This month, we’re celebrating the one year anniversary of our 3D printing management software, GrabCAD Shop! And we’re celebrating with brand new features, including a cost calculator.

Since beta launch last November, we’ve seen GrabCAD Shop users save hours of time in managing work orders. But the one missing piece has always been the ability to communicate and manage costs per work order. The ability to estimate how much a work order will cost is essential for model shops, for both the print operator and the requester.

In this blog post, I’ll review this feature (and more) so you can get started. You can also see all the new features and functionality in the highlight video below:

Haven’t tried GrabCAD Shop yet? Sign up for a free trial!

3D Printing Cost Calculator

The new GrabCAD Shop cost calculator gives operators the ability to quote an entire work order. For instance, when a print operator receives a new print job, he or she can immediately enter material and time estimates directly in the work order. As they fill out material and time estimates, an automatic price (based on the rates previously configured) displays.

When the operator clicks the “Calculator” icon, he or she can see a detailed breakdown of rates and costs. They can even add additional costs or discounts.

To enable cost estimations in GrabCAD shop per material or per machine, Shop administrators need to first configure the following rates in the Machines & Material section of their shop:

• Machine usage
• Labor
• Material

These rates can then be used while quoting an order, providing an effective cost analysis of shop operations.

New Reporting Functionality

Being able to report on shop productivity helps managers and print operators improve processes and workflows. And now, with our new export reporting functionality, you can report on:

• Number of orders in a given time period
• Orders per user
• Orders per technology
• Report on materials requested
• Orders within a date range

Check out our in depth tutorial How to Export & Create 3D Printing Reports in GrabCAD Shop so you can learn how to use this new functionality!

More Great Features

• Assign an Operator to an order: Operators can now assign themselves to a specific order. Once an operator is assigned, only that person will receive chat alerts with the requester. This new functionality will reduce communication noise for print operators not involved in that order.
• Customize and configure job statuses: Order and part statuses can now be customized to display the data you care about most. Learn how to create your dream dashboard in this tutorial: Create Custom Operator Dashboards in GrabCAD Shop.
• More printers and technology available: The latest Stratasys PolyJet printers have been added to our machine database, including the Stratasys J55 and J750 Digital Anatomy Printer.

To see ALL of the new features we recently added, check out the GrabCAD Shop Release Notes or watch the highlight video above. And don’t forget — GrabCAD Shop is FREE for the first month. Sign up for a free trial today!