New Shape Recognition Tech Targets Engineers Working with Freeform Surfaces and Tight Deadlines
meviy is making some noise in the manufacturing world again — and this time, it’s all about smarter quoting. The on-demand custom parts platform, developed by Japan’s MISUMI Group, has just launched an AI-powered shape recognition system aimed squarely at engineers working with tricky, freeform surface parts. And no, we’re not talking about basic rectangles or circles here. We’re talking about curvy, irregular, diagonal and rounded shapes that usually send quotes into chaos.
So what’s the big deal? Well, this new tool could help engineers skip the long email chains, last-minute redlines, and surprise costs — by giving them nearly instant feedback on complex designs.
Recognizing the Shapes Machines Struggle With
Let’s face it — getting a quote for a non-standard part is often a nightmare.
Designers upload a file. Then wait. Then get told it’s too complex. Or that it needs manual review. Or worse, the cost suddenly jumps because of some obscure geometry on page 3 of the PDF.
meviy says it wants to fix that. Their new AI system recognizes:
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Free curved surfaces — the kind of smooth, sweeping contours you’d find in industrial design and aerospace.
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Diagonal surfaces — angled cuts that can confuse less intelligent quoting systems.
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Bottom R shapes — rounded bottom edges that usually require special tooling or post-processing.
These used to be red flags. Now, they’re fair game.
Milling Meets Machine Learning
It’s not just the AI doing the math. The system also integrates with ball end mills and radius end mills — meaning it’s not just smart, it’s practical.
That combo allows the platform to simulate real cutting processes on a virtual part, then generate a price based on toolpaths and machining time. No guesswork. No manual overrides.
This shift is aimed at prototyping-heavy sectors, where parts are often redesigned on the fly and lead time is everything.
Why It Matters for Engineers
The move isn’t just about flashy tech — it’s solving a real bottleneck. According to a 2024 industry report by SME, quoting delays are one of the top three frustrations in custom part sourcing.
meviy says its AI tool cuts quoting time dramatically, even for complex jobs. And early user data suggests that some quotes, which previously took hours or days, now return in minutes.
Here’s how this plays out in the real world:
| Challenge | Traditional Quoting Approach | meviy’s AI-Based Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Freeform Geometry | Manual review by engineers | Instant recognition via AI |
| Toolpath Estimation | Based on rough volume analysis | Based on actual CNC-compatible geometry |
| Time to Quote | 6–48 hours | Under 15 minutes |
| Consistency Across Revisions | Variable with each iteration | AI learns and improves with each file |
That table? Tells a lot without needing a deep-dive PDF.
Not Just for the Big Players
While the tech is impressive, meviy’s real edge may be its accessibility.
This isn’t a gated enterprise solution. It’s live, online, and works with a 3D CAD file upload. Engineers and purchasers — even in smaller shops — can get quotes without having to wait for a sales rep or dig through tooling catalogs.
And according to the company, more than 160,000 users worldwide have already been through their system. That’s not a small pilot. That’s scale.
The system supports both sheet metal fabrication and CNC machining, including turning and milling.
A Quiet Revolution, One Quotation at a Time
There’s a bigger story here — not just about quoting, but about how AI is creeping into places you wouldn’t expect. In many ways, quoting is the last manual frontier in manufacturing digitization. CAD is automated. CAM is automated. But quoting? Still stuck in email threads and Excel sheets.
meviy’s new tool doesn’t just speed things up. It makes quoting for complex shapes repeatable, traceable, and less prone to human error. And for engineers who’ve spent late nights adjusting parts just to get a price? That’s a win.
