Recently released version of linear material cutting optimization add-in 1DCutX for Excel implements support for cut angles different than traditional 90 degrees.
(1888PressRelease) September 24, 2014 - Metal fabrication and construction companies cut structural linear material on a regular basis. The majority of cutting operations are done in the most traditional manner when the cutting blade is perpendicular to the material with a 90-degree angle between the blade and the material itself.
Often there is a need to connect parts with specific angles, like on window frames where all four parts need to be cut with 45-degree angles. Traditional cuts usually result in unnecessary operations and material waste.
After several months of developing and testing, Optimalon Software has released version 6.0 of its optimization add-in 1DCutX for Microsoft Excel, which supports angle-cutting and other unique options.
One of the options allows the user to cut parts with different angles from one stock. If a project requires cutting parts with 45- and 60-degrees angles, then this option reduces total material waste.
Another interesting option is turning parts by 180 degrees in order to get a higher yield rate. If one part has cutting angles as 60 degrees and another as 120 degrees, then this option will turn the second part and it will have 60 degrees cutting angles. Therefore the algorithm will match the first part and the second without any material waste at all.
However, this option is not suitable when cutting materials that have non-symmetric profiles, like T-beams, and the users can turn this option off in such cases.
With the initial investments of $97, users of 1DCutX reported monthly savings in materials alone ranging from $200 to $1500. The software pays for itself in less than a month.
A free trial version of 1DCutX is available on Optimalon's website: http://www.optimalon.com/length_cutting_excel.htm