A 3D printing diagnostic
How we automated 100% of 3D printing estimates and took the founder out of the sales-support loop.
We turned a manual, 30-minute task into a 5-second automated process — letting DMI3D filter window shoppers without lifting a finger.
- Client
- DMI3D
- Industry
- 3D printing · Manufacturing services
- Featuring
- Automated estimator · Paid-only workflow
- 100%Of routine estimates automated
- ~360×Faster quotes — 30 minutes to 5 seconds
- ~20 hrsFounder time saved every week
- ~5 monthsPayback on a ₹2 lakh investment
I was losing hours every single day running manual estimates for people who were just browsing. My time is best spent on production and complex problem-solving, not acting as a pricing kiosk. Emilda & Co. automated the entire logic. Now, I only step in when a paid order arrives. The system filters the noise and protects my time.
Situation
The most valuable person in the company was a manual pricing kiosk.
DMI3D’s entire quoting process depended on the founder’s availability. More than 15 hours of high-value production time were lost every month, and the founder’s attention was pulled away from production into repetitive estimation.
30–50 minutes per quote
If 10 people asked for a quote and only one converted, hours of specialised engineering time were lost on dead leads.
The price-check trap
Prospective customers often sent files just to check prices. For every request, the founder had to open the slicer, configure material and machine settings, and calculate the cost by hand.
The scaling wall
The business couldn’t grow — not for lack of demand, but because the most valuable person in the company was stuck acting as a manual pricing kiosk.
Solution
Gatekeeping through automation.
We didn’t just automate quoting — we restructured how access to the founder’s time and attention works.
1. The silent estimator
DMI3D’s internal pricing logic — material cost, machine time and margins — was replicated in a server-side algorithm using Orca Slicer.
2. An instant feedback loop
Customers receive pricing instantly. If it’s out of budget, they leave quietly. If it fits, they go ahead and buy.
3. The paid-only workflow
File analysis happens automatically. The team sees files only after payment is confirmed, so human effort is reserved for real orders, not curiosity.
Results
The founder steps in only when a paid order arrives.
Initial estimates now need no human intervention, and quotes arrive roughly 360 times faster. The founder’s time is protected and intentional again.
The project cost ₹2 lakh, saves around 20 hours of founder time every week, and paid for itself in about five months.
This wasn’t an expense. It was a time-asset conversion.
What changed
- Manual effort
- 100% removed — no human intervention needed for initial estimates
- Quote speed
- 30 minutes → 5 seconds, roughly 360× faster
- Window-shopper filtering
- 100% — founder time is now protected and intentional
- Return on investment
- ₹2 lakh project, ~20 hours of founder time saved a week, paid back in ~5 months