estimate or not to estimate

[jaykay]

I am looking for an estimation program that will be able to calculate weight of steel parts and give a cost. We build sign structures which use several combinations of towers and trusses which in turn comprise of hundreds of angles, channels and beams. I am trying to use Microsoft Access but am beginning to wonder if that is the right program for this purpose. Any tip would be greatly appreciated.

 

[TheAnswerGuy]

jaykay,

I don't think that you have to reinvent the wheel.

Go to:

http://www.download.com

and type in estimator in the search area and hit "enter".

You will find many programs already written there.
Some are free and others shareware.

 

[OhioIE]

Jaykay,

If your product is drawn in AutoCAD and 3D then just use the mass properties find its volume and multiply by the coefficient of the steel you are using. I used this for heat treatment trays for Ford. I rounded numbers and checked my finding with the actual weight after production. I was never off by more than ½ a pound. Keep in mind that these were large trays and some grinding could make a change to the weight, so I may have been more accurate if the grinders didn’t get over zealous.

If this doesn’t apply, then I would also suggest the Answerguy’s idea.

Hope I have helped in some way.
Have a nice day!
OhioIE

 

[mrainey]

I wrote a free program to calculate metal weight and volume. It has many common metals and the following shapes: hexagonal, octagonal, square, rectangular, round, and tubular. No angled pieces. No cost calculations. Take a look, it might be helpful.

It's at:

http://bellsouthpwp.net/r/s/rsnmar/weights.zip