Custom metalworking software development
Appfront builds custom software for metalworking and subcontractors in machining, sheet metal, welding and fabrication. From costing and quoting based on material, operations and hours, through production planning and order scheduling across your CNC machines, to progress and time recording on the shop floor, material and stock management, and a sharp post-calculation against the pre-calculation. With integrations to CAD/CAM and your ERP, tailored to your machine park, your operations and the way you work.
What is metalworking software?
Metalworking software supports the entire process of a metalworking company or supplier: from costing and quotes, through job preparation and order planning across the CNC machines, to progress tracking and registration on the shop floor, material and stock management, quality and inspection, and the post-calculation in which you compare actual hours and material costs against your initial estimate. The answer to the question of which jobs make a profit starts with that seamless line from quote to work order to post-calculation.
Off-the-shelf packages often force your way of working into a fixed mould. Metalworking businesses differ widely, however: in the operations they carry out in-house (sawing, machining, bending, welding, blasting, coating), in their machine park, in their costing method and in how production planning and the shop floor work together. Custom software fits your process rather than the other way round, and grows with you when you add a machine, introduce a new operation or reorganise your planning. That prevents loose costing spreadsheets and re-typed work orders that drift out of step over time.
Because costing, planning and the shop floor belong together, we build them as one whole, with the CAD/CAM and ERP integrations you need. Read more about our broader approach to custom software and the possibilities of custom software for manufacturing companies.
One line from quote to post-calculation
Costing, work order, shop-floor recording and post-calculation stay linked. The production planner works from one place and keeps an overview, without retyping data between separate spreadsheets and systems.
A shop floor that feeds back
Operators record hours and quantities at the machine and report operations as complete. Production planning sees in real time where an order stands, and the recorded data forms the basis for post-costing straight away.
Control over margin per order
Because pre-calculated and actual hours sit side by side, you can see per order and per operation where you are making or losing money. That feedback makes your next calculation and your rates sharper.
How we build your metalworking software
We work step by step and involve your estimators, production planners and shop-floor staff early in the process. From a thorough review of your operations, costing method and machine park through to go-live and ongoing maintenance: every step is aimed at software your team understands, trusts and uses daily at the machine.
We map out your process: how you calculate, which operations and machines you have, how production planning and the shop floor work together, and which integrations with CAD/CAM and ERP are needed. Together we decide where the most time or margin can be gained.
We design the data model for orders, parts, operations and rates, plus the costing model and the shop-floor view, so the software matches your calculation rules and the way operators work at the machine.
We build in short iterations with automated tests and the integrations to your systems. You see working versions along the way and help steer priorities and how well it fits the reality on the shop floor.
Controlled go-live with data validation and a safety net, followed by ongoing management, monitoring and further development as you add machines, introduce new operations or change how you work.
What metal fabrication software does in practice
We tailor every application to your operations, machine park and costing method. Below are the features we most often deliver for suppliers and metal fabrication companies.
Costing and quotes
A quote price built up from material type and weight or length, the sequence of operations with machine and labour hours, setup times, subcontracting and surcharges. You set your own rates, tiers and calculation rules, so costing is fast and consistent and repeat orders are easy to recalculate.
Post-calculation versus pre-calculation
Actual hours, quantities and material costs from the shop floor alongside the pre-calculation, per order and per operation. You see where you are making or losing money, which operations consistently deviate, and where your rates or calculation rules need adjusting.
Production planning & CNC scheduling
Work orders with drawing number, material and operation sequence, scheduled across your machines and capacity. The production planner sees which orders are ready, where the bottleneck lies and which operations must run on which machine.
Materials & stock
An overview of plate, bar and profile in steel, stainless steel and aluminium, with stock movements, reservations per order and offcut management. You know what is in stock, what needs ordering and which material is allocated to which order.
Quality & inspection
Inspection points, measurement reports and deviations recorded against the order, with space for material certificates to EN 10204 and traceability from batch to finished product. This supports your quality claims to customers and keeps the history traceable.
Progress & management information
Real-time visibility of order status, machine utilisation, booked hours and lead times. You steer on capacity and delivery time, see where orders get stuck, and back up decisions with figures from your own shop floor.
Who we build metal fabrication software for
Metal fabrication covers many disciplines, each with its own machine park and way of costing. For each of these we build software that suits the operations, planning and post-calculation of that type of business.
Machining companies
Companies with CNC milling and turning that produce series and one-off parts. The software supports costing based on setup time and machining hours, planning across machines and post-calculation per operation, so you know which work is profitable.
Sheet metal companies
Companies doing laser cutting, punching, press braking and welding. Costing based on sheet utilisation and operations, integration with the drawing for material and cutting sequence, and material management for steel, stainless steel and aluminium sheet, with attention to offcuts.
Machine manufacturers
Companies that make parts and assemblies for machines, often in small series and one-off pieces. For engineering-led and project-based machine building, we align with our machine building software.
Construction companies
Companies that manufacture welded and structural steel products, where material traceability and weld records matter. The software records material certificates, inspections and construction data with each order, in line with working to EN 1090 and EN ISO 3834.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
We build with a modern, maintainable web stack and connect to the systems and machines you already use. For metalworking, the most relevant are: importing drawings and models in formats such as STEP, DXF and DWG and linking them to your production planning, reading machine data via open standards such as OPC UA and MTConnect, and integrations with your ERP or accounting for orders, items, stock and invoices. We set up each integration so that data is not entered twice and the line from costing to shop floor stays traceable.
To trace material from batch number to finished product, with certificates supplied on delivery, see our batch traceability software for metal products.
If you want quotes based on what the job actually cost, take a look at our software for post-calculation and quote costing.
For metal manufacturers who want to connect MKG to CAD, machines or their own portal, there is our page on an MKG integration.
For scrap traders who want intake, weighing and settlement in one flow, see our software for weighbridge tickets at scrap intake.
If you are a machine builder who outsources operations to subcontractors, take a look at our app for outsourcing planning in machine building.
If you galvanise or anodise in-house and want to manage your process baths, take a look at our software for bath administration in surface treatment.
For the remnant sheets left after cutting, registered at the machine and searchable by size and material, see our app for remnant sheet management in sheet metal work.
For actual hours per operation at the machine, alongside the pre-calculation, see our app for post-calculation in machining.
Why choose Appfront for your metal fabrication software?
Appfront builds custom software and always starts with a thorough analysis of your process: your operations, your costing method, your machine park and the way job preparation and the shop floor work together. Metalworking software has to be not only technically correct, but also suit the pace and reality of the shop floor.
We write clear documentation and deliver transparent code, so that your own team or a future supplier can understand and manage the software. No black box, but clear agreements on integrations, authorisation, logging and management, and software that does not lock you in to a single supplier.
You work with a dedicated point of contact who understands both the technology and the operational realities of a metal company. This keeps communication short, prevents misunderstandings and speeds up decisions when choices need to be made during the build.
See also our broader services: custom software development, custom software for manufacturing, production planning software and machine building software. Have questions? Get in touch with us.
- Custom software for metal fabrication and subcontractors
- One flow from costing to the shop floor to post-calculation
- Costing based on your own rates and calculation rules
- Experienced with CAD/CAM and ERP integrations
- Machine data via open standards such as OPC UA and MTConnect
- Shop floor registration that operators actually use at the machine
- Material and stock management for steel, stainless steel and aluminium
- Clear documentation and no vendor lock-in
- A fixed point of contact, no account managers passed around
- Ongoing management and further development as you grow
Security and privacy in metal fabrication software
Your software holds business-sensitive information: drawings, cost calculations, customer data, rates and your employees' time records. That data deserves a careful approach. We set up access based on role and need, so that, for example, an operator sees the works order they need, while costing and margins stay with the right people. Every important change is logged, so it remains traceable who changed what.
We build in line with the GDPR for the personal data you process, such as time registration, and in line with OWASP security standards, with encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access, backups and monitoring. This keeps your knowledge and administration protected, even as the software grows and connects to more systems.
Read more about our security approach: information security policy and vulnerability disclosure policy. Discuss your situation without obligation via our contact form.
- Role-based access and least-privilege principles
- Protection of drawings, cost calculations and rates
- GDPR-compliant processing of time registration
- Encryption in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest
- Audit logging of important changes
- Separate access for the shop floor, production planning and the office
- Backups and monitoring of availability
- Built to the OWASP security standards
Frequently asked questions about metal fabrication software
Answers to the questions we are asked most often about custom metal fabrication software.
Metalworking software supports the entire process of a metalworking company or supplier: from costing and quotes, through job preparation and order planning across the CNC machines, to progress tracking and registration on the shop floor, material and stock management, quality and inspection, and the post-calculation in which you compare actual hours and material costs against your initial estimate. Custom software lets you set this up the way your own costing method, operations and machine park require, instead of adapting your way of working to an off-the-shelf package. That keeps quotes, work orders and post-calculation connected instead of scattered across separate spreadsheets.
Yes. We build a costing module that assembles a quote price from the components you use yourself: material type and weight or length (steel, stainless steel, aluminium), the sequence of operations (sawing, machining, bending, welding, blasting, coating) with machine and labour hours, subcontracting, set-up times and surcharges. You define your own rates, scales and calculation rules, so a quote is produced quickly and consistently and repeat orders can be recalculated with a few adjustments. Every calculation is stored, so during post-calculation you can see exactly what was used.
We build custom. Metalworking companies differ greatly in the operations they offer in-house, their machine park, their costing method and the way job preparation and the shop floor work together. Custom software fits your actual process and can grow when you add a machine, add an operation or organise your planning differently. After an intake meeting, we decide together which functionality matters most and in what order to develop it, without promising a fixed lead time or price that we cannot yet substantiate.
Production preparation often starts from a drawing or 3D model. We can import file formats such as STEP, DXF and DWG and link them to the CAD/CAM package you use, so that drawing number, material and machining sequence stay aligned with the order. For the machines themselves, we work with open standards such as OPC UA and MTConnect to read machine status and progress wherever the controller allows. This means production planners don't need to re-key data, and the link between drawing, work order and machine stays traceable.
Yes. On the shop floor, operators work with a simple shopfloor view in which they start a work order, record hours and quantities, and sign off the operation step, for example on a tablet or terminal at the machine. This lets production planning see in real time where an order stands, which operations are ready, and where bottlenecks lie. The recorded hours and quantities also form the basis for the post-calculation, so registration does not happen twice.
The pre-calculation is the basis of your quote: the expected material, machine and labour hours per operation. The post-calculation sets the actual recorded hours, quantities and material costs from the shop floor against that, per order and per operation. This shows you where you are making or losing money, which operations consistently deviate from the calculation, and where your rates or calculation rules need adjusting. That feedback makes your next calculation sharper.
Yes. We integrate with the ERP or accounting system you use, for example via an API or web service, so that orders, items, stock movements and invoices don't need to be entered twice. Often we build a dedicated solution that handles calculation, production preparation and the shop floor, and exchanges financial and stock data with your existing systems. This way you keep your current administration and strengthen it with the functionality a metal fabrication company specifically needs.
We build for suppliers and metalworking companies across the full range: machining companies with CNC milling and turning, sheet metal companies with laser cutting, punching and bending, machine manufacturers, and construction firms that weld and produce structural steelwork. What they share is the need for a seamless line from calculation to shop floor to post-calculation. We tailor the software to each company's own machine park, operations and way of working.
Ready to build your metal fabrication software?
Tell us how your business works and where you run into problems, from calculation and production preparation to the shop floor and post-calculation. We're happy to think along about your operations, machinery and integrations with CAD/CAM and ERP. In a no-obligation first conversation, you'll get a clear picture of what custom software can do for your metal fabrication business.