Price Quote

[Martin Boekers]

Gene, now that we know what your doing, if the numbers are all the same for all parts as well as size (10pt) maybe a pad printer would be a more fitting solution. There are may inks available that may fit the needs.

You might want to check with NASCAR to make sure that what you do fits their requirements. I'd have your clients sign a disclamer to. NASCAR is tough on rules and you don't want to be party to a lawsuit if they suspend a team for infractions.

Just a thought.

Marty

[Brian Robison]

Gene, I mark a lot of parts with thermark and cermark.
I'd price them at $1.50 each. Lots of good advice here.
Make 2 jigs. Make sure your samples are consistent materials and thickness. Cermark dries quicker than Thermark so that can reduce your overall cycle time.
Sounds like a great opportunity to me! For a price per hour, 1 part a minute is a nice place to be. I'm guessing your engraving time will be close to 15 seconds a piece.
You'll make some money!!!

[Dan Hintz]

You might want to check with NASCAR to make sure that what you do fits their requirements. I'd have your clients sign a disclamer to. NASCAR is tough on rules and you don't want to be party to a lawsuit if they suspend a team for infractions.

If the parts are being numbered and ordered in quantity, it's most likely the governing body doing the ordering (or a direct representative). If that's true, then they are selling these items back to the teams at a set price (and probably at a profit), and the teams go to them, not you, for replacements. Assuming you fill the order to their specs, they have final say.

[Lisa Higginbotham]

Awesome job. I have an industrial company that I am marking stainless for. It's good money but because we have a niche, don't undersell it! 800-1000 pieces a month is fabulous. Are the pieces all different sizes? Are they flat? I do 1" x 3" pieces that the customer supplies, I get a spreadsheet with the marking text needed. Great work at $3-4 each!

[Lisa Higginbotham]

I think you are way underselling!

[Gary and Jessica Houghton]

Gene,
Think about this... You have to spray every piece, wait for them to dry, laser each piece, with or with out a jig, then you have to clean the piece off. On one pice you can spend 10 minutes. In one hour you will have done 6 individual pieces. At $.45 per peice, is it worth only $2.70 for your hour of time and cermark? I think not. I spent time marking tools for a company, nowhere as many, but I charged $3.00 per piece. $.45 per piece is absolutely too low! At 1,000 pieces that's only $450. 1,000 pieces of anything is worth more than $450. Time is money, and you should not throw your money out the window by offering to take on a job like that for as little as $.45 a pice.
Jessica

[Gene Hobbs]

Thanks Guys
I am going to take you guys advice. Like a freind told me. If I'm not making money off of it. It is not worth messing with..


Thanks Gene

[Mike Null]

Gene

Give them another option--show them a black anodized aluminum plate. They're cheaper, easier to do and look better. Likely these parts are not going to get a lot of abrasive type wear so anodized should be just fine.

Using Thermark on thin aluminum is a real challenge.

[Dave Johnson29]

If I'm not making money off of it. It is not worth messing with..

Exactly, and if the client will not budge on price, you really want your competitors to get these jobs.

When I ran my software business I was always handing cheap customers off to our competition. I don't think they ever figured it out either.