Job Costing for CNC and Machine Shops

Setup time is fixed cost per job; run time scales with quantity. If setup takes 2 hours and run takes 10 minutes per part, a 10-piece order has very different economics than a 500-piece order. Without separating setup from run, you can't analyze this—and your quoting will be wrong.

No—Jolted is the natural next step from Excel for CNC shops. You keep the flexibility you're used to (every job can be different), but data capture becomes automatic. Workers tap to track time instead of writing it down later. Costs calculate automatically instead of you building formulas. Most Excel-based shops find Jolted easier, not harder.

Yes. Configure different rates per machine based on complexity, depreciation, tooling costs—whatever drives your internal costing. A 5-axis VMC can have a higher rate than a manual lathe. When time is logged per machine, the correct rate applies automatically.

Track tooling as a material issue per job, or build tooling costs into your machine rates. Most shops include consumable tooling in machine burden rates and track major tooling purchases as job-specific costs. Either approach works in Jolted.

No. Machine integration is optional and adds automatic cycle time capture. But you can run fully manual—operators log time via tablet at the machine. Many shops start manual and get 80% of the value. Integration adds precision but isn't required for job costing.

Historical job cost data feeds your quoting. See actual hours and costs for similar past jobs. Identify where estimates are typically off. Over time, your quotes become more accurate because they're based on real data, not memory and spreadsheets. Some shops improve quoting accuracy 20-30% within six months.

Yes. Different work centers or machines can have different tracking methods and rates. A CNC machine might track at $85/hour machine rate; a manual bench operation at $45/hour labor only. The system adapts to your shop's mix of work types.