Where the number comes from
Ask for a build quote from a project and choose 1 to 50 units. The estimate is computed at once from the project itself: the size of the board, the parts on it, the case, and the number of solder joints. It is a rate card estimate. The operator confirms or revises it, and you approve the number before anything is made.
An example, priced by the same function
The motor node is our own demo board, not a customer's. Here it is priced by the function your project uses, with every line's basis as the engine writes it.
- 01PCB fabricationBudget prototype fab for 10 boards, 64 by 40 mm (about 26 cm2 each), shipping included.$5.72
- 02Components and parts4 catalog matches and 11 estimated parts, across 10 units.$137.00
- 03Case3D printed in PLA assumed, walls about 19 cm3 per unit. Machining from solid stock raises the high end.$42.80
- 04Hand assemblyHand assembly, 188 solder joints per board across 10 units.$164.17
- 05Safegrows serviceSourcing and build coordination as one managed service.$69.94
- 06Operator reviewThe operator checks your files, your latest fit report if you have one, the price, and the shop before anything is made.$25.00
- Total$44.46 per unit$444.63
Range $233.16 to $1,465.68
Basis, as the engine writes it on every estimate
Rate card estimate from your project. The operator confirms it at review. Shop quotes are not connected yet.
Each line, and its basis
- PCB fabrication
- Budget prototype fabrication, from the area of the board and the number of boards, with shipping of the boards included.
- Components and parts
- Each part matched against the catalog. A part the catalog does not know is priced at $0.05 to $0.75, $0.20 typical, until the operator confirms it.
- Case
- From the wall volume of the case drawn in the studio, 3D printed in PLA assumed. Machining from solid stock sets the high end. An uploaded case has no case line in the estimate.
- Hand assembly
- A setup fee per board plus a rate per solder joint, counted from the pads on the board.
- Safegrows service
- Sourcing and coordinating the build, as a share of the lines above it, shown as its own line.
- Operator review
- $25.00 on every build, the same for 1 unit or 50.
The total and the range
The total is the typical figure. The range beside it runs from the low to the high end of the same rate card, so you can see how far the number could move once the operator confirms the parts and the case.
Why the operator reviews every order
A build commits money and a shop's time, so the operator checks it first. When you approve the quote, the order goes straight to operator review.
- The operator reads your files and your latest fit report, if you have one.
- The operator checks the price and picks a verified shop to build it.
- Only the operator can start fabrication, and only with a verified shop assigned. The software refuses the move for anyone else.
- If the price has to change, the order goes back to quote and you approve the new number. The price you approved is the price that reaches fabrication.
What the estimate does not include
- The fit check, which is its own order at $19.00 a run.
- A delivery date. A shop states its own lead time; we do not promise one.
- Quotes from shops. They are not connected yet, so the estimate comes from the rate card.