Own a few inbound CNC-cut leads each day. Ask the questions the customer missed, create a usable model, and help finish the AI system that moves the work toward production.
Our cut-job inquiries arrive as short emails with sketches, PDFs, photos, DXFs, or partial dimensions. Almost every customer needs a reply before the work can move forward.
We already have AI workflows for reading those requests, organizing the lead, and starting the design work. They are about halfway complete. You will use them on live leads, find the weak points, and make the process more reliable. A human stays in the loop for customer judgment and manufacturing decisions.
These examples are condensed and anonymized from real cut-job inquiries. The missing information is part of the work.
A customer sends a DXF for an RV sewing table. It should fit on one 4 x 8 sheet of 1/2-inch MDF, and they want a rough estimate.
Inspect the DXF. Confirm quantity, tolerances, edge requirements, material ownership, and deadline. Repair the file if needed, nest the part, and prepare a quote.
A customer wants roughly 250 four-inch wooden hexagons with an angled, three-dimensional face. They have CAD and sample CNC files and are thinking about tabs.
Resolve the wood species, thickness, tolerance, machining method, tool access, workholding, and tab strategy. Check the geometry, test the nest, and estimate production time.
A customer wants birch-plywood components cut for a built-in bunk bed. The first request gives the general idea and little else.
Ask for drawings, panel grade and thickness, part count, grain direction, joinery, tolerances, and timing. Build or inspect the model, then prepare a practical sheet layout.
Process a few inbound CNC cutting leads each business day.
Read the email and source files, identify what is missing, and ask the customer useful questions.
Create or repair 2D and 3D models, then prepare nesting, CAM, toolpaths, and quote inputs when the job is ready.
Keep the pipeline organized and follow up when a project stalls.
Use Codex, Claude Code, and other frontier models to automate more of the workflow without hiding manufacturing errors.
Add checks so the system knows when it can proceed and when a person needs to step in.
You already use Codex, Claude Code, or similar coding agents for technical work. You can show what you built and explain how you checked the output.
You understand enough CNC work to catch bad geometry, missing dimensions, impossible inside corners, weak workholding, poor nesting, and unsafe toolpaths.
You can turn a vague request into a short set of useful questions and keep the lead moving without making promises the shop cannot keep.
Fusion 360, VCarve, Aspire, Rhino, Grasshopper, FreeCAD, OpenSCAD, CadQuery, or equivalent tools are all relevant. You do not need every tool.
Credentials matter less than evidence. Send four things:
Your location, time zone, normal working hours, and hourly rate.
One CAD/CAM or CNC example. Include the material, machine, software, and one manufacturing decision you made.
A one or two minute screen recording showing how you use Codex or Claude Code on real technical work.
A short CAD example. It can be part of the same video.
We work together through video, so the recording should also confirm that your sound, video, and connection are usable.
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