SOFTWARE

OPCutting - Tutorial of creation of a complex cutting plan

This page describes, step by step, the creation of a complex cutting plan. You can print the page and in order to have assistance when making your first complex cutting plan with the panel cutting software. You can watch here a video made with the French version of OPCutting that shows the creation of a complex cutting plan.

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Reminder to users who have arrived on this page from a search engine. OPCutting is a panel cutting software for determining the layout of parts on the wood panels or sheets of other materials, so as to reduce the number of panels used and to limit the number of unusable offcuts.
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About this tutorial
	The tutorial explains the use of OPCutting with an example comprising several panels with different materials and different formats in which we must cut several parts.
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The cutting list chosen for example
The list below gives the dimensions and characteristics of the parts we want to cut:
Identification Material Length Width Thickness Grain direction Number Part 1 Pine Plywood 137 in 6.4 in 0.64 in Horizontal 6 Part 2 Pine Plywood 21 in 6.4 in 0.64 in Horizontal 4 Part 3 White melamine Laminated Wood 23 in 13.7 in 0.64 in Unspecified 4 Part 4 White melamine Laminated Wood 18 in 13.7 in 0.64 in Unspecified 2 Part 5 White melamine Laminated Wood 28.6 in 13.7 in 0.64 in Unspecified 1 Part 6 Chipboard 51 in 13.7 in 0.77 in Unspecified 4 Part 7 Chipboard 27.35 in 13.7 in 0.77 in Unspecified 8 We cut these parts into panels having the following formats: Identification Material Length Width Thickness Grain direction Panel 1 Pine Plywood 145 in 77 in 0.64 in Horizontal Panel 2 White melamine Laminated Wood 107 in 53 in 0.64 in Unspecified Panel 3 Chipboard 107 in 53 in 0.77 in Unspecified
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Begin the creation of the cutting plan
	To create your complex cutting plan with the panel cutting software, you must first verify that the unit of measurement used by OPCutting is the "Inch" (see software user guide). Click on "Options / Unit of measurement" menu and click on "Inch" option then click on "OK" button to confirm.
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	You must create three species of wood used in the cutting plan given in the second table in the section "The cutting list chosen for example", if these types of wood are not already set in the software. Click on "Options / Species Manager" menu. Enter the name of the first species of wood in the input box and click the "Add" button. Repeat the process to enter the names of two other species of wood. Click on "OK" button to confirm.
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	To start creating your cutting plan, just click on the button showing a blank page.
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Data entry of the cutting plan
	Select the type of cutting plan. Note: You can select two types of cutting plan: Simple cutting plan or complex cutting plan (see software user guide). In our example, you must select the option named "Complex cutting plan" then click on the checkbox named "Distinct margins". Click on "OK" button to confirm the selection of the type of cutting plan and open the dialog box for selecting panels.
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	You must enter the formats of panels given in the second table in the section "The cutting list chosen for example". You must change the values of the default panel. Enter the length, width, thickness of the panel and select the grain direction and finally material in corresponding listboxs with the values given for panel 1. Click on "New" button to complete the entry and create a new panel (see software user guide). Repeat the process for performing data entry of panels 2 and 3. Click on "Finish" button to complete the entry panels and open the dialog box for selecting parts.
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	You must enter the sizes and quantities of parts given in the first table in the section "The cutting list chosen for example". Enter reference, designation, length, width of the part and then select grain direction, thickness and finally material in corresponding listboxs with the values given for part 1. Click on "New" button to complete the entry and create a new part (see software user guide). Repeat the process for performing data entry of parts 2-7. Click on "Finish" button to complete the entry of parts.
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	You must enter values for the margins Length and width and cutting thickness. Note: The margin can also be called “band for edge” is a padding space added around each part (useful for two-stage cutting) when the first cut. It will be removed in a second cutting (see software user guide). The margin “Length” is added to the edge representing the larger dimension of part, margin “Width” is added to the edge representing the smallest dimension of the part. Same margin being added to both opposite edges. The final size will be equal to the size of the part which is added 2x the size of margin. In our example, you chose a value of 0.85 in for the margin “Length”, a value of 0.43 in for the margin “Width” and 0.13 in for the cutting thickness. Enter these values in the corresponding entry zones then click on "OK" button to confirm.
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Result of the cutting optimization
	The panel cutting software shows the diagram obtained after the optimization calculation has done. The diagram shows panel by panel, the layout of parts. This layout is optimized by the software to limit the quantity of panels used and the number of unusable offcuts. It is possible to print the optimized cutting plan for use in the workshop then the diagram for the realization of cuts with a panel saw for example (see software user guide).
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	You can ask the panel cutting software to display the drawings of parts with these dimensions. It is possible to print the drawings of parts of the cutting plan if it seems useful to you (see software user guide). Click on "Piece" button to display the drawings of parts.
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	You can ask the panel cutting software to display the cutting list obtained after panel cutting software has done the calculation. It is possible to print cutting list for use in the workshop (see software user guide). It is also possible to export this cutting list to a file for reuse in Excel or other software. Click on "Cut.list" button to display the cutting list.
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	You can ask the panel cutting software to display the summary of optimized cutting plan (see software user guide). This summary can be printed if you wish. Click on "File / Summary" menu to display the summary.
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Information and assistance of OPCutting Download of OPCutting - Software licence - Order of OPCutting - User Guide of OPCutting - Faq of OPCutting the cutting optimizer - Description of the video "Creation of a simple cutting plan" - Tutorial of performing of cutting metal sheets optimization OPCutting cutting list calculator | BricoCalculette DIY Woodworking software | Woodworking Software Pack HiPub: Echange de bannières ciblées