Laser Pricing Calculator template

Note to customers: This template requires a subscription to Smidyo's Laser-Shop Pricing API.

Getting started is simple. The calculator is set up to do basic pricing from the get-go without major configuration.

Follow these 5 steps to get it up and running:

1. Sign up for the Smidyo Laser-Shop Pricing API

Go to Smidyo's website and sign up for the pricing API required for this template. Smidyo offers a 30-day free trial which you can cancel at any time.

2. Receive your unique secret token via email

After signing up, you will receive an email with your secret access token to use the API.

3. Add the template to your workspace

To get you up and running quickly, we have created a template in collaboration with Smidyo. This contains a default setup you can easily update to your specific needs.

4. Insert your secret token into the template

In the Builder, click the button that says "Analyze file (Configure me with the token)", and in the sidebar, click the "Connect API" action. Under "Headers", and "Authorization", replace "< TOKEN >" with the token you have received from Smidyo.

Follow the same steps with the button that says "Estimate price (Configure me with the token)" in the calculator.

5. Try it out!

You can now preview your calculator and try uploading a file. If everything is set up correctly, it should start giving you instant quotes.

How do I add materials to the laser pricing calculator template?

Adding materials is done through a datasheet variable called "MATERIALS". You can find this by opening up the expanded formula builder. Locate the "MATERIALS" datasheet in the bottom right.

This datasheet has a set of example materials. The columns are initially set up according to the following:

• A. The ID of the material. This should be incremented by one for every row.

• B. The name of the material

• C. The M2 price of the material

• D. The cutting speed of the material (in mm/s)

• E. The scoring speed of the material (in mm/s)

• F. The engraving speed of the material (in mm/s)

• G. The engraving DPI of the material

You can add more materials or change the existing ones in the editor.

As you can see, the template includes a section at the end with all the estimated times returned from the Smidyo API. You can remove or hide this section from your customer, or choose to display certain sections to give your customer a clear breakdown of how the price is calculated.

You can also calibrate these times to match your machine. In the template, working backward from the total price, we can see how the price is calculated.

The Total Price can be seen in the formula in the "Total" formula element. It is UNITP multiplied by the Quantity (QTY) (which comes from the "Quantity" input element)

Part Unit Price (UNITP) is the price of one part. It is the Part Material Price (MATPRICE), added to the Part Cutting Price (CUTPRICE), Part Scoring Price (SCOPRICE), and Part Engraving Price (ENGPRICE). It is then discounted by Quantity Discount (QTYDIS).

Quantity Discount (QTYDIS) is a simple formula based on Quantity (QTY), which returns a discount percentage based upon the quantity the customer has set.

Part Cutting Price (CUTPRICE) & Part Scoring Price (SCOPRICE) is the Part Cutting Seconds (CUTSEC) and Part Scoring Seconds (SCOSEC) respectively, multiplied by your Machine's Hourly Rate (HRATE).

Part Engraving Price (ENGPRICE) is the Part Engraving Time (ENGSEC) multiplied by your hourly rate.

Part Cutting Seconds (CUTSEC) & Part Scoring Seconds (SCOSEC) represent how much time your machine spends on cutting and scoring. These formulas take into account two values returned by the Smidyo API: cuttingTime / scoringTime and cuttingRapids / scoringRapids.

• cuttingTime & scoringTime represents how many seconds your machine actually spends cutting and scoring.

• cuttingRapids & scoringRapids represents how many times the laser needs to move cut-to-cut. You can see that in the formula, we apply an average of 0.2 seconds per move.

You can calibrate these times by adjusting two things.

1. On the Connect API action of the "Estimate price" button, you can adjust the vectorJerkFactor parameter. This value sets how fast the machine accelerates around tight turns. For a fast-accelerating, nimble machine, you can put a higher value. For a slower-accelerating, bulky machine, you can lower the value.

2. You can adjust the number of seconds added for every rapid movement (cuttingRapids / scoringRapids) in the CUTSEC and SCOSEC variables.

3. The material cutting speed. You should ideally put the exact speed that you use to cut the material in real life, then adjust the previous two factors to match it as closely as possible.

Part Engraving Seconds (ENGSEC) represents how much time your machine spends raster engraving. This comes from the engravingTime values returned by the Smidyo API. You can calibrate this time by adjusting these parameters in the Connect API action on the "Estimate price" button.

1. You can adjust the machine's acceleration with the rasterAcceleration parameter. For a quick machine like a Trotec, this can be set higher. For a slower cutting-focused machine, this can be set lower.

2. You can also adjust how the machine behaves between every scanline with the rasterTurnDelay and rasterOvershoot parameters. rasterTurnDelay sets the time (in seconds) your machine pauses when engraving one scanline to the next. rasterOvershoot sets how far (in millimeters) the machine moves past the furthest extremity of the raster engraving.

3. The engraving speed and engraving DPI. You should ideally put the exact speed and DPI that you use to cut the material in real life, then adjust the previous two factors to match it as closely as possible.

Yes, you can remove engraving or scoring services from our laser pricing calculator template.

If you only offer cutting, it's very easy to remove the engraving and scoring aspects of the calculator.

1. Remove the scoring & engraving color assignment elements

2. On the Connect API action of the "Estimate price" button, remove the scoringSpeed, engravingSpeed, engravingDpi, ccscoringColors, ccengravingColors, rasterAcceleration, rasterTurnDelay and rasterOvershoot parameters.

3. In the Variable Panel, remove the ENGSEC, SCOSEC, ENGSPEED, SCOSPEED, ENGPRICE and SCOPRICE variables.

4. Finally, remove the SCOPRICE and ENGPRICE variables from the UNITP variable.

Can I customize the template with an advanced set up?

Yes, you can use an advanced set up to customize the laser pricing calculator template.

The great thing about the Convert builder is your imagination sets the limits. This allows you to implement the Smidyo API in any way you wish. The template is merely an example of one standard implementation.

Here are some example ideas:

• Calculate shipping weight based on material density and part size

• Offer pre-cut sheets from the material drop-down

• Multiple-stage material selection, with preview images of the materials

• Integration with an e-commerce system to create a fully automated laser manufacturing web-shop

If this sounds complex, we also offer our Concierge Service, where we build the calculator for you. You can use the calculator above to get an instant quote on how much it will cost!