it becomes a QuickBooks invoice automatically (Xero too), so the job closes the loop without re-keying it into your accounting.