Manufacturing Processes

A manufacturing process is a type of work your shop performs: CNC milling, turning, welding, surface grinding, assembly, anodizing, painting, and so on. Processes are used when adding operations to quote parts, and they carry the hourly rates that drive your cost calculations.

Getting There

Go to Settings > Processes & Work Centers. The Processes tab is selected by default.

Adding a Process

  1. Click Add Process.
  2. Enter a name for the process (e.g., "CNC Milling", "TIG Welding", "Assembly").
  3. Click Save.

The process is created with no machine or work center linked, and Forge shows a warning on it until you add one: without a machine or work center, the process has nowhere to hold an hourly rate, so its operations would be priced at $0. Even a process with no machine, such as assembly or inspection, needs a work center (an "Assembly bench", for example) to carry its rate.

Processes list with machines and work centers

Linking a Machine or Work Center to a Process

Each process can have one or more machines or work centers. The link between them is where you define hourly rates.

  1. Find the process card on the Processes tab.
  2. Click Add machine / work center.
  3. Choose New machine / work center, or Existing machine / work center to pick one you've already created for another process.
  4. Set its rates for this process:
    • Programming: cost/hr, markup %, and the resulting selling rate/hr.
    • Setup: cost/hr, markup %, and the resulting selling rate/hr.
    • Cycle (time per unit): cost/hr, markup %, and the resulting selling rate/hr.
  5. Click Save.

To record what a machine can do (type, axes, live tooling, size) so Forge AI can route parts to it, see Machines and Work Centers.

The rate per hour is calculated automatically: Cost/hr x (1 + Markup% / 100) = Rate/hr.

How Processes Appear on Quotes

When you add an operation to a quote part:

  1. You select a process (e.g., "CNC Milling").
  2. You select the machine or work center that will perform it (e.g., "Haas VF-2"). If the process has none, Forge warns you that the operation is priced at $0.
  3. You enter the estimated time for programming, setup, and cycle.
  4. Forge calculates the cost by multiplying the time by the rates you defined here.

This means your quotes are always based on the rates you configured in settings. If you update a rate, new quotes use the updated rate. Existing quotes keep the rate they were created with.

Editing a Process

  1. Click the edit icon (pencil) on the process card.
  2. Update the name.
  3. Click Save.

To edit the rates of a machine or work center under a process, click the edit icon on its row within the process card.

Removing a Machine or Work Center from a Process

Click the delete icon on its row within the process card. This removes the link and its rates, but does not delete the machine itself. It remains available in the Machines / work centers tab and can be linked to other processes.

Deleting a Process

  1. Click the delete icon (trash) on the process card.
  2. If the process is used in existing quote operations, Forge warns you and asks for confirmation. Deleting the process also removes those operations from quotes.

Note: Deleting a process is permanent and affects any quotes that reference it. Consider whether you still need those quote operations before confirming.

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