Machine shops # Quote faster. Fix customer parts before you cut metal. Bring the customer's STEP file. Ask for the change in plain words. Flux edits the part and saves a new STEP file. [Start Free Trial](https://www.flux.ai/organization/create) [Book a Demo](https://www.flux.ai/p/demo) ![After: the flange is 64.5 mm deep, with five 5 × 30 mm vent slots. The 4.4 mm hole did not move. Flux saves a new STEP file and editable CAD code.](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/solutions-hero-machine-shops.webp) ## Your problems ### Customer files need edits Customer parts come in many CAD formats and often need small changes before machining. ### Small changes take CAD hours Small changes take CAD hours that the shop cannot bill. ### Parts that cannot be made Parts that cannot be made cause scrap and rework. Machine shops ## What machine shops need from Flux. ![Updated power supply holder from an Inventor STEP file](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-step-edit-psu-after.webp) ### Edit customer files in minutes. Bring the customer's STEP file. Ask for the change in plain words. Flux edits the part and saves a new STEP file. ![Stress analysis of an aluminum bracket](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/verification-lab-bracket-stress.webp) ### Parts that hold. Flux runs a stress analysis on the part before you cut it. ![NF Dual Output Buck board between its two enclosure halves in the Flux 3D view](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/solutions-buck-enclosure-3d.webp) ### Offer more than machining. Flux designs the enclosure around the customer's board, so you can quote the full product. ### Quote faster. Small changes no longer wait for CAD hours, so you send the quote sooner. ### Catch parts that cannot be made. Flux checks the part before you cut metal, and fixes the features that your machines cannot make. ### The right CAD kernel for each part. Flux picks the CAD kernel that fits each part. End to end ## One AI engineer for the whole product. Flux covers all of these needs in one project. One AI engineer takes the product from requirement to manufacturing files. Your engineers review every step. ![Block diagram that the Flux AI engineer created for a desk gadget: power, USB, microcontroller, display, and audio blocks](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-device-block-diagram.webp) ### Requirements Start from your requirements document, a block diagram, or a written brief. ### Schematic and parts Flux picks parts you can buy and draws the schematic. ### Board layout Flux places and routes the board to your layout rules and your manufacturer's limits. ### Mechanical parts and harness Flux designs the mounts, the enclosure, and the internal wiring harness around the real boards. ### Firmware Flux writes and tests the firmware for the board it designed. ### Checks and manufacturing files Flux runs simulation and rule checks on every change. Then it exports Gerber, ODB++, IPC-2581, STEP, and the bill of materials. Model-agnostic AI ## Your favorite AI models. Our engineering superpowers. Flux pairs frontier AI models with a state-of-the-art agent harness built for CAD and EDA. The models bring reasoning. Flux brings the engineering tools, project context, and workflows that turn that reasoning into working hardware. - OpenAI - Anthropic - More as they ship Adaptive model selection ### Frontier performance at 30% lower cost. Adaptive splits every engineering job into tasks and gives each task to the model that does it best for the price. Hard design decisions go to frontier models. Routine work goes to fast, low-cost models. Independent tasks run in parallel, so complete devices come together faster. Your team works with one AI engineer, and Flux handles the delegation behind the scenes. ### Frontier AI models - Reasoning - Planning - Language ### Flux engineering harness - CAD and EDA tools - Project context - Simulation - Design rules ### Working hardware - Schematics - Boards - Enclosures - Firmware - Fab files - Product videos ### Every frontier model, one platform Work with the frontier models your team already trusts, inside Flux. ### Engineering superpowers built in Every model gets Flux's specialized engineering tools, project context, and workflows. ### Upgrade without migrating When a better model ships, your team gets it without switching engineering platforms. ### No single-vendor lock-in Avoid depending on any one model provider for your engineering capacity. ### The right model for every step Adaptive matches each engineering step to the model that does it best, from deep design decisions to routine checks. Kernel-agnostic CAD ## Builds every part on the right CAD kernel. Traditional CAD tools are locked to one geometry kernel, and every part inherits its limits. Flux is kernel agnostic, the same way it is model agnostic. The AI engineer picks the right kernel for each part, switches kernels when one cannot build a feature, and brings every part together in one model. - ![Open Cascade](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/opencascade.svg) ### OpenCascade Exact, standard geometry that CAM and other CAD tools read cleanly. Strong for machined parts and multi-part assemblies. - ![NVIDIA](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/nvidia.svg) ### SMLib Smooth, curvature-continuous surfaces for hand-held and consumer products. - ![Siemens](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/siemens.svg) ### Parasolid On request The kernel inside SolidWorks, NX, Solid Edge, and Onshape, for native-quality exchange with those tools. **Surface quality you can see.** Zebra stripes, curvature maps, and curvature combs show that every surface is smooth before the part goes to tooling. Verification lab ## Simulates and checks its own work before you build. Flux doesn't stop at generating designs. The AI engineer simulates and checks its own work with professional-grade solvers, and it shows you the results. ### Circuit simulation SPICE simulation of analog, power, and mixed-signal circuits, run and read by the AI engineer. ### Electromagnetic simulation Full-wave simulation of the routed board: impedance, S-parameters, crosstalk, and antennas. ### Thermal simulation Heat and airflow simulation of boards and enclosures before you build them. ### Fluid simulation Airflow and cooling through the enclosure, so vents, fans, and heat sinks work before the first prototype. ### Mechanical simulation Finite-element stress analysis of brackets, enclosures, and mounts. ### Design rule checks Electrical and manufacturing rule checks on every schematic and board. ### Datasheet checks Reads the datasheet of every part and checks the design against its pinouts, ratings, and limits. ![SPICE load step of a 3.3 V buck converter](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/verification-lab-spice-load-step.webp) SPICE load step of a 3.3 V buck converter ![Thermal map of top and bottom copper](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/verification-lab-copper-thermal.webp) Thermal map of top and bottom copper ![Stress analysis of an aluminum bracket](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/verification-lab-bracket-stress.webp) Stress analysis of an aluminum bracket ![S-parameters of a USB data line, simulated on the routed board](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/verification-lab-usb-line-s-parameters.webp) S-parameters of a USB data line, simulated on the routed board Orchestration ## One request. A whole team of AI engineers. Hand Flux a complete product. The lead AI engineer splits it into workstreams, starts parallel threads across projects, manages them, and reports back. ### Parallel threads Each workstream runs in its own agent thread. The main board, the daughterboards, and the enclosure come together at the same time. ### Across projects The lead engineer starts work in other projects and tracks it all from one place. ### Managed for you It monitors every thread, steers work that goes off the brief, and collects the results. ### You stay in control Changes that move an interface or resize a board wait for your approval. Example ### A product with three daughterboards Flux writes a brief for each board with its outline, mounting holes, connectors, and the enclosure openings they line up with. Each board gets its own project and its own AI engineer, and all three are designed in parallel. Flux then places the finished boards in the main assembly and measures clearances and connector alignment in millimeters. Collaboration ## Your team, your partners, and your AI engineers in one live project. Flux runs in the browser. Everyone opens the same project, sees the same live design, and works on it at the same time. No files to send back and forth. - ### Edit together in real time. Engineers, reviewers, and AI engineers work in the same project at the same time. You see who is in the project and what they have selected. - ### Every change is saved. Flux records each change, who made it, and when. Open any earlier version, or restore it as a new project. - ### One shared space for your organization. Your organization's projects, parts, and design standards live in one place. Give the whole organization view, comment, or edit access. - ### Work with suppliers, clients, and contractors. Invite anyone to one project by email, with view, comment, or edit access. They get that project, not the rest of your organization. - ### Review where the design is. Comment in the project and @mention a teammate. The discussion stays with the design. - ### Try ideas without risk. Fork a project to test an idea. The main design does not change. ![Engineer holding a finished board in its enclosure, designed with Flux](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/engineer-card-3.webp) Customizable ## Learns your team's rules and follows them on every project. Every team builds hardware its own way. Teach Flux your standards, connect it to your tools, and let it build the small apps each project needs. ### Team knowledge Onboard Flux like a new engineer. Write your design guidelines, preferred parts, and lessons learned once, and every AI engineer in your organization applies them on every project. ### Your rules Define your layout rules and manufacturer capabilities once. Flux checks every design against them, every time. ### Your tools, connected Connect any MCP server, or give Flux a key to any web API. Push firmware to your repository, read crash reports from devices in the field, or use the tools your team built itself. ### Keys stay secret Admins add API keys once for the whole organization. The AI engineer uses them but never sees them. Flux adds each key only to requests sent to the services you allow. ### Interactive pages Ask for a one-off tool, and Flux builds it as a live page in the project: a power budget that recalculates when you change a load, a bring-up checklist that tracks progress, or a 3D assembly you can turn and take apart. ### Flux in your AI tools Use Flux from Cursor or any general AI agent that supports its tools. Your agents can read and edit Flux projects and hand design jobs to the Flux AI engineer. Connects to the services your team already uses. - ![Onshape](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/onshape.svg) Onshape - ![Autodesk Fusion](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/autodesk-mark.svg) Autodesk Fusion - ![PTC Windchill](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/ptc.svg) PTC Windchill - ![Siemens Teamcenter](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/siemens.svg) Siemens Teamcenter - ![Arena PLM](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/arena.svg) Arena PLM - ![OpenBOM](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/openbom.svg) OpenBOM - ![Duro](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/duro.png) Duro - ![GitHub](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/github.svg) GitHub - ![GitLab](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/gitlab.svg) GitLab - ![Memfault](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/memfault-wordmark.svg) Memfault - ![Golioth](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/golioth.svg) Golioth - ![Particle](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/particle.svg) Particle - ![Nordic nRF Cloud](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/nordicsemiconductor.svg) Nordic nRF Cloud - ![Edge Impulse](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/edgeimpulse.svg) Edge Impulse - ![NI SystemLink](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/ni.svg) NI SystemLink - ![SimScale](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/simscale.svg) SimScale - ![Octopart](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/octopart.png) Octopart - ![SiliconExpert](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/siliconexpert.svg) SiliconExpert Sourcing ## Picks parts you can buy today, at today's prices. Flux connects directly to major electronics and mechanical parts distributors. The AI engineer picks chips, connectors, screws, and standoffs that are in stock, compares prices across distributors, and replaces parts that are at end of life before the product goes to production. - ![Digi-Key](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/digikey.svg) Digi-Key - ![LCSC](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/lcsc.svg) LCSC - ![Mouser](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/mouser.svg) Mouser - ![Arrow](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/arrow.svg) Arrow - ![Verical](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/verical.svg) Verical - ![TME](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/tme-wordmark.svg) TME - ![HQonline](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/hqonline.svg) HQonline - ![McMaster-Carr](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/mcmaster.svg) McMaster-Carr - ![MISUMI](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/misumi-wordmark.webp) MISUMI - ![JLCMC](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/jlcmc.svg) JLCMC Manufacturing ## Gets quotes from your fabricators as the design changes. Flux gets quotes directly from the fabricators for circuit boards and assembly, 3D printing in plastic and metal, CNC machining, sheet metal, laser cutting, injection molding, and casting. The AI engineer compares price and lead time, checks the design against each fabricator's rules, and keeps the quote current as the design changes. ### Circuit boards and assembly - ![JLCPCB](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/jlcpcb.webp) JLCPCB - ![PCBWay](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/pcbway.svg) PCBWay - ![OSH Park](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/oshpark.webp) OSH Park - ![AISLER](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/aisler.webp) AISLER ### Mechanical parts - ![Craftcloud](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/craftcloud.svg) Craftcloud - ![JLC 3D printing](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/jlcpcb.webp) JLC 3D printing - ![PCBWay 3D printing](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/pcbway.svg) PCBWay 3D printing - ![Shapeways](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/shapeways.svg) Shapeways - ![OSH Cut](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/oshcut.svg) OSH Cut - ![SendCutSend](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/sendcutsend.svg) SendCutSend Interoperability ## Works with the EDA and CAD tools your team already uses. Bring in work from the tools your team uses today. Ask Flux to change it in plain words. Export your files at any time. - ![Altium](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/altium.svg) Altium Designer - ![Cadence](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/cadence.svg) OrCAD and Allegro - ![KiCad](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/kicad.svg) KiCad - ![Siemens](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/siemens.svg) PADS, Xpedition, and NX - ![Zuken](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/zuken.svg) CADSTAR - ![Autodesk](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/autodesk.svg) Eagle and Fusion - ![EasyEDA](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/easyeda.svg) EasyEDA - ![SolidWorks](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/solidworks.svg) SolidWorks - ![CATIA](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/catia.svg) CATIA - ![PTC](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/ptc.svg) Creo - ![Onshape](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-logos/onshape.svg) Onshape ### Edits the STEP files your team already has. The request, as typed in Flux “The holder must cover a much taller power supply. Make the bent side flange 40 mm deeper. Keep the 4.4 mm hole in the flange where it is. Then cut five 5 x 30 mm vertical vent slots in the new part of the flange, 15 mm apart and centered on the flange width.” ![Before: the STEP file from Autodesk Inventor. The bent flange is 24.5 mm deep.](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-step-edit-psu-before.webp) Before: the STEP file from Autodesk Inventor. The bent flange is 24.5 mm deep. ![After: the flange is 64.5 mm deep, with five 5 × 30 mm vent slots. The 4.4 mm hole did not move. Flux saves a new STEP file and editable CAD code.](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/teams-step-edit-psu-after.webp) After: the flange is 64.5 mm deep, with five 5 × 30 mm vent slots. The 4.4 mm hole did not move. Flux saves a new STEP file and editable CAD code. ### Bring your existing work Import complete projects, part libraries, and 3D models. Schematics, parts, and placement come across, and routing from most formats. ### Keep going with your AI engineer Imported designs are ready to edit right away. Ask "move the USB cutout 3 cm left" or "make the enclosure tighter", and Flux does the work. ### Get it manufactured Flux hands you the files that your manufacturer needs: Gerber, ODB++, IPC-2581, bill of materials, and pick-and-place for the board, and STEP, STL, or 3MF for the mechanical parts. All supported formats Complete projects Altium, Cadence OrCAD and Allegro, KiCad, Siemens PADS and Xpedition, Zuken CADSTAR, Eagle, and EasyEDA. Schematics, parts, connections, board outlines, and placement come across. Routing comes across from every format except Allegro and Zuken CADSTAR. Part libraries Altium, KiCad, Eagle, and EasyEDA libraries become Flux parts, with symbols, footprints, and 3D models. Mechanical files STEP, STL, OBJ, 3MF, and glTF models, plus DXF board outlines. Handoff to manufacturing and electronics tools Gerber, ODB++, IPC-2581, IPC-D-356 test netlists, bill of materials, pick-and-place, EDIF netlists, GenCAD, and KiCad board files. Handoff to mechanical design The full board and its parts as STEP, compressed STEP, BREP, VRML, glTF, and STL models, plus DXF layer drawings. Enclosures and brackets that Flux designs export as STEP, STL, and 3MF, ready for your mechanical tools or a 3D printer. ## Your designs stay yours. - SOC 2-aligned cloud infrastructure - Single sign-on (SSO) - Project-level permissions - Inputs and outputs are always your IP - No training on customer data Enterprise adoption ## We help your team put AI to work. Flux works directly with engineering organizations to put AI to work on real programs, with hands-on support from Flux engineers. [Book a Demo](https://www.flux.ai/p/demo) 1. ### Identify high-value use cases We map where AI engineering saves your team the most time, from part research to complete devices. 2. ### Integrate your workflows We connect Flux to the libraries, rules, and processes your engineers already use. 3. ### Make it repeatable We help you establish AI engineering processes your teams can run on every project. ## Questions ### Can Flux edit customer STEP files? Your CAD files. Edited by AI. ### Can Flux check parts before machining? Stress analysis, and parts checked against the mating hardware. ### Can Flux return geometry to the customer's CAD tool? Exports STEP back to the customer's CAD tool. ![Hands holding a finished enclosure with its circuit board inside.](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/photos/L1008414-1920.webp) ## Quote faster. Fix customer parts before you cut metal. Give your team the tools and AI engineering capacity to build what previously required an entire organization. [Start Free Trial](https://www.flux.ai/organization/create) [Book a Demo](https://www.flux.ai/p/demo)