---
title: "Partimation — know which process fits before you tool for it"
url: https://partimation.com/process-selection/
description: "ProcessDFM screens a part against every process family Partimation supports — casting, molding, forging, machining, sheet metal, additive — and returns a ranked feasible/marginal/infeasible verdict, a should-cost curve per process, and the exact quantity where a cheaper process takes over. Start free."
product: "ProcessDFM"
domain: processdfm.com
---

# Know which process fits — before you tool for the wrong one.

*Process screening · quantity breakpoints · constraints & alternatives · recommended family*

Drop in a part and ProcessDFM screens it against every process family the suite supports — casting, molding, forging, machining, sheet metal, additive — and comes back with a feasible/marginal/infeasible verdict per process, each naming the constraint that drove it, a should-cost curve across quantities, and the exact quantity where one process gets cheaper than another. Pick the family, and it hands off into the specialist tool for the deeper check.

- **Every family, one part** — casting, molding, forging, CNC, sheet, additive screened together
- **Ranked, with a reason** — feasible / marginal / infeasible, each naming the rule
- **Exact crossover qty** — the quantity a cheaper process takes over, not a rough guess
- **Straight hand-off** — move into MachDFM, Castimation, FabDFM, or AdditiveDFM with context carried

Free to start · no credit card · your files stay yours.

## The process pick is the most expensive guess in the quote.

- **Tooled for the wrong quantity** — Committing to die casting, injection tooling, or a machined billet run without knowing where the volume actually favors a cheaper process means the crossover gets found after the invoice, not before it.
- **The process choice is a gut call** — Whether a part should be cast, molded, forged, machined, or fabricated usually comes down to whoever's in the room and what they've done before — not a screen of the part's own geometry and quantity against what each process can do.
- **Infeasible shows up after tooling's quoted** — A wall too thin for the process, an undercut a die can't core, a part over the common machine class — these are usually found once a die or a fixture is already being priced, not while the process is still an open question.

## See what fits, what it costs, and where the crossover is.

- **Every family, ranked — Feasible, marginal, infeasible — each with the reason** — Casting, injection, forging, MIM, CNC, and — via the same screen — sheet metal and additive all get checked against the part's geometry, alloy, and quantity — verdicts sorted feasible-first, every one naming the capability rule that produced it.
- **Priced across quantity — A should-cost curve per process, not just a verdict** — Every feasible process gets its own cost curve across the quantities that matter, from the same engines that price the rest of the suite — a machining number and a casting number mean the same thing.
- **The exact crossover — The quantity where the cheaper process takes over** — Don't estimate where die casting starts beating a machined billet run — see the exact quantity the two curves cross, solved directly instead of eyeballed off a chart.
- **A real hand-off — Move straight into the specialist tool for the process you picked** — Pick a process family and the part, its context, and the screening findings carry straight into MachDFM, Castimation, FabDFM, or AdditiveDFM — no re-uploading, no re-explaining the part.

## Four steps from an undecided part to a recommended process family.

1. **Drop the part** — Upload a 3D model. No process decision required first.
2. **See what fits** — Every process family gets a feasible/marginal/infeasible verdict, each naming the constraint behind it.
3. **Check the quantity curve** — See should-cost across quantities per process, and the exact quantity where a cheaper one takes over.
4. **Move into the right tool** — Pick the recommended family and hand off into the matching specialist tool with your part and findings carried over.

## Start free. Upgrade when it's winning you work.

Priced for a one-person design team and a multi-process sourcing desk alike. Screening is unmetered — run as many parts as you like.

| Tier | Price (EUR / USD / GBP) | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free | €0 / $0 / £0 | 10 parts a month; Process-fit verdicts + should-cost curves; Advisory analysis, draft resolution; No credit card |
| Pro | €199 /seat · mo / $199 /seat · mo / £169 /seat · mo | Unlimited parts, full resolution; Exact crossover-quantity solving; Hand-off into every specialist tool; 30 simulation runs a month |
| Shop | €699 /mo · 5 seats / $699 /mo · 5 seats / £595 /mo · 5 seats | Everything in Pro; Your own process capability data & rates; Quote calibration + API access; 150 pooled simulation runs a month |
| On-prem | €15k yr 1, then €10k renewal / $15k yr 1, then $10k renewal / £12.5k yr 1, then £8.5k renewal | Runs on your hardware; Unlimited simulation, no metering; Signed updates, never phones home; 10 seats · optional device lock |
| Enterprise | from €25k / from $25k / from £21k /yr | Multi-site licensing, custom process capability data, a model tuned on your own part history, and an SLA. |

EUR and GBP prices exclude VAT, added at checkout where it applies. Early adopters keep their price as the suite grows.

## In the cloud by default. Behind your firewall when it has to be.

- **Cloud — Nothing to install** — Sign in and screen a part from any browser. We run the compute, ship the updates, and keep your data yours.
- **On-prem & air-gapped — For parts that can't leave the building** — Aerospace and anyone under NDA can run the whole thing on their own hardware. Licenses and updates are signed files — it never phones home, so an air-gapped install stays air-gapped.

## Pick the family here. Plan and route it next.

ProcessDFM answers which process family should even be in the running. Once it's picked, PlanDFM plans the operations inside that family, and RouteDFM plans the handoff when a part needs more than one family to finish. All three sit on top of the same DFM screening and should-cost engine as the rest of the suite.

**The planning cluster — Decide, plan, and sequence the work** — One part, three questions, in order:

- Process selection (this page)
- Process planning
- Routing

Priced by [CostDFM](https://partimation.com/costing/) — see the rest of the suite at [partimation.com/#modules](https://partimation.com/#modules).

## Frequently asked questions

#### Which manufacturing processes does one upload get checked against?

One upload gets screened against six process families together — casting, molding, forging, machining, sheet metal, and additive. Each family comes back feasible, marginal, or infeasible, and each verdict names the constraint that drove it. The screen runs off a single file, so you get six answers on one screen rather than chasing six separate tools that each assume the process decision is already made.

#### Why did it call a process infeasible for my part?

Every verdict names the capability rule that produced it. A wall thinner than the process can fill, an undercut a closed die cannot core, a part outside the envelope of the machine classes your shop runs — the reason comes back attached to the verdict, so an infeasible result is a specific constraint you can design against rather than a score you have to take on faith.

#### At what quantity does casting get cheaper than machining the same part?

The crossover quantity is solved in closed form and returned as an exact number, not eyeballed off two curves on a chart. Every feasible process carries its own should-cost curve across quantities, and the quantity where one process takes over from another comes with it. Casting against machining, machining against sheet metal — same method, one number each time.

#### Is a casting number from this tool comparable to a machining number?

Every feasible process is priced by the same engine, so the curves are directly comparable. A machining number and a casting number are built from the same rate library, the same posture settings, and the same cost model — not two tools' two sets of assumptions placed side by side and hoped over. Each line still names the rate or rule behind it.

## Related pages

- [PlanDFM](https://partimation.com/process-planning/)
- [RouteDFM](https://partimation.com/routing/)
- [PartDFM](https://partimation.com/part-analysis/)
- [MFGDFM](https://partimation.com/dfm/)
- [The process was picked by habit — not by the volume | Partimation](https://partimation.com/solutions/wrong-process-choice/)
- [Casting defects found after the tool is cut — catch them first](https://partimation.com/solutions/casting-scrap/)
- [When the manufacturing problem surfaces on the floor](https://partimation.com/solutions/late-dfm-feedback/)

## Find out what fits before you tool for it.

Screen a real part free in your browser, or book a walkthrough across every process your program is considering.

## Tell us about your parts.

We reply within one business day.

> ProcessDFM is a screening step, not a final answer — every verdict and every crossover quantity names the rule or curve behind it. Confirm the fit with the specialist tool and your own engineering judgment before committing tooling or a supplier.