Optimization is the process of making “something” as “best” as possible.
In this case, the “something” is the selection and layout of the cutting of rectangle (or linear)
pieces of metal (or other material) from larger rectangle (or linear)
pieces. This program deals with machines that cut all the way through the source material in a straight line such
as saw or shears and not stop or curved cuts such as a plasma burner can produce. This program defines “best” as using the
least amount of material and making the remaining material (restocks) as large
as possible. Using this program, the utilization
of the material can be greatly increased resulting in significant cost savings.
The basic operations of the cutting optimizer is collecting the quantity and sizes of needed parts,
the quantity and sizes of the available stock, optimizing the cuts, and printing out the diagrams.
