Frequently asked questions

Tempus Tools is quoting and estimating software built for laser cutting, sheet metal, and fabrication shops. It helps teams quote directly from customer drawings using rules-based pricing, then move approved work through to production.

See the full product tour here.

Tempus Tools is built for small and mid-sized laser cutting, sheet metal, job shop, machine shop, and fabrication teams that quote from customer drawings and handle frequent RFQs, high-mix parts, and custom jobs.

Explore use cases for job shops, sheet metal shops, and fabrication shops.

Quoting software focuses on the front end of the job: RFQ intake, drawing preparation, estimating, pricing, quote creation, and the handoff after approval.

ERP and MRP systems usually cover broader business operations such as scheduling, purchasing, inventory, production planning, and resource management.

Tempus Tools focuses on helping fabrication shops quote faster and more consistently, then carry job information and clean drawings forward into production and connected systems.

Here’s how it compares to ERP/MRP systems.

Tempus Tools is purpose-built for laser and fabrication quoting. It is built by a team with over 100 years of combined laser and fabrication experience, so the workflow is shaped around how shops actually quote drawing-based work.

Shops use Tempus Tools for quick drawing cleanup, predictable rules-based pricing, quick repeat ordering, production documentation, and the self-serve Web Store, all with transparent pricing.

Tempus Tools supports laser, plasma, and waterjet cutting, plus tube, pipe and structural steel cutting. Shops can use it to quote flat parts, 3D models, and tube files, depending on their setup and plan.

Learn more about tube & pipe cutting.

You upload a customer drawing, Tempus Tools reads the geometry, and the platform prices the part using your configured machine rates, materials, and pricing rules.

This gives your team a faster, more consistent way to create quotes from customer files without rebuilding every estimate manually.

See quoting.

Tempus Tools reads more than 70 file types, including DXF and DWG drawings, vector PDFs, 3D models (including STEP, SolidWorks, Inventor and others), and assemblies. This helps shops quote from the kinds of drawing files customers already send, rather than relying on one file format or recreating parts manually.

Yes. Tempus Tools can extract parts from vector PDFs and turn them into CAD geometry (DXF or DWG) for quoting, which helps reduce manual redraw work. This is useful when customers send PDF drawings instead of clean CAD files.

See PDF to CAD.

Tempus Tools works out cutting time from the part geometry and your configured machine settings. This helps teams quote faster without estimating cut time by hand or tying up a machine operator’s time or using other expensive software licenses for every RFQ.

Yes. Tempus Tools can price secondary processes such as folding, welding, powder coating, and other finishing steps using part properties and your configured rules. This helps shops price the full job more consistently, rather than only pricing the cut.

See secondary processes.

Yes. Tempus Tools supports tube, pipe and structural steel sections such as angle, channel and beam quoting alongside flat parts, so shops cutting profiles as well as sheet can quote both in one place.

Learn more about tube and pipe quoting.

Tempus Tools can unfold and quote from 3D models, and it can read assemblies. For assemblies, Tempus Tools quotes the individual parts within the assembly rather than treating the whole assembly as one single line item.

See the 3D sheet metal extractor.

Drawing Doctor helps clean up customer drawings before quoting. It can fix issues like scaling, duplicate lines, open contours, stray borders, and multi-part files. Clean drawings allow accurate quoting, and also help shops reduce issues in production.

See Drawing Doctor.

The Tempus Tools Web Store gives fabrication shops a branded customer ordering portal on their own website. Customers can upload parts, get instant pricing using your rules, place orders, pay online, and reorder saved parts from their account.

This supports self-serve quote-to-order workflows for custom parts, so routine and repeat work can come in without every request going through email or manual quoting.

See the Web Store.

The Part Library stores previously quoted parts with their pricing and history, organised by customer. When a repeat RFQ or reorder comes in, your team can recall the saved part and quote it again without starting from scratch.

See the Part Library.

Yes. Once a quote is approved, Tempus Tools can generate production documents such as work orders, delivery dockets, and part labels for the shop floor. This helps carry job information forward after the quote is accepted.

See production documents.

QuickPart lets you create common parts from templates by entering a few measurements. This helps shops quote standard shapes quickly, even when there is no customer drawing to upload.

See QuickPart.

Tempus Tools plans start at $75/month or $900/year. Pricing is published, and local currency pricing is available for international customers.

See pricing.

Tempus Tools is priced per active quoting user, rather than per staff member. Most shops only need one quoting user. Admin, accounts, and production team members do not need their own paid quoting seats. Additional quoting seats are available at a 50% discount.

Payment fees only apply if you choose to accept payments through Tempus Tools. Fees apply only to payments you process: 2% on Web Store payments and 0.5% on payments from internally generated quotes.

There are no setup or server fees.

Yes. You can start a free trial and test Tempus Tools with your own drawings and settings before you decide.

Start a free trial or book a demo.

Yes. Local currency pricing is available inside the app for international customers. Tempus Tools is used by fabrication shops in more than 20 countries.

Most shops can start quoting within a few hours. Because Tempus Tools focuses on quoting rather than running your whole business, setup is lighter than a full enterprise software implementation.

No. Tempus Tools is cloud-based, so you can access it in your browser with nothing to install or maintain.

Yes. Tempus Tools plans include free onboarding, training, and support. There is also an in-app chat and help centre if you need guidance while using the platform.

When your trial ends, you can choose a plan to keep quoting. Your setup and saved work stay in place when you subscribe.

See plans.

Tempus Tools integrates with accounting tools including Xero and QuickBooks Online, a selection of ERP systems and manufacturing specific production tools. Through Zapier you can integrate Tempus Tools with over 7,000+ apps and with Google Drive you can automatically write Tempus Tools data and drawings to cloud storage.

See integrations.

Tempus Tools is machine-agnostic for quoting. It prices from drawings and configured machine settings rather than connecting directly to one specific machine brand. Through integrations with other systems, Tempus Tools can send clean, production ready drawings and job data directly from a quote to your machine.

Book a demo if you’d like to talk through your setup.