GlossaryKind of term: BlakeEstimated (label)
What does the ‘Estimated’ label mean in Blake?
In Blake every calculated time carries the label Estimated, so nobody mistakes a cycle time calculated in advance for one measured on the machine.
Every line built on such a time carries the label too. The label says where the figure comes from: calculated in advance from inputs such as geometry, material and machine, not measured. It says nothing about the quality of the figure. An estimate stays an estimate, even after someone has adjusted it.
How does the ‘Estimated’ label work in practice?
In a spreadsheet a calculated 14 minutes looks exactly like a measured 14 minutes. The first rests on inputs about cutting data, tooling and non-cutting time, the second on what the control or the time booking recorded. The control and the time booking differ too: the control records program run time, while the time booking often includes setup and waiting time too. Mix them up and you draw the wrong conclusions in post-calculation. Every estimate has an uncertainty, and its size depends on what is already known: a time from geometry alone is usually coarser than one from a CAM program or a simulation. A measured time has spread too, for example between batches or operators.
What is the ‘Estimated’ label often confused with?
An estimate is not a measurement: a measured time comes from the machine or the time booking and sits beside the estimate in post-calculation, not in its place. Nor is it a guess: it has inputs you can check. And an estimate is not the uncertainty: the estimate is the figure, the uncertainty is how far it may be off.
How do you see the ‘Estimated’ label in Blake?
On the estimating page every calculated time and every line built on it is flagged as an estimate, per piece and per batch. Adjust a time and the label stays, while the correction is recorded with name, time and reason. More on estimating.
Frequently asked questions
Why does every calculated time say Estimated?
Because the time was calculated in advance, not measured. The label keeps calculated and measured times apart, so you do not mix them up in post-calculation. It applies to times you adjusted yourself as well.
Does an estimate ever become a measurement?
No. A measured time is a value of its own, from the machine or the time booking, that sits beside the estimate. The difference between the two is what post-calculation brings to light.
What do I do with a price I do not have yet?
Leave it open rather than entering a zero or a guess. A missing purchase or subcontract price stays visibly open in the estimate, so the cost estimate does not look more complete than it is.