How Chainly works and what you set up

01Start here: from inquiry to job

Chainly saves you from copying inquiries into Excel and writing quotes in Word. This is how a single inquiry from your customer progresses:

1. 1Inquiries → New inquiry. Select the customer and enter a name. Chainly creates the inquiry with a working version.
2. 2Upload the documentation. 3D models, drawings, a bill of materials or an entire folder from the customer. Chainly sorts it, measures the parts and has AI build a 3D model from PDF drawings.
3. 3Check the parts. Select a machine where one is missing, correct the quantities and open the Calculation check for CNC parts. Parts without a price are shown right at the top.
4. 4Issue the quote. Download a PDF with your letterhead, or send it by e-mail directly from Chainly.
5. 5The customer accepts and a job is created. In Jobs you then move the parts through production, and the customer can see how far along you are via their link.

In detail: Your own quotes, Input documentation and folder, Jobs. If you just want to quickly price a part without a customer, use the Calculator.

02How the price is built up

Chainly calculates the part price from your price list, in your own quotes and in the Calculator alike. Nobody here prices parts by hand. You enter what an hour on your machine costs, how fast you cut which thickness and what margin you want, and Chainly combines that with the dimensions it measures from the model.

In what order are the components of the price listed?

It's useful to know this because the order matters. The margin is calculated based on the labor cost, but not on shipping; the minimum is applied only at the very end.

• ·Cost of labor and materials — depending on the process: cutting + bending + painting for sheet metal; machining + materials + setup for CNC.
• ·× time multiplier depending on how quickly the customer wants it.
• ·× margin from General costs.
• ·+ handling and shipping fees — these are added to the total; the margin is not calculated based on them.
• ·Raised to the minimum order value if the result did not reach it.

Chainly doesn't take a cut of the price. The commission is currently set to zero—what your price list shows is what the customer sees, and that's what they'll pay you. The platform is paid for through a subscription, not a percentage of the order.

03Before you price your first part

For Chainly to price your parts, every technology you offer needs the price-list minimum filled in. What that is depends on the technology, and the table below shows it. Until a technology has its minimum, the editor shows a “price list incomplete” label next to it and parts on it stay without a price.

Parameters that must be filled out for successful pricing

04Company Profile and Certifications

Your profile is what customers see on your workshop's public page. Most fields are optional.

• ·Postal code — the workshop's location is calculated from it and the town is filled in.
• ·Contact email — notifications go here, for example when a customer uploads files to you through an inquiry's upload link. If you leave it empty, your account email is used.

Galerie

Photos of your workshop and finished parts. Customers see them on your public profile and get an idea of what you can do. You can add a caption to each photo. The gallery does not affect the price.

Upload photos as JPG, PNG, WebP or GIF, at most 4 MB. A phone photo is often larger — shrink it (for example by e-mailing it to yourself) and upload it again; if an upload fails, the gallery tells you.

Certificates

Upload a scan, choose the type and optionally an expiry date. Customers see valid certificates on your public profile.

A blank expiration date does not mean “not filled in,” but rather “no expiration date.” Such a certificate is valid indefinitely. If your certificate has an expiration date, fill it in—once it expires, it will no longer be offered to the customer, which is correct.

Gallery: for each photo you can edit the caption and set the order with the arrows (or Make first) — customers see it in that order on your public profile. Put your best reference first.

Billing details (company ID, VAT ID, bank account) are entered in the company profile. The profile checks the format — the company ID by its check digit, an IBAN by its checksum — and the quote PDF shows them in the supplier header. They are not shown on your public profile.

Team (under Settings, visible to the owner only): invite an estimator or shop-floor lead with their own sign-in. Chainly sends nothing — you get a link to pass on yourself; it is valid 7 days, for that e-mail only, once. The estimator sees quotes and the price list, the shop-floor lead sees jobs and production without prices. Team, profile, customers and statistics are yours only. Change a role or remove a member in the list — access ends immediately. An e-mail that already has a customer account on Chainly cannot be invited (its orders would be lost) — the invite says so.

Workshops outside Czechia: choose your country in the profile. For a Czech workshop the location comes from the postcode; elsewhere you enter it manually as latitude and longitude — right-click your workshop on a map to get them. Chainly admins can correct it.

05General Expenses

One setting for the entire workshop, common to all technologies. You'll find it at the top in the "Technology" section.

The threshold is compared with the price after margin but before packaging and shipping. And it is strict: a job exactly at the threshold still falls into the “below” rate.

The date does not take the job queue or machine utilisation into account, so it is marked in the breakdown as capacity estimate. It is not a promise. If you know you are fully booked, you need to move the date manually in the counter-quote.

06Time Factors

Rushing comes at a price. The three tiers indicate the price increase when a customer wants a part sooner. Default settings: no change for delivery within 10 days; +20% for delivery within 5 days; +50% for delivery within 3 days.

The system calculates how many days remain until the customer's due date and applies the first tier the deadline fits into. A deadline in 4 days therefore falls under “within 5 days,” not “within 10.” A deadline longer than the longest time frame is assigned a multiplier of 1.0.

The multiplier is applied to the labor cost before the margin is added. Levels cannot be added or renamed; only the number of days and the multiplier can be changed for them.

07When a part needs more than one technology

Until 27 August 2026, an inquiry had one technology. On upload the customer chose sheet metal, CNC or 3D printing, and that choice also decided what would be measured on the part at all. A chassis that is laser cut, bent, milled and countersunk therefore could not be quoted automatically and ended up with a person.

Customers ordering sheet metal can now also tick things that cannot be reliably identified from the 3D model — countersinks, milled pockets, threads, painting. You will then receive an inquiry that asks for several things at once, and Chainly will put together a quote from your price list one price for the whole part.

Even skills you only partially possess are taken into account

If you don't perform one of the required operations, your quote is not dropped. It is calculated for what you can do, and shows up for the customer with a label "It covers 2 of the 4 operations—it cannot perform: laser cutting and bending".

Setups are calculated by machine, not by operation

This is the most important figure in the entire combined pricing system. The setup fee is charged once for each machine that the part passes through—not for each operation.

• ·Laser + press brake + milling machine There are three machines, that is, three setups.
• ·Milling + countersinking + threading is one clamping on one machine, that is one setup. Countersinking a hole is a tool change, not a new fixturing of the part.

That is precisely why countersinking is not a separate process with its own price list. If it were, it would come with its own setup fee—and for small production runs, where setup costs account for the majority of the price, a single countersink would cost more than the entire machining operation.

A blank rate does not mean a free operation

If you leave the rate for an operation at zero, it used to add nothing to the price and was marked as “unpriced” in the breakdown. With a combined inquiry, it works differently: The operation will be moved to the ones you don't know how to do, and your quote then becomes a partial one.

• ·chamfer_time_min_each — countersinking and chamfering, minutes per piece. On the order of a few seconds per hole: for an M3 in aluminium, the actual cut takes a fraction of a second, and the time goes on the approach.
• ·pocket_time_min_each — milled pocket, minutes per piece. On the sheet metal, only blind pockets; through ones are cut by the laser and are already paid for in the cut length.
• ·thread_time_min_each — threads, minutes per piece. The model cannot tell a thread from a plain hole; it is confirmed by the customer or the drawing.

What Can Be Determined with Certainty from the Model, and What Cannot

In the inquiry, you'll see where each operation came from. The difference is significant:

• ·Certain — bend, cut length, number of pierces, countersink. These are geometric properties and are measured directly from the model.
• ·Estimate — milled pockets and threads. A Ø6 through-hole can be laser-cut or milled, and the model does not carry within it how it is to be made. This is not a property of the part but a decision about the process — which is why the customer confirms it, and why it is worth a second look during the check.

08Price List — Sheet Metal

A sheet metal job consists of three separate technologies: Cutting, Bending a Painting. You set up each one separately, and each one is counted separately. If you don't have one, that part simply isn't counted.

Cutting

You enter thicknesses per material, each with a cutting speed and a material price in € per m².

Laser cutting time from the machine simulation: the engine reads every contour from the flat pattern, and the simulation runs the head path along them. Holes are cut first and the part's outer contour last. The cut runs at the speed from your price list but slows down in corners and on small holes, because the head cannot turn at full speed. Rapid moves between contours, including head lift, are added, along with pierce time based on thickness. You select the laser power in the laser cutting price list in the Laser for cutting simulation field. Rapid traverse, acceleration and pierce times are currently estimates taken from manufacturers' data sheets. You can replay the whole cutting process in the part's calculation detail. Its timeline adds up exactly the time that goes into the price. In a custom formula, you will find it as laser_sim_time_s.

Pierces: cutting can also charge per pierce, i.e. every time the beam starts a contour (the part outline and each hole). The engine counts the pierces; you set the price for one in the cutting price list under Cost per pierce. The default is 0, so the price does not change until you fill it in. If you use your own formula, add pierce_count * cost_per_pierce_kc * quantity to it.

Bending and Painting

Bending follows the same structure as cutting: material → thickness → price per bend. Painting is a single figure per painted dm². If the engine finds no bends, bending is not included in the calculation.

Painting is priced only on request. It is added to a sheet metal price when the customer picks the powder coating or wet paint finish, confirms painting among the operations, or when you tick Paint on the part in your own quote. Simply having a paint shop set up does not add it to every part.

09Price List — 3D Printing

FDM and SLA are two separate technologies, and the customer chooses one of them when submitting an inquiry. If you only offer FDM, the system will not offer you for an SLA inquiry.

Note the two margins next to each other: this one is for technology and is entered as multiple, while the margin in "General Expenses" is expressed as a percentage. For 3D printing, only the margin listed here is used; the one from "General Expenses" is ignored.

From 23 September 2026, MJF is costed per batch

With MJF, the build chamber is fused as a whole, so a second piece in the same chamber does not cost a second lot of machine time. The price is therefore built up differently from FDM. Setup and machine time are charged per chamber, material is charged per piece, and finishing work has both components. The more pieces fit into one chamber, the cheaper each piece is.

• ·Machine hourly rate is a new field and carries most of the price. Fill it in first.
• ·Each item shows how many pieces fit into one chamber. One piece above that number opens a second chamber, and the price per piece jumps. This is a property of the technology, not a calculation error.
• ·The ‘Price per chamber space’ and ‘Chamber fill’ fields are no longer used. You will find them hidden under ‘Unused fields’. They remain only for custom formulas that may refer to them.

10Price List — CNC

Milling and turning are two separate technologies. The system determines which one a part needs from its shape — always. Since 30 August 2026 the customer can no longer change this; previously there was a switch at upload that could override the decision, and the choice sometimes contradicted the part's geometry. The classification you see in the inquiry is therefore a measurement, not a preference.

What to Fill Out First

• ·Machine hourly rate — the only genuinely required field. Without it the quote is not calculated.
• ·Setup per workholding setup (setup cost): for one-off production this is the largest part of the price. It is charged once per batch for each workholding setup, so a part needing two setups pays it twice. It is spread across the number of pieces: what drives the price of a single piece is barely visible across a hundred. It pays to enter it honestly.
• ·Writing the program — a new field, and not an extra one. Until now, the program cost was hidden inside the setup cost, and since setup is multiplied by the number of setups, for a part needing two setups you charged the customer for the program twice. Yet a program for two setups is a single program with two operations.
• ·Machine Dimensions — It doesn't change the price, but any part that doesn't fit won't be sent to you. For milling, the check is performed only when the fields are filled out on all three axes; for turning, the diameter is enough; the length works on its own.

When a customer orders the same part again

You write the program once. When the same customer orders from youthe same part for the second time, the cost of writing the program is doesn't count at all — The setup remains in full effect because you are setting the machine up again.

• ·We can tell this even when a customer re-exports the model from CAD and the file is therefore different—it’s the part’s geometry that’s compared, not the file itself.
• ·Applies only to your previous jobs and only for that customer the same customer. No one will find out that someone else ordered the part from you.
• ·Only a job for which production actually took place is counted — that is, one with the status In production, Shipped, Delivered or Closed. “Confirmed” alone is not enough.

Setup is divided by the number of pieces; machining is not. For a single piece, therefore, setup determines the price; for a series, machining does.

Machining Rates

• ·Material Removal Rate (MRR) — how many cm³ per minute you remove from the material. We have pre-filled the table values; if you leave them as is, they will be used in the calculation.
• ·Finishing speed — how many cm² of surface you manage per minute.
• ·Material prices in €/kg. They are charged on the stock, not on the finished part.

For both speeds, the following applies: —a higher number means faster, and therefore cheaper—the opposite of the surcharges listed below.

Surcharges for operations

Groove, thread, pocket, contour, chamfer, parting off. It is entered extra time Compared to a standard pass—tool change, separate approach. Not the entire duration of the operation: the pocket volume has already been machined during roughing, and its walls during finishing. On the order of a few minutes.

An empty field means “I won’t charge extra for this service” and adds zero minutes. The default rate is never applied—we don’t charge a price you haven’t agreed to.

Stock on hand

Specify exactly which bars, tubes, and plates you are actually purchasing. The warehouse is shared by both CNC technologies — we will offer the bars you selected for turning for milling as well, since you have a single rack.

Drilling time

Drilling is calculated based on the diameter and depth of each hole, which the engine measured from the model. Your flat rate per hole will only be applied when the model does not contain hole dimensions—in older uploads. You can therefore leave the field blank; if you fill it in, it serves as a backup.

11Custom Formulas

If our calculations don't work for you, you can enter your own formula for any technology. It will override the entire built-in calculation. You have access to part dimensions, the number of elements, and your own parameters—the suggested names are displayed below the field and can be inserted with a click.

Change history sits at the bottom of each technology: when the rates changed, who saved them (even when a Chainly admin saved them for you), where from (editor, file, restore) and which values changed. Restore this version sets the rates back to how they were then — the restore is recorded too and can be undone. History is kept from 25 Sep 2026; for an older technology the first save also records the state before it. General costs and time tiers have no history yet.

Price list as a file: at the top of the price list page there is Download price list (CSV) — open the file in Excel; each row is one value. Edit only the value column (the type column says whether it is a number, text or yes/no; an empty number cell is not zero but an error). Upload the edited file with Upload price list from a file: first you see what changes in which technology and what the file removes, and only confirming saves it — all at once and into the history. The file only changes technologies you already have; it does not create new ones or delete missing ones. General costs and time tiers are read-only in the file.

• ·Do not include margin, packaging or shipping in the formula — they are deliberately absent from the available names. They are applied after it, so they would be counted twice.
• ·A custom formula bypasses the minimum order value. If you want the lower bound, it must be included in the formula (for example, using max(...)).
• ·The formula is checked when the data is saved. If it nevertheless fails during pricing, the built-in calculation is used, and the reason is recorded in the price breakdown for the relevant quote.

12Your own quotes — instead of Excel

Inquiries sent to you by your own customers are priced in the Quotes section — instead of a spreadsheet in Excel. The quote is yours: it is not offered to anyone else, nobody competes with you, and your customer never gets a single e-mail from Chainly.

How it goes, step by step

• ·Inquiries → New inquiry. Select a customer from the address book (or create a new one) and enter a name for the inquiry and, optionally, the customer's own reference number. Chainly creates the inquiry and its working version and takes you straight to uploading parts.
• ·Upload parts. After clicking Add parts, choose sheet metal, CNC or 3D printing, and the part is measured using that process. Each file (STEP, DXF, STL, 3MF) is one line item. The part is priced using your rates from Technologies, usually within a minute. If you pick the wrong option, you can change the process later in the bill of materials.
• ·Other – let AI sort it sends the files to documentation sorting: drawings, bills of materials or an entire folder. Chainly assigns them to parts and has AI build a 3D model from PDF drawings that have no model. A part that can only be priced manually (a bought-in part, weldment or assembly) is priced from the drawing as a line item with a manual price. A file that is neither a drawing nor a model stays in the documentation only.
• ·A measured part waits for a machine (label “Choose a machine”). You pick the machine in the offer row or on the part detail, where the analysis is shown right away — the price is calculated from its rates. Saving the quantity does not pick a machine for you.
• ·You set a default machine under Technologies (one per kind: laser, mill, lathe, 3D printer). Parts from folders and customer inquiries are then priced on it straight away and the “Choose a machine” label does not appear. You can change it on any part at any time.
• ·The delivery date is picked as a day in the calendar. The customer sees it in the PDF and on the link, and the job takes it over after acceptance.
• ·Correct what the machine misread. You change the quantity right in the row — the item is recalculated, because setup is divided by quantity. For CNC parts you also have the Calculation check with a 3D model, stock selection and operations.
• ·You can override the price manually at any time: in the part detail, use the Override price button directly on the Price tab, per piece or in total, with a note explaining why. The automatic price stays visible alongside. A manual price per piece is kept even if the quantity changes later, and the Restore automatic price button switches back to the automatic price.
• ·Download a PDF under your own letterhead — logo, address, lead time and validity — and send it to your customer. Chainly is just a small line in the footer.
• ·Or send it by e-mail straight from Chainly. Before sending you see who it goes to, the total and the items without a price. The quote is marked as sent only once the e-mail has really gone out, and its validity runs from that day. Sending again is only a reminder — it does not extend validity. An expired or replaced quote cannot be sent; create a revision for a new price or a longer validity.
• ·The language of the e-mail, link and PDF is the customer’s language from your address book (the “Quote language” field; Czech if not set). For a one-off customer outside the address book, it is the language you currently use Chainly in. Prices stay in crowns; only the texts and currency format change.
• ·Customer preview opens the quote the way the customer will see it — even before sending. Your visit does not count as “customer opened”. After sending, the quote shows its link with a Copy button, in case the e-mail lands in spam.
• ·Changing a sent quote creates a revision automatically. The first change to a price, item, date or discount of a quote that is already out creates a draft revision, and further changes go into it. Until you send the revision the customer sees the original version; only sending replaces it. An accepted quote and its job stay as they were. The internal note and customer documentation are changed in place.
• ·The change history at the bottom of the quote detail shows who changed what and when — across the whole revision chain, with “before → after” for prices, quantities and dates.
• ·Customer link in the inquiry detail: the customer uses it to upload 3D models and drawings without logging in. The files land in the working version of the inquiry. If everything has already been issued, a new version is created from the latest issued quote. An upload never changes an issued quote and never overwrites a part with the same name; you match it up yourself. You receive an e-mail, and the inquiry history shows how many files the customer uploaded. Anyone who has the link can upload, so send it only to the customer. You can revoke it at any time.
• ·Compare versions on the part detail shows two versions of the model overlaid with the changes highlighted, and the difference between PDF drawings. For sheet metal the flat pattern is compared.
• ·Two notes: the note for the customer is in the PDF and on the link; the customer never sees your own note.
• ·On the link, the customer sees the items, a Total line and the date until which the quote is valid. Items without a price show as “by agreement” and are not in the total — a note by the total says so.
• ·When the customer accepts, the status changes to Accepted and a job with the parts is created in Jobs automatically. The same link then shows the customer how production is going. A rejection is recorded with their note. You do not get an e-mail about the decision yet — you will see it in Quotes and on the Overview.

Subcontracting entries (subcontractors, under Settings) can be edited, deactivated and deleted. Editing changes only the default cost and markup for newly added items — draft quotes keep the figures from when you chose the subcontracting. A subcontracting entry used by an item cannot be deleted (the item’s price would change on recalculation); deactivate it — it is then no longer offered for new items.

The customer detail shows total and this year’s revenue, how many sent quotes they accepted and the last five quotes. Revenue is the sum of accepted quotes (confirmed by the customer or marked won) as stated in the quote — without VAT conversion.

Duplicate in the quote detail creates a new quote (draft, new number) with the same parts, quantities and prices — for the same or another customer from your address book. The original quote does not change. Documents are not copied; attach them again if they belong to the new quote. Unlike a revision, this is not a new version of the same quote but a separate quote.

A customer you don’t want to see in the list can be archived instead of deleted: they disappear from the list and the new-quote picker, but their quotes, projects and revenue stay and can be restored at any time (the Archived customers link below the search).

When the automation cannot cope

An item the system could not measure (an unreadable model, or a process you have not filled in) stays marked Manual pricing and is missing from the total until you price it yourself. Nothing is silently dropped — next to the total you can see how many items are waiting for a manual price.

13Inquiry, quote, job and Calculator

The menu follows the order of the work: Inquiries → Quotes → Jobs. The Calculator sits alongside as a tool for when you just want to price a part quickly.

• ·An inquiry is what the customer sent you, and it can be updated at any time. It has a working version: documentation, bill of materials, parts, machines and prices. Only the working version is edited. The Inquiries list shows the working version, the latest issued quote and the job for each inquiry.
• ·A quote is a snapshot of the inquiry that you have issued to the customer, and it no longer changes. If the inquiry needs editing after it has been issued, click Edit inquiry in the inquiry detail. A new working version, including the bill of materials, is created from the latest issued quote, and the issued quote stays as it was. Quotes contains issued quotes only.
• ·A job is created from a quote the customer has confirmed: by accepting it via the link, through the Send to production button, or when you switch the quote status to Accepted yourself (for example after a phone call).

The inquiry detail is a hub. At the top are three steps (working version, issued quote, job). Below them are the working version with its parts and the Open quote detail button, a table of issued quotes, and the customer link for uploading files. Draft quotes that do not belong to any inquiry have their own “No inquiry” row in the Inquiries list.

The Calculator prices a part without setting up a quote by hand. Upload a STEP or DXF, pick the machine, material and quantity, and you immediately see the price, cost breakdown, machining times and part analysis.

The Calculator prices exactly like a quote, because it creates the part as a draft quote with the customer “Calculation (no customer)”. You can turn the result straight into a quote or delete the draft.

In the Calculator you can also upload the PDF drawing of a machined or sheet metal part. AI builds a 3D model from it and Chainly then prices it with your machines; for sheet metal, with the laser and press brake you selected. It takes roughly 1 to 3 minutes per part and the part detail shows which stage the analysis is in: queued, reading the drawing, building the model, checking, pricing. You can close the page; you will find the part among recent calculations, already priced when you come back. If a sheet metal drawing refers to a flat pattern in a DXF, AI does not build the model. Then upload the DXF and attach the drawing as a second file, and AI adds the bends to the cutting.

For CNC parts the price breakdown also shows the complexity: how many percent longer the machining takes because of the part’s shape. The engine works it out from how much material is removed from the stock.

14Input documentation and folder

The quote detail has an Input documentation panel with a single Upload documentation button. Use it to upload individual files or an entire folder the customer sent you, or drag it straight into the panel. Each file is saved to the documentation, and the customer can see it via their link. Files from a folder keep their path within the folder, so two drawings with the same name in different subfolders do not overwrite each other.

The panel shows all input files of the quote and is always expanded. It lists the quote documentation (labelled visible to customer, available to the customer via their link) and the drawings and 3D models of parts you uploaded through Add parts (labelled part file, visible only to you). Chainly does not record who uploaded a file, so the label shows who can see it. In the line item table, each part's input file appears below its name, for example the drawing from which AI built the 3D model. Clicking it opens a preview. The 3D preview of a part is only available in the part detail.

Chainly then sorts the folder by itself into: sheet metal, machined parts, drawing-only parts, profiles and tubes for manual review, bought-in parts and fasteners, and other documentation. It takes quantities from the bills of materials in the folder. A STEP file without a bill of materials is first tried as sheet metal. If it is not sheet metal, it is measured as a machined part. If the guess is wrong, change the part's process in the bill of materials.

Below the sorting you pick one of two buttons. Make an indicative quote creates the items and your default machines price them right away. Make the quote and 3D models from drawings with AI does the same and also lets AI build 3D models from the drawings: for sheet metal from DXF it adds the bends, and parts with a drawing only become machined parts with a price. The quote has prices right away and AI refines them as it goes, so you can send it at any time.

Projects keep everything for a single customer matter together, for example ‘Machine frame RS 200’: several inquiries over time (first round, drawing revisions, additional parts), their quotes, jobs and documentation. You create a project in Projects or on the customer’s page, and you assign an inquiry to it when creating the inquiry, in the inquiry detail, or with the Add existing inquiry button in the project. A project can only contain inquiries from the same customer. Projects are optional; if you don’t use them, you keep working through Inquiries. Dissolving a project deletes nothing, and the inquiries remain in Inquiries.

Above the quote items is the Bill of materials, with assemblies, parts, surface finishes and operations, fasteners and purchased material, and documentation. For each part you see the quantity, material, weight, machine, time and price, plus a status with a sentence telling you what to do with the part: select a machine, price it manually or request the missing drawing from the customer. Click a part to open a panel with its details and a link to the part. You still adjust price and quantity in the item table below the BOM. A folder without a BOM that contains subfolders is shown in the BOM as a tree: each subfolder is an assembly containing the parts within it. When you change the machine or material in bulk, a ticked assembly means all the parts beneath it, and deleting an assembly also removes its parts.

Above the parts table there is a search (part, source file, material, machine) and a filter by machine and status. Click a column header to sort the parts; click it again to reverse the order. The Source file column shows which file the part came from.

You change the Machine directly in the part’s row. To change several parts at once, tick them and choose Change machine for selected. Machines from all technologies are available; a machine without rates filled in is shown with the note (rates missing) but cannot be selected. If you select a machine from a different technology (for example a plasma cutter for a part measured as CNC), Chainly asks whether to measure the part again: a new version of the part is created with the selected machine, and the previous one stays in the history. Every machine change recalculates the part price; while it is calculating, an orange bar appears above the BOM and the part shows Calculating…. You change the Material in the same way: in the part’s row or, for ticked parts, via Change material for selected (steel, stainless steel, aluminium; sheet metal and CNC only). A part with no material specified shows Steel (default), because the price is calculated with steel. Changing the material recalculates the part price.

You change the part’s Technology (sheet metal, CNC, 3D printing) in the part panel. Chainly measures the part again and a new version of the part is created; the previous one stays in the history. If the part cannot be measured with the new technology (for example a machined part as sheet metal), Chainly tells you, and the previous version, including its price, remains valid. DXF works only as sheet metal; STL and 3MF only as 3D printing.

The Documentation tab in the BOM shows each file on one line: name and folder, type (drawing, flat pattern, 3D model, BOM, specification), the part it belongs to, and where it came from. 3D models built by AI from drawings have the origin AI, and the part whose price is calculated from them carries the note price calculated from this. At the top you can search by name or folder and filter by type. A file that does not belong to any part has an orange unassigned label. Below the Bill of materials heading there is a quick overview (how many files, drawings, AI models and unassigned files), and clicking a number sets the filter.

Open displays the document directly in Chainly: PDFs page by page, DXF as a drawing with dimensions, images, and STEP as a 3D model that you can rotate and on which you can measure a hole diameter or the distance between two faces. Use the + and − buttons to zoom the drawing and drag with the mouse to pan; use the arrows (or the ← → keys) to move to the next document in the currently filtered list, and the Download button to save it. It works on a phone too. You can also find a part’s documents in the part panel (3D model, drawing, flat pattern) and, for surface finishes, in the Document column.

What Chainly reads from the drawing

For a part with a PDF drawing, Chainly reads the drawing: welds (method, quality, welding position, weld size and number of welds, and length only where it is written on the drawing), surface finish, the BOM on the drawing, material, drawing number, revision and tolerance requirements. You will find the result in the part detail in the What we read from the drawing block, usually within a few minutes of uploading.

For each item you can see how confident Chainly is in its reading. Clicking a row opens the drawing at exactly the spot the item comes from, with that spot outlined. Chainly never derives a weld length from the outline: if it isn’t written on the drawing, you will see ‘length not on drawing’. If the material on the drawing differs from the material selected for the part, Chainly warns you. Welds from the drawing are also shown in the Calculation check, at the top as a block to review.

When a customer sends drawings alone, without a bill of materials (via the upload link or by e-mail), Chainly recognises each drawing by its title block and takes the part name, drawing number, material, stock and weight from it. For files from the customer, click Sort and price in the quote: Chainly creates the parts, prices them with your default machine and has AI build a 3D model from drawings without one; the price fills in once the model is ready.

You can upload documentation to a sent quote, but you add parts only in a new revision.

15Jobs — from accepted quote to dispatch

When a customer accepts a quote, it becomes a job in the Jobs section. It is the second half of the same process: the quote tells you what it will cost, the job tells you how far along it is.

For accounting: the jobs list has a Download CSV (as filtered) button — the file contains exactly what you have filtered, without paging: quote, customer, status, delivery date, number of finished parts and the total from the quote items. The file does no VAT or other conversion.

A job can be created in two ways

• ·The customer clicks “I confirm” on the link you sent them. The job is created automatically.
• ·You yourself, using the “To production” button in the quote detail — for jobs agreed by phone, which don’t need a quote to be sent.

The status is updated from the workshop floor, not the office

Every part in a job has its own QR code. The Print production sheets button downloads a PDF — one part per page, with a large QR code. Attach the sheet to the production drawing, or cut out the QR code and stick it wherever suits you.

The operator scans the code with a phone and moves the part's status without logging in: start production → to inspection → done. The status of the whole job is derived from the parts — the job is done only when the last piece is done. You never overwrite it by hand; “ship all” and “cancel all” move the parts at once, but ask first and list which parts are affected. Only a finished part can be shipped — parts in progress stay where they are. You restore a cancelled part individually with its “Waiting” button.

Two separate documentation folders

• ·From customer — what the customer sent you. They can see this on their link.
• ·Production — your drawings and process plans. The customer never sees this. A drawing assigned to a specific part is also shown to the operator straight after scanning.

A file with the same name uploaded to the same target is a new version, not a second file — after scanning, the operator always gets the latest one, and PDFs can be compared with the previous version. A deleted document disappears from the list and the link but stays in the history.

What the customer sees on their link

It is the same link they used to approve the quote — we don’t send a second one, as it would get lost. After acceptance, instead of buttons they will see the job status, the delivery date, how many parts are finished, your message and the documentation they sent themselves. They cannot see your hourly rates, margin, subcontractors or operation times.

16Your own address for forwarded inquiries

Some jobs reach workshops directly by e-mail — the customer writes, attaches models and waits for a price. That is why every workshop has its own e-mail address: forward the customer's e-mail with the attachments to it and Chainly turns it into a draft quote in the Quotes section. Every attached model becomes one item, priced with your rates.

What is read from the e-mail and what is not

• ·The customer is read from the forwarded header (the “From:” line in the quoted e-mail). If that fails, the quote is created without a customer and you fill them in on the quote header.
• ·The quantity stays at 1 until you correct it. The sentence “I need 100 pcs” does not say whether it is an order for a hundred pieces or a question about the price of a hundred pieces — and quantity divides the setup, so a misread number moves the price by an order of magnitude. For the same reason no deadline is guessed from the text either.
• ·The subject and body of the e-mail are saved as a note on the quote, so requirements the model does not carry (material, surface finish, order of operations) are not lost.

You will find the address in Profile → Address for forwarded inquiries, along with a button that copies it.

17What the price includes

The estimated price is based on the part's geometry and your rates. Here's what goes into it—and what doesn't—so you know what your quote is based on when you confirm it.

For an inquiry that calls for several technologies at once, the figures from the individual price lists are added up to a single price per part, and only on that total are margin, packaging, shipping and minimum order value applied, once. Two finished prices are not added together — two minimum order values added up make a number nobody offered. Details in the section When a part needs more than one technology.

What is calculated from the model

• ·Material volume — taken from the stock, not from the finished part. The indicative price uses an ideal stock sized to the part; your own warehouse piece is used only if you select it in the calculation check.
• ·Roughing from the removed volume at your removal rate.
• ·Finishing from the part's surface at your finishing speed. It is calculated from the entire surface — the control screen shows you how much of it the detector estimates as actually finished, so you can see the difference.
• ·Drilling from the diameter and depth of each hole separately. Your flat rate per hole is used only where the model does not carry the hole dimensions.
• ·Number of setups from the access directions of the recognised features. It is a lower bound — the detector sees internal shapes, not shielding by the outer contour — and you can override it on the control screen. It is the most valuable number you will correct there.
• ·Surcharges for operations based on the identified items, provided you have entered rates for them. As long as you leave them at zero, the item will not add anything to the price and will be marked as "unpriced" in the breakdown.

What is not included in the price

• ·Tolerances and surface roughness. These cannot be determined from a 3D model. If the customer provides a drawing, you will receive it in its original form, and you can determine the precision yourself—the price is based on standard precision.
• ·Welds and surface finish from the drawing. Chainly reads them from the drawing and displays them, but does not adjust the price based on them. Add welding and finishing to the quote yourself.
• ·Manufacturability check. You'll see the findings in the breakdown, but they do not include a markup. This information is for your reference only; it is not a pricing input.
• ·Chamfering during turning. This is recognized and displayed, but is only charged for milling.
• ·Inspection, measurement, and certificates. A measurement report, certificate, or 100% inspection are not included in the indicative price—they are part of your binding offer.

Custom formula

You can replace the built-in calculation with your own. It is chosen in the Who calculates the price for this technology block by the formula — until you pick Your own formula, the built-in maths applies even if you have written one.

The default formula we provide describes the built-in calculation, so you can start with it and change only what you want. If the formula fails during pricing, a warning will appear on the review screen with the error message and a link to where you can correct it—the quote will still be calculated using the built-in math for now.

The live preview below the formula follows your choice of material and quantity. We show the figures once you upload a part; anything that remains a sample value is marked as such and is not one of your values.

Which way the rates work

There are two sets of rates that conflict with each other, which is easy to overlook:

• ·The stock removal rate and finishing rate are volume and area per minute. A higher number means faster, and therefore cheaper.
• ·Operation surcharges are minutes per feature. A higher number means more expensive.

When you hover over each field, a tooltip appears that says the same thing.

18Kontrola vyrobitelnosti (DFM)

For every CNC inquiry, we review the part based on eight criteria, and you’ll see the results in the breakdown. This information is for your reference; it is not part of the pricing process.

Osm pravidel

• ·Sharp internal corner — an internal corner without a fillet. A rotating tool cannot produce it: it needs a radius, EDM, or manual finishing.
• ·Tool slenderness — the pocket is too deep for its corner radius. A cutter that fits into the corner does not have enough overhang. Example: a 4 × 4 × 18 mm pocket with a 0.5 radius would need a Ø1 cutter with an 18 mm overhang, and no such cutter exists.
• ·Deep pocket — deeper than 4× its width, meaning a tool with a long overhang.
• ·Small corner radius — under 1 mm. The tool is more expensive and wears out faster.
• ·Groove on a milled part — a three-axis milling machine can't reach it.
• ·Thin wall — under 1 mm. Risk of deformation during clamping and during machining.
• ·Slender shaft — length-to-diameter over 8. A steady rest is needed; risk of vibration and taper.
• ·Deep bore — deeper than 3× the diameter. Poorer chip flushing, vibration, longer time.

How to Interpret “0 Results”

Each rule comes with two numbers: how many findings there were and how many features were checked at all. Without the second, you couldn't tell a clean part from a blind detector.

• ·0 issues found out of 12 checked — the part is fine in this regard.
• ·0 findings out of 0 inspections — there was nothing to inspect. That is not the same as “it’s okay”; for example, regarding turning rules for a milled part.

From 30 August 2026, a sharp corner is no longer also counted as a small radius. Previously, the same defect would be reported twice, and the two could not be told apart.

19Check the Calculation — Before You Confirm the Price

For a CNC inquiry, you'll see a Check calculation button in the quote. It opens a screen showing how the price was built up — and where you can correct it before you confirm it. Until you save anything, nothing changes for the customer.

How many times will you clamp the workpiece?

The most important number on the whole screen. Setup cost is charged once per batch, but for each workholding setup — so for one-off pieces it affects the price more than everything else combined. The model can estimate a lower bound from the number of directions from which the features can be reached; the final say is yours.

Stock

The default is ideal stock — a bar, tube or plate cut to suit the part plus an allowance. It produced the indicative price the customer saw. With one click you can switch to your own stock piece; only pieces the part fits into are offered, and only in the material the customer requested.

• ·You don't enter the length or format — they are calculated from the part, because they are not stock properties. We only ask for the diameter, bore or thickness, i.e. what you actually buy.
• ·The stock is drawn transparently over the part, so you can see how much material ends up as swarf. A tube is drawn as a tube, with a hole through it.
• ·The price usually goes up when you switch to your own stock piece — the stock size range is coarser than the ideal. That's fine, and it's a reason to send a counteroffer.

What the customer wrote

The note and, for acrylic, the colour are shown here because the geometry doesn't carry them and they don't affect the price. These are exactly the requirements that can be confirmed unread — and then it turns out you confirmed something other than what the customer wanted.

Process plan — AI proposal

Návrh postupu najdete pod 3D modelem. AI technolog ho udělá sám hned po nahrání každého dílu k obrábění, i u modelu postaveného z PDF výkresu: prohlédne si díl spolu s tím, co našel detektor, a navrhne, co se bude soustružit, frézovat a vrtat, v kolika upnutích a v jakém pořadí. Trvá to obvykle do minuty. Když vám došly AI kredity nebo se návrh nepovedl, panel to napíše a návrh zkusíte znovu tlačítkem. Kliknutím na operaci se její plochy na modelu obarví oranžově a přepínačem Detektor | AI nad modelem si porovnáte, jak díl vidí detektor a jak AI.

• ·The proposal is accepted automatically (from 17 Oct 2026). As soon as the AI proposal is ready and its simulation has finished, it is accepted without asking, even if you never open Calculation check: feature types, number of setups and machine time from the simulation. The part page then shows the price from AI CAM. It is the same as if you had clicked the correction in yourself, and it can be overwritten at any time. For an unsent own quote (draft or ready), the price from the proposal becomes the line price straight away, so the quote detail, the PDF and sending all use it; the quote history shows “Part repriced” with the price before and after. For a sent quote and for a part with your manual price, the line price does not change; you confirm it in Calculation check. If the part already has your correction, only Calculation check merges the proposal with it.
• ·Machine time from the simulation once accepted. A machining simulation runs alongside the proposal, and once accepted, the machine time in the price is calculated from it: toolpaths and tool changes, with drilling still estimated (the simulation does not measure hole depth). Neither the overhead factor nor the complexity surcharge is applied to the time from the simulation (from 17 October 2026). The simulation time applies even if the program does not fully machine the part; whatever is not machined is then not included in the price, and the screen states this next to the price. The price reverts to the formula only if you change the stock, the model or the material (after a material change, the simulation reruns automatically). At the top next to the price you will always see the label Price from AI CAM, or Script price when the time comes from the formula.
• ·A custom formula uses the time from the simulation only if it contains the variable cam_time_min (and cam_available, which indicates whether the simulation is valid). Without it, accepting the proposal does not change the price, and the screen will alert you to this.
• ·The AI does not supply numbers. Dimensions are measured from the model by the detector. The AI decides what a feature is and how it is made; the time is then calculated by the machining simulation. Features the detector did not find are listed by the AI but are not included in the price — if the part has them, adjust the price manually.
• ·It proposes an additional setup only where the existing sides cannot reach. Facing after parting off and similar workshop practices are listed as a note, not as a setup — those are up to you.
• ·There are 50 proposals per workshop; the same part a second time does not count.
• ·Setups based on your machine. If a milling machine has its profile filled in under Technologies (the Machine section: number of axes, rotary or tilting table, working envelope), the AI proposes setups for that specific machine — on a 4-axis milling machine with a rotary table, often a single setup with indexing instead of three. Select the profile from the catalogue, or have it looked up with the Find machine with AI button; each value shows its source and unverified values are marked. The profile itself does not change the price.
• ·Návrh a simulace už v Kalkulačce, pro vybraný stroj. Na stránce dílu se AI technolog a simulace obrábění spustí samy a nad tlačítkem Kontrola výpočtu uvidíte, v jaké fázi jsou: návrh postupu, simulace obrábění, kontrola programu. Návrh dostane stejné stroje jako cena, tedy stroj vybraný vpravo. Když díl zvládne vybraný stroj sám, navrhne se celý na něm, i kulatý díl na frézce. Druhý stroj dílny se přidá jen na to, co vybraný stroj neudělá, třeba soustruh bez poháněných nástrojů a příčná díra. Se kterými stroji výpočet počítá a kolik upnutí na kterém je, uvidíte v rámečku Stroje ve výpočtu na stránce dílu i v Kontrole výpočtu. Když dílu změníte stroj, nebo má díl starší návrh pro jiné stroje, spustí se nový návrh a stojí 1 AI kredit. Přijatý návrh se nepřepočítává.
• ·Simulation on a 4-axis milling machine with a rotary table. The part lies with one of its axes along the table axis, and the simulation rotates it between operations; you will see the A angle for each operation. All sides around the axis are therefore machined in a single setup. The 4th axis cannot reach the faces at the ends of the part; these belong to another setup, and the simulation notes this for the operation. Table rotation is added to the machine time: the machine's value is used (the Table rotation field in the profile), otherwise an estimate of 1.5 s. If the part cannot rotate above the table because it is larger than the table swing, the simulation calculates the setup as on a 3-axis milling machine.
• ·The AI programmer fine-tunes the program itself. After the simulation, the AI does not just review the program but tries to improve it: it selects a larger roughing end mill from your range, sends a ball end mill to chamfers and fillets left stepped after roughing, or tilts an inclined surface on a 5-axis machine. The simulation recalculates each variant in full, and the AI chooses the one that finishes the part without gouges or collisions, leaves no more unmachined material and is the fastest. Spindle speeds, feeds and step-overs are still calculated by Chainly according to your material; the AI does not change them. In the Calculation check you will see the Program adjusted by AI programmer box with the time and unmachined material before and after the adjustment. If no adjustment helped, the program remains the default.
• ·Do you have several milling machines or lathes? Machine time from the accepted proposal is charged at the rate of the machine on which the setup in the proposal runs. If the quote was created on a 3-axis milling machine and the proposal moves a setup to a 4-axis one, the minutes of that setup are priced at the hourly rate and overhead of the 4-axis milling machine. In the price breakdown this is the On another workshop machine line. Setups without an assigned machine are charged as before, at the rate of the quote's machine.

Is the program complete? Check before confirmation

From 16 October 2026, after the simulation Chainly checks whether the program really machines the entire part. If it does not, you cannot confirm the quote until you tick I know, I'll finish the part another way. Above the price you will see why:

• ·The simulation did not finish or is still running. Large parts, such as moulds, are now calculated in the background for up to around 20 minutes, and you can see the completed sections as they progress.
• ·Unmachined material remains, or a part feature that no operation touches: a chamfer, pocket, or hole from the far side.
• ·A gouge into the part or a collision of the tool, workholding or rapid traverse.
• ·Contact with the machine. The simulation builds a simplified machine from the profile in Technologies: vice, table, spindle nose, travels, spindle-to-table range and tilt. For example, it reports a full-depth contour in which the tool would run into the jaw. Whatever the machine profile does not contain (vice height, 5 mm clamping, fixture) is our estimate, and the screen says so for the machine. In the animation, you switch the machine on and off with the Show machine tool button; with it switched off, the animation shows only the part and the tool.

Even in that case, the price is based on the simulation time (from 17 October 2026), so whatever the program does not machine is not included in it; bear this in mind if you finish the part another way. The exception applies only to this simulation: if you recalculate it, the check runs again. Quotes without a simulation (sheet metal, 3D printing, a part for which no proposal was created) are not checked.

• ·The simulation now machines edge chamfers with a chamfer mill, and roughs freeform surfaces (mould cavities) with a flat end mill in levels and finishes them with a ball end mill.
• ·The program runs to the end, or says why (from 17 October 2026). A side of the part towards which the table does not tilt in the setup — typically the underside resting in the vice — is machined in a setup that turns it towards the tool; if there is no such setup in the process plan, the operation is skipped with a reason. Under each thread, the simulation first drills the core hole. Rounded slots (semicircular channels) are finished with a ball end mill. Whatever still remains has a part surface and a reason in the Program check — for example a deep hole that requires a long drill or gun drill from your tools. Offcuts that the contour cuts away from the part drop off and are not counted as unmachined material.
• ·Turned parts (from 27 October 2026). A relief groove at a shoulder, or a groove cut into the face, which the simulation previously missed, is now machined with a form tool when the tool has direct access to it. The groove time is added to the machine time and is usually a few seconds. The custom form tool is our estimate, and Chainly does not include its cost as a tool. If a straight tool cannot reach the groove, it is left unmachined and the calculation check states what is in the way. The simulation works in 2.5D, so it cannot machine a chamfer along a 3D edge, for example on a tube saddle, and states that it will be chamfered by hand during deburring. On parts with a face groove, the simulation no longer bores a hole that is not on the part, so the boring machine time may decrease.
• ·Fill in the machine's tools in Technologies for the machine. You can start from the default set and delete what you don't have. The simulation then uses only your tools: if, for example, a ball end mill is missing, freeform surfaces remain unmachined and the check says so. Without a list, it uses the Chainly default set and marks this as an assumption.

Detailed machine model (from 16 October 2026). In the animation, you switch it on with the Show machine tool button: the milling machine, rotary table, trunnion, swivel head or lathe moves along its axes just as in reality and takes tools from the magazine between operations. With the machine switched on, you can see the axis positions below the animation. The Machine panel is always below it and shows what would not work on the machine: an axis beyond its travel limit, the tool or headstock in the fixture, more tools than the magazine has pockets. We take the dimensions of catalogue machines from the manufacturer's drawings. Whatever the manufacturer does not publish (headstock, vice, fixtures) is our estimate, and any finding based on it is marked accordingly. For now the panel is for checking only; it does not change the price or the quote confirmation.

Before you save the price

The price in the “Your price” field is for the whole job, not per piece — the same as the price the customer sees. Below the field you see what it makes per piece, and if the number you typed looks like a price per piece, the screen asks and offers to convert it to the whole job.

Before you save the price, you see a summary: the job price, the quantity, the price per piece and the delivery date. The Save and Confirm buttons are in the bar at the bottom of the screen. If you leave with unsaved corrections or a typed price, the screen asks first.

If the customer has meanwhile uploaded a different version of the part, a warning appears above the price that you chose the stock for the previous geometry. You can confirm once you have checked the dimensions and ticked the warning.

You cannot edit the finished surface or the element's classification on this screen—the model is there for viewing and re-measuring, not for marking. Finishing is therefore calculated based on the entire surface area of the part; if the estimate is significantly higher than expected, please let us know in the note accompanying your quote.

Measurements

The Measure button turns on measuring on the 3D model. It is read-only — it saves nothing, changes nothing and does not move the price. It serves a single question: does the model match the drawing you received?

20Checklist for Getting Started

Check off from top to bottom. At the top is what you cannot start without; further down is what refines the price.

• ·Account approved by the Chainly administrator
• ·Postal code and contact email address entered in the profile
• ·Every technology you offer has been set up
• ·For each technology the minimum is filled in — the “not priced” label has disappeared
• ·Overhead saved once (otherwise you are costing without a margin)
• ·The thicknesses listed in the price list cover the entire range that you actually produce
• ·For CNC, enter the machine dimensions—for milling, all three axes
• ·Uploaded certificates that you have
• ·Time factors reflect how you actually bill for rush jobs

Something doesn't add up, or a quote came out looking strange? Write to us — we can trace the price breakdown of every quote down to the last number.

21Předplatné a AI kredity

Chainly platíte měsíčním předplatným. Tarif určuje, kolik technologií naceňujete, kolik lidí v Chainly pracuje a kolik AI kreditů máte na měsíc. Počet nabídek není omezený v žádném tarifu. Svůj tarif a zůstatek kreditů najdete v Nastavení → Předplatné.

• ·Start, 9 900 Kč měsíčně bez DPH: jedna technologie (CNC, nebo plech), 3 uživatelé a 150 AI kreditů měsíčně.
• ·Dílna, 16 900 Kč: dvě technologie, 8 uživatelů, 400 AI kreditů, statistiky a kooperace.
• ·Výroba, 27 900 Kč: všechny technologie včetně 3D tisku, 20 uživatelů, 1 000 AI kreditů a stroje vám nastavíme my.
• ·Chainly ve firmě: rozsah i cenu domluvíme podle vaší výroby.

Když platíte ročně, platíte 10 měsíců a 2 máte zdarma. Zkušební účet má na 30 dní obsah tarifu Dílna a 50 AI kreditů.

Do počtu uživatelů se počítáte vy, členové týmu i pozvánky, které ještě nikdo nepřijal. Stroj v technologii, kterou tarif nezahrnuje, nepřidáte. Stroje, které už máte, zůstávají a dál se s nimi počítá.

Kolik co stojí

• ·3D model z PDF výkresu stojí 1 kredit. Počítá se každý výkres poslaný AI, i když z něj model nevyjde.
• ·Čtení výkresu (svary, povrchová úprava, kusovník) stojí 4 kredity.
• ·Postup výroby od AI technologa stojí 1 kredit.
• ·Posudek programu CAM, AI programátor a hledání stroje jsou zdarma.

Jeden díl z PDF výkresu k obrábění tak obvykle stojí 6 kreditů: model, postup od AI technologa a čtení výkresu.

Kdy se kredity obnoví a co když dojdou

Kredity z tarifu platí do konce kalendářního měsíce a nevyčerpané propadnou. Dokoupit si můžete 100 kreditů za 1 200 Kč nebo 500 kreditů za 5 500 Kč bez DPH. Dokoupené kredity platí 12 měsíců a berou se až po kreditech z tarifu. O dokoupení nám napište.

AI technolog po nahrání dílu a čtení výkresů běží samy. Zastaví se, když by vám zbylo méně než pětina měsíčních kreditů, aby vám zůstaly na 3D modely z výkresů, které spouštíte vy.

22What Has Changed

Only changes that moved the price or what you see in the app. Details are with the relevant sections — this is only a pointer, so that a second description of the same thing does not appear and drift from the first.

27. 10. 2026

Limity AI (50 výkresů a 100 čtení na dílnu) nahradily AI kredity podle tarifu Start, Dílna nebo Výroba. Kredity se obnovují každý měsíc a zůstatek vidíte v bočním panelu. Viz Předplatné a AI kredity.

26. 10. 2026

For the parts in your quote, Chainly reads welds, surface finish and the bill of materials from the PDF drawing and shows them in the part detail, together with their location in the drawing. This does not affect the price. See Input documentation and folder.

20. 10. 2026

On the home page you will find a 3D demo alongside a description of the process from PDF drawing to quote. The 3D model and the simulation are shown in the same window, and you can adjust the rates below it. On a touch device, tap Rotate model to switch on model controls and Scroll page to return to scrolling the website. The upload rules can be expanded below the demo.

17. 10. 2026

16. 10. 2026

• ·17 October 2026 — a clearer portal. The calculator now shows all your costings, searchable by part, not just the last 15. In the part detail, the price and quantity appear above the machine selection, and the selected machine is shown on a single line with a Change machine link. The draft is now called Working version rather than Quote, and shows the total price and how many parts are awaiting a price at the top. An issued or accepted quote has a bar at the top indicating that any change will create a revision.
• ·Counts in the menu and on the overview no longer include superseded jobs or inquiries from Chainly whose response deadline has expired. The number next to Inquiries in the menu has been removed, as it belonged to Inquiries from Chainly; their count is shown on the tab of the same name. The Inquiries in progress card now counts in the same way as the list it links to.

• ·The machine catalogue now includes the DMG Deckel Maho DMU 100 monoBLOCK (5-axis) with a swivel head and rotary table. The figures are taken from the manufacturer's technical data.
• ·The simulation on a 5-axis milling machine clamps the part by the side with the fewest features and machines the other five sides by rotating it in a single setup. A second setup finishes the clamped side only when needed.

15. 10. 2026

• ·A clearer top section in the Calculation Check: a single customer price with a label showing its source (indicative, after your check, from the AI process plan, your own), the setups and machine time, and a comparison with what the customer sees. You can enter your own price and delivery date via the link below.
• ·After saving, the price breakdown shows the recalculated price rather than the indicative one (previously the total at the top could differ from the one in the breakdown).
• ·We no longer run the script-based process plan in the Calculation Check: proposals are created only by the AI process engineer.
• ·Collision check after the program is created: the simulation checks not only the cutting edge but also the shank and the end mill holder, the turning tool holder, the boring bar and the insert holder, as well as rapid moves, against the material still present at that moment. An operation with a collision is shown in red in the process plan and the AI review rates it as an error; for older simulations you will see "—" (the check was not run).
• ·The CNC demo on the homepage now also costs on a 4-axis milling machine. Alongside the Haas VF-2, the simulation also calculates the part on a Haas VF-2 with an HRT160 rotary table and shows the cheaper option; you can view the other one with the toggle. The 4-axis milling machine has its own hourly rate slider; the default of 56 €/h is our estimate. For a part with features on four sides, the homepage price therefore drops because fewer setups are needed (test block: 5 setups and €21/pc on the 3-axis machine, 3 setups and €14/pc on the 4-axis machine). The prices of your quotes are not affected.
• ·The simulation supports the 4th axis. On a milling machine with a rotary table, it machines the sides around the table axis in a single setup and rotates the part between operations; the faces at the ends of the part are left for another setup. Previously, the simulation rotated the part freely on such a machine, as if it had five axes. Table rotation is added to the machine time. See Process plan — AI proposal.
• ·The animation draws the actual shape of the tool (plate, head and square shank of the holder, boring bar along the axis, insert) — the same shape that the collision check monitors.
• ·Collision-free program: the end mill now enters each layer at feed rate (previously at rapid traverse across the corner of the stock), and the boring bar is selected to suit the pre-drilled hole. Across 30 test parts, this changed the simulated machine time by a median of +0.3% (−2.6% to +3.4%).

14. 10. 2026

• ·The CNC demo on the homepage calculates the price from the machining simulation. The price is shown only after the simulation: setup is charged for each setup, and machine time is taken from the toolpaths, with each setup at the hourly rate of its own machine (the milling machine and the lathe have separate sliders). The simulation does not measure drilling, so drilling is estimated from the number of holes. If the simulation fails or does not machine the whole part, the demo shows a formula-based estimate and explains why. The prices of your quotes are not affected.
• ·The machining simulation selects tools by reach and accounts for tool changes. Each end mill, drill and tap has a flute length, a stick-out from the holder and a holder. If a short tool would collide with the part with its holder or shank, the simulation uses a long one; if even that cannot reach, it skips the operation and explains why. Tool changes are added to the machine time: the machine's specification (Haas VF-2: 4.5 s), otherwise an estimate. For tools whose length is unknown, the simulation assumes a standard (short) tool. The prices of your quotes are not affected, but the homepage demo is.

9. 10. 2026

• ·AI process plan in the Calculation check: a proposal of what is turned, milled and drilled, and in how many setups. It changes the price only once accepted. See the Calculation check section.
• ·Machine profile in Technologies (Machine section): a catalogue of verified Haas machines and AI-assisted lookup of other machines. The AI process engineer uses it to propose setups on the specific machine.
• ·The CNC price breakdown is shown in two columns (per piece and per job), and the rows add up to the price. With a custom formula, you can see how much material, machine and setup contributed to the price.

6. 10. 2026

• ·A new workshop receives default machines with pre-filled rates: laser cutting, press brake, powder coating, CNC milling machine and CNC lathe. The rates are indicative; adjust them in Technologies and delete any machines you don't have — otherwise you will receive inquiries for them too.
• ·Drawing reading has its own limit of 100 per workshop. The remaining number is shown in the side panel below the AI drawings limit. Once it is used up, the part shows that the drawing has not been read; the inquiry, the price and the 3D model continue to work. We can raise the limit on request.
• ·AI drawings are limited to 50 per workshop. The remaining number is shown in the side panel. Every drawing sent to the AI counts, even if no model results from it. Once the limit is used up, a part with only a PDF drawing is quoted manually; we can raise the limit on request.

5. 10. 2026

• ·Add parts asks for the technology (sheet metal, CNC, 3D printing), and Other sends the files for AI sorting. See Custom quotes.
• ·Bill of materials (BOM): search, filters, sorting by column, a Source file column, changing the machine for one part or several parts at once, and changing the technology as a new part version. Changing the machine or technology recalculates the part price. See Customer documentation and folder.
• ·STEP in 3D: the document preview displays a STEP file as a 3D model with measuring tools. You can pan a PDF drawing by dragging with the mouse.
• ·Overview has four cards in a row; you keep track of certificates on the Certificates page. In the quote detail, Change status is on the toolbar and the other actions are under Options.

4. 10. 2026

• ·Menu that follows your workflow: Overview, Inquiries, Quotes, Jobs, Calculator, Customers, Messages and Settings. Projects are now Inquiries; an inquiry is kept up to date, whereas a quote is an issued snapshot that does not change. New inquiry has replaced the New quote and New project buttons. See Inquiry, quote, job and Calculator.
• ·A manually accepted quote (you switch its status to Accepted) now creates a job automatically, just as when the customer accepts it.
• ·Add parts for sheet metal and CNC also accepts a PDF drawing: the AI builds a 3D model from it and quotes the part. In the bill of materials, parts can be deleted one by one or in bulk.
• ·PDF and DXF viewer in Chainly: the drawing opens directly in the app, even on a phone, with zoom, page navigation and a Download button. It works the same from the quote documentation, the bill of materials, the part detail and the job.
• ·Input documentation always visible: the panel above the items also shows drawings and 3D models of parts uploaded via Add parts, and the item table shows the part's input file instead of the 3D preview. The 3D view is in the part detail. See Input documentation and folder.
• ·Documentation in the bill of materials: every file with its type, the part it belongs to and its origin (quote documentation, part file or AI), plus search, filters and a preview with arrows. Above the bill of materials there is a Browse documentation link. See Documentation from the customer and folder.
• ·Cost per pierce: the cutting price list has a new Cost per pierce field (default 0, so no price moves on its own). The homepage demo now shows the pierce count and their cost separately.

3 Oct 2026

• ·The menu has six items: Overview, Quotes, Jobs, Customers, Messages and Settings. The Calculator, Projects and Inquiries from Chainly are tabs in Quotes; machines and price list, subcontracting, integrations, profile, team, gallery and certificates are tabs in Settings; Statistics is a tab of the Overview. Open the manual with the question mark next to the workshop name. Page addresses have not changed.
• ·The Overview starts with your work: new files from customers, quotes to send, quotes waiting for the customer and jobs, including those without a date. Inquiries from Chainly are one row at the bottom. The checklist offers a default machine with one click when you have a single machine of that type; it never sets one by itself.
• ·You can issue a link for the customer to upload drawings with a single button from the Overview, the customer list or the customer detail. The project "Drawings from customer" is created automatically, and you can copy the link or send it by e-mail.
• ·E-mails: when a customer accepts or declines a quote, you get an e-mail. The customer gets an e-mail when you change the job's delivery date or ship it in full; you can turn this off in your Profile. A quote you have not sent yet is not visible to the customer, not even with a preview link.
• ·Customer files in one click: drawings the customer sent via the link are split into parts by the Sort and price button in the quote; Chainly reads the name, drawing number, material and weight from the title block and prices the parts. The bill of materials also appears for a folder without one. You can also create a project straight from the Projects page.
• ·The whole job in one click: in the job detail, the buttons All into production, All to inspection and All done move every part at once, through the steps in between. Parts only move forward: a finished part does not go back and a cancelled one stays cancelled. Ship all still ships finished parts only. Before you confirm, you see which parts move and which stay.
• ·Quote detail: at the top there is a single main button depending on the status (Send; for an accepted quote, To production), next to it Change status, and the other actions are under Options. To production on a quote the customer has not accepted asks for confirmation first. Nested pages have a breadcrumb back at the top, and the part detail lets you browse between parts.

25. 9. 2026

The shipping date for a workshop without its own time tiers now uses the default tiers (standard 10, express 5, urgent 3 days) — just like the price always did. Customers used to see a date without lead time for such a workshop. The Technologies page no longer saves anything on its own when opened: it shows the default tiers as unsaved and saves them once you confirm.

VAT on quotes: in the company profile, choose whether you are a VAT payer and, if so, the rate (default 21%). Prices in the price list and the quote are always the base excl. VAT. A VAT payer gets VAT and Total incl. VAT below the total, a non-payer the sentence “Not a VAT payer.” Until you fill it in, the quote says nothing about VAT, as before — the quote detail reminds you.

Discount on the whole quote: enter a percentage in the quote header. A “Discount X%” line appears below the subtotal and the total is after the discount (VAT is computed from it); items stay as they are. Once the customer accepts, the discount cannot be changed — use a revision. Revisions and duplicates keep the discount.

You can change an order’s status in its detail too — same steps and the same confirmation as in the list. The “Chainly share” line is no longer shown on older orders; those amounts were never deducted from your income.

• ·A custom cutting formula also accepts the names from the documentation (cutting_length_mm, unfolded_area_mm2). Such a formula used to be impossible to save, and if it was saved, the built-in calculation silently priced instead. Now your formula applies — check that it computes what it should.

5. 9. 2026

• ·Discount for a repeat job is now documented. It has been working since September 3, but it won't deduct anything unless the "Write a Program" field is filled out. See Price List — CNC.
• ·Gallery added and invoicing clarified — Chainly does not issue invoices and does not take part in payment.
• ·Breakdown of the score, which determines how quotes are ranked — the weights of all five components and what happens if a value is left blank. See When an inquiry comes in. The sequence itself hasn't changed; it's just been described.

3. 9. 2026

• ·The shape of the stock follows the shape of the part, not the technology. A round part machined on a milling machine gets bar or tube stock instead of a rectangular block — for a flange, this accounts for roughly a fifth of the stock volume. See Price List — CNC.
• ·The estimated price is calculated based on ideal stock, not from your warehouse. This makes the quotes from the two workshops comparable. Your stock piece will be used as soon as you select it in the calculation check. See Stock on hand.
• ·The calculation check supports the selection of stock — Quick selection from inventory, calculated length, and transparent 3D view of the part. See Calculation check.
• ·For plexiglass, the customer chooses the colour and you'll see it before you confirm the price. It's not included in the price. See When an inquiry comes in.
• ·Stock on hand is shared by both CNC technologies. We’ll also offer the bars used for turning for milling—you’ll have a single rack.

2. 9. 2026

• ·"Writing a program" is a separate field and it is billed once per part, not for each setup. If you leave it set to zero, nothing will change. See Price List — CNC.

27. 8. 2026

• ·Sheet metal prices have fallen — a correction to the calculation, not a decision. See Price List — Sheet Metal.
• ·Quotes are sorted by “Best match”, not by price. See When an inquiry comes in.

We do not track older changes—until August 27, 2026, this manual describes the initial state, not its history.