Slicer: A slicer is the software that cuts a 3D model into layers and generates the machine instructions, such as G-code, that a 3D printer follows.
Before a part can be printed, a slicer takes the mesh, applies settings for layer height, walls, infill, supports, speeds and temperatures, and writes the path the nozzle, laser or light engine will follow. PrusaSlicer, Cura and Bambu Studio are common FDM slicers; resin printers have their own. A slicer also reports an estimated print time and the material it expects to use.
What it means for the price
Many shops quote from slicer estimates, but slicing every part for every quote request is slow, and the result is tied to one set of settings. An instant quote instead estimates time and material from the part’s geometry, then checks that estimate against real jobs through calibration. Neither is exact: slicer times themselves drift from real print time because of acceleration limits, heating and travel moves.
Example: a slicer may report 3 h 40 min for a part that takes 4 h 05 min on the printer once acceleration limits and warm-up are counted. The figures are an example.
Common confusions
The slicer is not the printer’s firmware; it produces the file the firmware runs. Quotometry analyses a part once and re-prices every option from that analysis, rather than slicing again for each choice. Read how FDM print time is estimated.
Go deeper: FDM print time estimation: why volume does not predict it