Read the drawing.
Quote the weld.
Ironclad is an estimating and blueprinting assistant for metal shops, built with HEWS. Hand it a drawing and it helps you work out what the job really takes — and it gets sharper the more it’s used.
Estimating is a trade. We’re building the tool for it.
The joints
Spots joint types across a drawing — butt, fillet, lap, corner — and what each one takes to weld.
The passes
Thinks in root, fill, and cap passes the way a welder does, not as one flat number.
The material
Accounts for the alloy and thickness — steel, stainless, aluminum — because they don’t weld the same.
The real cost
Rolls labour, wire, gas, and machine time into an estimate you can stand behind in front of a customer.
Real shop knowledge, not a formula.
Anyone can multiply weld length by a rate. Ironclad is built with HEWS — High End Welding Services— so it reflects how a job actually gets built: where the rules of thumb hold, where they don’t, and what a real quote needs to account for. It’s designed to make a good estimator faster, not to replace their judgment.
What is Ironclad AI?
An estimating and blueprinting assistant for structural-metalwork shops. You give it a drawing; it helps you work out the weld — joints, passes, material, and the labour and consumables behind a quote — far faster than doing it by hand.
Why build it with HEWS?
Because estimating is a trade, not a formula. HEWS — High End Welding Services — brings the real shop knowledge: how a job actually gets welded, what it really takes, and where the standard rules of thumb fall down. Ironclad turns that experience into a tool.
Does it get better over time?
That’s the idea. The more real jobs it sees, the better its estimates fit the way a given shop actually works. It’s meant to learn the shop, not replace the estimator.
Can I use it now?
It’s in active development with HEWS and headed for the shop floor. If you run a fabrication shop and want to be an early tester, email info@3d3d.ca and we’ll talk.
Run a fabrication shop?
We’re looking for shops to help shape Ironclad as it comes together. Email info@3d3d.ca and tell us what your estimating day looks like.