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1DCutX |
1DCutX - Length Cutting Optimization for Excel.
1DCutX is a software extension (so-called "add-in") for the Microsoft Excel. When 1DCutX gets installed it automatically integrates into the Excel menu (Excel 2003) or the ribbon elements (Excel 2007 and higher versions). The main purpose of 1DCutX is to find how to cut linear (1D) stocks (bars, pipes, beams, wires, etc.) in order to minimize the material waste and the production costs without leaving Microsoft Excel.
Why do you need it?It better to explain on an example. During a house constructions or renovation you have to install a lot of plumbing pipes for bathrooms, a kitchen and a laundry room. The length or size of these pipes may vary from couple of inches to several feet depending of the house's design. The supplier has only pipes of standard sizes - 18, 20 and 22 feet.How many pipes and what sizes do you need to order? The answer is not simple, it depends on how you cut these pipes. The obvious and the simplest approach is to start cutting bigger pieces and go to smaller ones. Unfortunately you get a lot of "cut-offs" or waste pieces that cannot be used anymore and have to go to the recycling. In average 10-20% of the material gets wasted with such approach. Is there a way to reduce the waste and save tens of thousands of dollars? Yes, if you employed the length cutting optimization you could dramatically reduce the waste and that's why you need 1DCutX! How does 1DCutX work?First, lets define the terms we use:
Parts are defined by their lengths (sizes) and quantities. Stocks come in standard sizes from your construction supplier. Stocks are defined by their lengths (sizes), quantities and prices. Cut-offs is a waste that you need to minimize.
Once you have the stocks and parts table ready you can to invoke 1DCutX dialog and select the range of
cells containing stocks and parts information.
After that you can press "Run" button and get the optimized layouts that show how to cut the parts,
which stocks and how many to order and the cut-offs (if any) length for each cutting layout. Please see the following Excel spreadsheet examples, which give more details how 1DCutX works: A picture is worth a hundred words.We prepared a small YouTube video to demonstrate how simple and robust you can perform your own length cutting optimization using 1DCutX:
1DCutX is available on try-before-buy basis that means anyone can freely download it and test it for 15-days trial period. See also:
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If you use Microsoft Excel to keep tracks of your supplier's orders then you probably have a spreadsheet that
has all stocks as a table with the pipe identification, the sizes and the prices (as shown on the right picture).
The table may have vertical (as shown) or horizontal orientation, but the basic idea is still the same - the table lists the stocks
you use in your production cycle.
1DCutX can use the stock table in any format and you don't need to alter it.
In addition to the stock table you need one more table that lists all parts you need to cut from the stocks.
This table can have the layout shown on the left picture or you can use your own design.
The main purpose of the parts table is to list all parts along with their identifications (if any), the sizes and the quantities.