Binrace > Linear cutting optimization

Bar Cut Optimizer & Manager

Table of contents:


What is Bar Cut Optimizer & Manager?

Bar Cut Optimizer & Manager is a length nesting optimizer and stock manager software. It minimizes the waste in the cutting process of any linear material like pipes, bars, tubes, profiles, paper rolls, extrusions, beams, cables etc. The program implements two types of optimizations: by using the current stock in an efficient way and by reusing all stubs (no waste material).
In this presentation, "bar" is the generic name for the linear material that is going to be cut.


What Bar Cut Optimizer & Manager can do?


Activating the application

After the installation is done, at the first time you launch the software application, a key is requested. You have to send to us by email at bcom@binrace.com, the application code and when we will have the confirmation that you have paid for a license, we will send back to you the key which will activate the software application.


Choosing language

From the menu command, "Options->Language", you can choose the language that will be used by the program. After a selection is made, close the application and restart it again in order for the new chosen language to be effective. Bar Cut Optimizer & Manager is available in two languages: English and Romanian.


Settings

To open settings dialog, use "Options->Settings" menu command. You can set:
  • currency
  • length unit (can be millimeters, centimeters, meters, inches, feet, feet and decimal inches, fractional inches, and feet and fractional inches)
  • precision (is the precision of the displayed lengths values)
  • saw thickness (item to item gap)
These settings are used throughout the application program.


Defining profile codes, materials and colors

Every type of bar has three characteristics: profile code (e.g. 3006), material (e.g. PVC), and color (e.g. white). You have to define all characteristics that you are going to use. You can add or remove a characteristic of a type of bar by following these menu commands: "Options->Profile codes", "Options->Materials", "Options->Colors". For example, to add a new profile code, enter the string which represents the profile code into the text box and press "Add" button. After that, you shall see the new inserted code in the list. To remove a profile code, first select it from the list and then press "Remove selected profile code" button at the bottom of the window. A profile code cannot be removed if it is a part of a defined type of bar. To remove it, you should erase all types of bars that contain the unwanted profile code. Similar actions can also be done for materials and colors.


Managing types of bars

To add a type of bar, you can press "TYPES OF BARS" button in the toolbar or you can click "Commands->Add / Remove type of bar" menu command. In order to add a new type of bar, you have to choose a profile code, a material, and a color. After that the following fields should be filled:
  • price per length (the price of the inserted type of bar. Having this field set correctly you will know how much it will cost you a job or what is the cost of the current stock.)
  • minimum reused length (a stub resulted from the cutting process will be saved into the inventory only if its length is greater than the minimum reused length. In this way the stub can be reused by the next job.)
  • maximum waste length (if the optimization is launched having the "reuse stubs" option set then all the resulted stubs will be greater than the minimum reused length or will be less than the maximum waste length.)
  • default length (this is the initial length of the bought bar. For example, many types of PVC bars are delivered by suppliers with a 6 meters length.)
After all these fields have been set, press "Add" button to add the type of bar.
For removing a type of bar, first select it from the list and then press "Remove" button.


Managing inventory

You can manage inventory by pressing "INVENTORY" button in the toolbar or by clicking "Commands->Manage inventory" command menu. In this section you can:
  • update the parameters of a type of bar
    First, select the type of bar that you want to modify. In the "Selected type of bar" section you should see the profile code, the material and the color of the selected type of bar. Now, in the "Update selected type of bar" section, you can enter new values for price per length, minimum reused length, maximum waste length and default length fields. Finally, press "Update" button.
     
  • manage stock - add/update, remove bars to/from the stock
    Every type of bar has its own stock. A stock is just a bunch of bars pertaining to the same type of bar. A bar in a stock is present by its length and quantity. Quantity is the number of bars having the same length.

    For adding a bar, select the type of bar for which you want to add a bar to its stock. In the "Selected type of bar" section you should see the profile code, the material and the color of the selected type of bar. Next, in the "Manage stock" section, enter the length and the quantity of the inserted bar and then press "Add" button. Now you should see the added bar in the above list which is the stock associated with the selected type of bar.

    For removing a bar from the stock, select it in the above list and press "Remove" button.

    For updating the quantity of a bar from the stock, select it in the above list, modify the quantity field, and press "Update" button.

    Important note!
    A negative number for the quantity of a bar in the stock means that the respective bar does not exist physically in the stock and must be bought. You can get a negative quantity in the following way: suppose that you need some items that have to be cut from a type of bar which has an empty stock. The program will know the initial length of the bar that is cut (default length) and compute quantity, i.e. how many initial bars do you need in order to have specified items. If you update the inventory after this computing, the stock of this type of bar will contain for the default length a negative quantity.


Creating inventory report

The inventory report shows the current situation of stocks for every defined type of bar. To create the report, click "Commands->Generate inventory report" menu command. A dialog will be displayed which help you to create a custom inventory report. The generated report will be an html file, having the name and path set in the "Report path" field. You can choose the content of the report by checking the following options:
1. stock info: contains for every type of bar, the cost of bar, minimum recorded length, default length, and cost of stock
2. stock details: contains for every type of bar, the lengths and quantities of bars in the stock
3. total cost of stocks: contains a table with the cost of every stock
4. bars that have to be bought: contains a table with the bars that have to be bought
Press "Create report" button to create and view the report.


Launching job

A job is a collection of orders. An order represents the bar items that have to be cut and is composed by the following things:
  • the type of bar (profile code, material, color) used to cut items from
  • an identifier of the item (optional)
  • the length of item
  • the quantity (number of needed items)
To start a new job, click "Commands->New job" menu command.
To add an order to a job, fill the fields (type of bar, identifier, length, quantity) in the "Add / Update / Remove order" section and press "Add" button.
To remove an order from the job, select it in the list and press "Remove" button.
To update an order from the job, select it in the list, modify the fields and press "Update" button.
You can personalize the job by filling job name and job description fields.
The job can be saved anytime by pressing "Save job" button.
To open a previous saved job, click "Commands->Open job" command menu.

The purpose of a job is to collect all the information about the bar items that you need. To obtain these items you have to know how to cut them optimally from the initial bars (nesting optimization). In this way, the waste will be minimized. By pressing "Launch job" button, the optimization will start for the current job. If the optimization is launched having the "reuse stubs" option set then all the resulted stubs will be greater than the minimum reused length or will be less than the maximum waste length.

If you want to stop the optimization process, you can press "Cancel" button. After the optimization of the current job is done, you can do two things: create a job report and update inventory.

A. Job report
The main purpose of the report is to show how the bar items are cut from the initial bars (cutting layouts). The initial bars are the bars found in the inventory. If the inventory is empty then the initial bars represent the bars with the default length, which must be bought. The generated report will be an html file, having the name and path set in the "Report path" field. You can choose the content of the report by checking the following options:
1. job information: contains the name, date, description, and the orders of the job
2. settings: contains information about saw thickness
3. cutting layout statistics: contains for every type of bar used in the job, the information about used length, reused length, and waste length
4. cutting layout: contains for every type of bar used in the job, tables that show how to cut initial bars
5. total costs: contains total costs of current job, related with used length, reused length, and waste length
6. bars that have to be bought: contains a table with the bars that have to be bought for the current job
Press "Create report" button to create and view the report.

B. Update inventory
By pressing "Update inventory" button all stubs that are longer then the minimum reused length associated with their type of bar, will be saved into the inventory and can be used for the next job.

Important notes!
  • If you do not update inventory for the current job then the next job can use some initial bars that are also used by the current job.
  • If you update inventory for the current job then the next job can use stubs resulted from the current job.


Inventory backup

To save current inventory, click "Backup->Save inventory" menu command. A dialog box will be displayed. The backup file has the name and path set in the "Backup file path" field. By pressing "Save inventory" button, the backup file will be created.
Important note!
Back up inventory regularly and put the resulted file in a safe place! You can also make a backup before updating the inventory for a launching job.

To restore a previous saved inventory, click "Backup->Restore inventory" menu command. An open dialog box will be displayed and you can choose the backup file that you want to restore.

Important note!
By restoring a backup file, the current inventory will be lost.


Romanian version: Program Optimizare Debitari
Copyright (c) BINRACE

A better online application has been developed at Pipe Cut Optimizer