Fabdose vs sending your file to a manufacturer for review
A manufacturer reviewing your STEP file at quote time gives the most accurate feedback there is, grounded in real shop capability. The catch is the wait, the file exposure, and that it usually arrives only after you commit to a quote. Fabdose is the fast pre-check you run first, on your computer, before you ask anyone.
Fabdose vs manufacturer quote review: feature comparison
These are not really rivals. They sit at different points in the design cycle. Fabdose filters the obvious rejection reasons early; the manufacturer gives the final word at quoting time.
| Capability | Fabdose | manufacturer quote review |
|---|---|---|
| Reads your actual STEP geometry | Yes, locally, in under a minute. | Yes. A real engineer reviews the actual part, the most thorough read. |
| Where your CAD is processed | On your computer. Your CAD file is never uploaded. | Your CAD sits on the factory's server during review. |
| Time to first answer | Under a minute, every iteration. | Typically one to three business days per round. |
| Tells you which faces fail | Names faces with undercuts or low draft for injection molding. | Detailed and process-accurate, but format varies by shop. |
| What it costs to try | Free for 5 analyses, no card. Pro is $35/month. | Often tied to a quote request; some shops charge for review. |
When manufacturer quote review is the better call
Lean on the manufacturer when you are close to ordering and need the final, authoritative read. A shop reviews your part against its real machines, tooling, and material stock, and catches edge cases a rules-based tool will miss. At quoting time, their feedback is the one that counts.
When Fabdose is the better call
Use Fabdose during iteration, before you send anything out. Catching a trapped undercut or a missing draft angle on your own computer saves you a one-to-three-day round trip and keeps your CAD private until you decide to share it. It does not replace the shop's review. It filters out the obvious rejection reasons before you ask for one.
Pricing: Fabdose vs manufacturer quote review
Fabdose Free: 5 analyses, no card. Pro: $35/month for unlimited analyses plus a multi-process comparison report. | manufacturer quote review Many shops review for free as part of a quote, but the quote itself requires committing your part. Standalone paid DFM reviews from a consultant typically run from a few hundred dollars per part. |
Honest limits
Fabdose is a rules-based pre-check, not a full manufacturing review. It reads STEP geometry face by face for injection molding (undercut and draft). For CNC machining, sheet metal, die casting, and the other processes, it applies that process's rule set, measuring what it can find in the file and stating the rest as rules for you to check, rather than analyzing per-face geometry. Ten processes are available today, expanding to fourteen. Fabdose does not send RFQs, match suppliers, or return real quotes.
Questions
- Is Fabdose as accurate as a manufacturer's review?
- No, and it is not meant to be. A manufacturer reviews your part against real machines and tooling, which is the most accurate feedback you can get. Fabdose is a heuristic pre-check that catches common rejection reasons early so you do not waste a quote round on an obvious problem. Use it before the shop's review, not instead of it.
- Does Fabdose upload my CAD like a factory does?
- No. Your STEP files are analyzed on your computer and never leave it, on both Free and Pro. Only the results (defect findings, cost summary, file hash and name) sync to the cloud for cross-device history. The geometry and any drawings stay local.
- Can Fabdose replace getting a quote?
- No. Fabdose does not send RFQs, match suppliers, or return real prices. It gives an order-of-magnitude cost signal to help you compare processes, but you still get a real quote from a manufacturer. Fabdose just makes sure the part is sound before you ask.
Free tier needs an account, no card. Your STEP files stay on your computer.