Sheet Optimising

[cantseeitfrommyhouse]

What software do people use for optimising sheet goods?

It seems most of the decent vendors have become greedy and want silly money just for a simple 2D optimiser these days

 

[marcros]

i used to use a simple programme called cutlist pro. I am not sure if it still exists.

 

[MattRoberts]

Sketchup - manually

 

[morturn]

MaxCut v2

 

[dzj]

I also used Cutlist Pro. Nowadays the fellows that sell sheet goods cut them up
and they do the optimization. Usually about 5% waste.
It turned out that for a sheet or two I didn't need software. I was just as fast and the programs
could discern no difference between grain patterns, which is a downside when working with
veneered goods.

 

[Jacob]

For anything on a non industrial scale you just need the rule of thumb:
Start with the biggest, then cut pieces in descending order of size, from the smallest piece of stock available each time.
Not infallible, may need a bit of thought, but very efficient most of the time, and fast.
Works for timber as well as sheet - you start with the longest lengths of the biggest sections and follow the rule.

You'd have the job done in less time than it'd take to put the info in a programme.

 

[mikefab]

Search on optimalon software. They have a free Web based program that let's you put in a list of parts including specifying if grain direction is important. You can also set kerf width, amount to trim of edges of sheet, direction of first cut and all sorts. Free for 5 projects so long as you don't want to export pdf or excel cut lists.

Having said all that it is a bit of a faff to cut according to the plan. I was working from it the other day and abandoned the process to work as Jacob suggests, deciding that I would trade a bit of my time for a bit more waste material.

 

[tomatwark]

When I used to cut the sheets up in my business I used the Jacob rule of thumb method, I have cut a lot over the years and can pretty much visualise how to do it.

I always went through the off cuts first and then onto full sheets.

Now I have staff I found that they are not as good as I am at working out the cuts, due to less experience and so I now give them an layout using MaxCutV2.

What we have found, is if they still go through the off cuts first marking off what they can get out then give me the layouts back I will remove the panels from the list in MaxCutV2 and then optimise it again.

We find we can normally reduce the waste by a sheet or 2.

It means we waste a few sheets of paper reprinting the layouts, but the saving in material out ways this.

If you want Sheet Optimising software MaxCutV2 work well and is simple and the basic version is free.

 

[cantseeitfrommyhouse]

Thanks gents. I shall investigate your suggestions.

I really like cutlogic 2d. Used it as a trial for the last project and it was brilliant. but at $999 I won't be buying it.

 

[cantseeitfrommyhouse]

Maxcut works perfectly for my needs. Brilliant. Thanks chaps!

 

[oddsocks]

just to add another option - I use Optimik. They also offer a free version