optimik - manual_en

Cutting Plan Designer© Rastislav Korytar, 1999-2002

Version

2.17

Author Rastislav KorytarKamenna 8915 01 Nove Mesto nad VahomSlovak republic

E-mail: [email protected]://www.optimik.com

PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS

The OPTIMIK program is used for automatic design of cutting plans for manufacturers of furniture and othermanufacturers from flat materials (wood, metal sheets, glass, fabric), the product range of which is wide orpermanently varies (made-to-order production, etc.).

In addition to this basic task, it can automatically keep and maintain detailed records on materials andindividual formats, store sets and insert them into jobs, calculate costs for each job and set, and many other“trifles” which will make your life easier.

GETTING STARTED....

The following main window is displayed after starting the program:

There are 5 icons in the left lower part of the window (as well as in other windows of the program) whichperform the following functions:

Enter a new record in the tableThe function can also be activated by pressing the (+) key

Edit the current record in the tableThe (*) key

Delete the current record or all the selected records in the tableThe (-) key. In some tables, several records can be selected using the right mouse button

Print the table recordsDifferent variants of printed reports are available in most cases

Data import from a text fileThe text file structures will be described below

(individual data in one line are separated by the | - Alt+124 character)

1. Program Set-up...

In the window, which is opened after clicking on the icon , set the following:

Cutting plan printout:

Two identification items will be printed in theupper part of every cutting plan. It can bematerial description, job description on any othertext.

To better differentiate the boards, usable cut-offsand wastes, you can use different font coloursand types.

If necessary, the program can also writedescription of the board on every board inaddition to its dimensions; print 2 cutting plansonto one sheet, print an image of the materialused and print edge covering strips.

Other settings:

The header of every printed report can include 1line containing any data (e.g. contacts to yourcompany, commercials, etc.). If you want toshow the current date in a line, replace it withthe $D characters and the current time replacewith the $T characters. For example: “Printed onMay 12, 2002 at 12:45” should be entered as“Printed on $D at $T”.

A unit of length, which will be used in theprogram, can also be set here. The followingcan be chosen: mm, cm, dm, m, decimalinches, inches, feet and inches

To avoid misunderstanding, set the dimensionyou use as the first one when entering. Thehorizontal dimension is designated as the“Length” and the vertical one as the “Width” in

the program.

To speed up the manual entering of boards, materials, and other components, you can set „continueentering automatically“. I.e. after entering the record into the table, the program reopens the input windowautomatically for entering the next record without the need to click on the icon or press the (+) key. Despitethis setting, the program stores the last entered data and it enters it into the input window when entering anew record thus speeding up the entire process of data entering.

More over, you can let the program warn you, if necessary, about the unsaved cutting plan andunchanged material stock, after designing the cutting plan and returning to the main window.

Note:The entire setting can be changed any time. If the unit of length is changed later, the program recalculates allthe dimensions automatically.

2. Entering the Materials...

After clicking on this icon (or pressing the M key), a window with records on materials will open.A list of material types is shown in the upper table.Formats of the current material are recorded in the lower left table and the summary of receipt and

issue of the current format are shown in the right lower table.

The list of materials, formats, and flows can be either printed or exported into (or imported from) a text filewith the following structure:

Material:Code = M | Mark | Description | Minimum cut-off | Kerf | = (Oriented blister grain)X (Without the blister grain) | Minimum cut-off dimensions | Minimum length of large format sizes | Price

Format:Code = F | Length | Width | + (to be used in the design)

Receipt/issue:Code = P | Date | Description | - (Issue) + (Receipt) | Quantity

The following rules apply for import:

1. New formats (usable cut-offs created) will also be added to the list and the same mark as was used bythe “initial” format will be assigned to them. If such formats already exist, their stock will be changed.

2. If the imported file contains only formats, they will be assigned to the current material automatically.

3. If the imported file contains only records on receipts and issues, they will be assigned to the currentformat automatically.

4. To ensure compatibility, all the dimensions are shown in millimetres.

After clicking on the icon (or pressing the + key), a window in which the following data can be enteredwill open under the material table:

Mark – max. 15 charactersDescription – max. 60 characters

Cut-off minimum – the width of thenarrowest strip of the material, which can becut off or removed.

Image – for better orientation, an image canbe assigned to the material.Images (*.jpg) are stored in the Imagesdirectory in the installation directory of theprogram. The side ratio is 4:3 (112 x 84points).

Oriented blister grain – to be selected ifthe material has oriented blister grain. Then,the program will differentiate the formatswith such dimensions as 500 x 800 and 800x 500 as two separate formats. Otherwisethe program will join them into a singleformat automatically during automaticcompletion (after finishing the calculation).

Smallest formats of usable cut-offs – thecut-offs, which are smaller than the onesshown, will be considered unusable wasteby the program.

Minimum length of large format sides –the formats, which have both sides longerthan or equal to the specified dimension, are

considered „basic formats“ (written in red in the format table) and the program itself selects the mostsuitable one out of them during the calculation. The other formats will be considered „cut-offs“ by theprogram.

Price – the price per m2 (ft2) of the material. WARNING!!! If the setting for a unit of length is changed (e.g.from mm into inches), this price must be corrected manually!!!

If you do not know the square price of the material, the “calculator” will help you. Click on the icon (orpress the Ctrl key) to display the window in which the square price can be calculated using the following:

- Price per 1 kilogram of the material- Material thickness- Material density

Or - Price per 1 table- Dimensions of the table

The calculation is activated automatically after entering every item into the box and leaving this box. Afterclicking on the OK button, the window is closed and the calculated amount is entered into the Price box.

After entering a new material, click on the icon under the format table and enter the basic format of thismaterial:

Initial stock – enter the current quantity, which is on stock. Allother later receipts and issues will be recorded in a separatetable. The current stock will be calculated as "initial stock +receipts – issues“

Width – vertical dimensionLength – horizontal dimensionNote: Always indicate a 100% usable format (in the case ofbasic formats, trimmed dimensions....)

To be used in the next job – here, the use of this format in thecutting plan design is selected or deselected. Deselecting theuse is indicated with the X character in the last column of theformat table.

Negative stock allowed – if this box is selected, the programwill use this format in calculation in an unlimited quantity, evenif it should create its negative stock. The (-) signs in the lastcolumn of the format table indicate the negative stock.

If this format is used in the cutting plan design, the program will change its stock automatically after thecalculation. It will also add new formats (usable cut-offs created) or change their stock if such formatsalready exist.

Format stocks can also be changed manually any time – click on the icon under the table of receiptsand issues and enter the following:

Date

Description – e.g. the job number, in which the formatwas used, the supplier for purchase of the material, etc.

Quantity

Type – receipt or issue of the specified quantity offormats

Note:When entering all the dimensions in the program, the selected format and a unit of length are used.If an individual dimension is to be entered using a different unit of length, pressing the following key canchange the mode of an input box:

M C D T N I FMillimetres Centimetres Decimetres Metres Dec. inches Inches Feet and inches

3. Enter the Edge Covering Strips, as Appropriate...

After clicking on this icon (pressing the P key), a window with records on edge covering strips willopen. Edge covering strips are mostly used by the manufacturers of furniture and other productsmade of chipboards to cover anaesthetic cutting surfaces.

Click on the icon and enter the following data:

Image – for better orientation, an imageof the material can be assigned to thestrip. Images (*.jpg) are stored in theImages directory in the installationdirectory of the program. The side ratiois 4:3 (112 x 84 points)

Mark – max. 15 characters

Description – max. 60 characters

Price – price per 1m (ft) of the strip

4. There Is Time to Enter other Components...

After clicking on this icon (pressing the O key), a window with records on other components willopen. Here, all other materials (e.g. screws, hinges, etc.), overhead costs (electricity,transportation, etc.), labour (assembly, cutting, etc.) and other components can be enteredaccording to your needs.


Image – for better orientation,an image can be assigned to thecomponent.Images (*.jpg) are stored in theImages\Components directory inthe installation directory of theprogram. The side ratio is 4:3

Mark – max. 15 char.

Description – max. 60 char.

Price and unit of measure –price for the unit of measure

5. Everything has been Entered, What’s next? Let’s Create the First Job...

If all necessary materials, edge covering strips, and other components have been entered, we can start withcreating the first job. In the main window, click on the icon (or press the V key) and you will get into thewindow showing the summary of jobs:


Date – current date for the job entryMark – max. 15 charactersDescription – max. 60 charactersNote – max. 45 linesProcessed – select if the job is processed. Unprocessed jobs are identified with X in the table.

After choosing a new job, “select“ it into the main menu by double-clicking, pressing the Enter key or simplyclose the job window (Esc). The selected (current) job is then displayed in the upper part of the mainwindow:

If more jobs are maintained, you can scroll among them even directly in the main window (without the needto open the job window) by clicking on the icons (previous job) or (next job).

6. Now, We are about to enter All Boards, Strips, and Other Components, Which WeNeed for its Realisation...


Quantity – number of pieces

Width – vertical dimensionHeight – horizontal dimension

Do not rotate – select if you want to maintain orientation ofthe board (direction of the blister grain)


Set – max. 15 characters

Material – click on the button and the window withrecords on materials will open. Select the required materialin the table by double-clicking or pressing the Enter key.

Edge covering strips – an edge-covering strip can beassigned to each of the four edges of the board, (selector click on the button and choose it in a similar way asthat for the material). Select the edge covering strips in thefollowing order – upper, right, lower, and left. For control, theassigned strips are displayed around the image of thematerial and also in the table in the main window.

If you want to enter other components into the job, click on the icon (or press the + key and keep theCtrl key depressed at the same time). In the window, which appears, enter the following data:

Item – click on the button and the window with recordson other components will open. Select the requiredcomponent in the table by double-clicking or pressing theEnter key.

Quantity – enter the quantity in the current unit of measure

Set – max. 15 characters

The list of boards, edge covering strips, and other components can either be printed out or exported into (orimported from) a text file with the specified structure:

Boards:Code = D | Mark of material | Quantity | Length | Width | = (Do not rotate – maintain the orientation) X (Anyorientation) | Description | Set | Strip material mark

Other components:Code = O | Mark | Quantity | Set

If an unknown material, strip, or component is found in the data being imported, it will be added to theappropriate list automatically. Except the mark, the program will not enter any other information about it andtherefore it is necessary to enter it manually after finishing the import.

When importing a job, the program will check the table first and find out if a job with the same numberalready exists. If it does, it will only be updated.

In parallel with entering the components of the job, the quantities and sizes of materials, the lengths of strips,and the quantities of other components used in the job are added automatically. The costs according tocurrent prices are also calculated (total costs are shown in the right upper corner). This data is shown in theupper table in the main window:

Respective types of components are colour differentiated:

- Blue – material- Yellow – other components- Green – edge covering strips

The highlighted line in this table identifies which component is current.The boards with current material, other components or boards in which the current strip is used are alsocolour displayed in the lower table.

By clicking on the icon , the current component (material, strips, other components) can be changed anda mass change to these components can also be done in the lower table.

7. The Job is Specified, so We Can Start with a Cutting Plan...

As the job may include boards out of an unlimited quantity of materials, first select the material for which thecutting plan is being designed. The material is selected in the upper table and all the boards of this material(i.e. those of which the cutting plan will be designed) will also be identified in the lower table.

Now, the only thing to do is to click on the icon to open the window in which the calculation will takeplace. After opening of the window, we will focus on the following part

1.) Set the calculation rate – using this slider, the calculation ratecan be slowed down thus increasing the quality at the same time. It ismostly used for smaller quantities of boards. However, in most cases,the fastest calculation is sufficient.

2.) Select the cutting direction – if care should be taken to cut thetable in a certain direction (lengthwise or width wise). Otherwise, theselection “Any cutting direction” can be active for which the best yieldof the table can be achieved in most cases.

3.) If you also want to use the cut-offs listed in the format table,select this option and enter the minimum yield at the same time. I.e.the particular cut-off will only be used if it can be utilised minimum up tothe percentage entered.

After setting all the required parameters, click on the “Calculation“ button. A window with a calculationprogress indicator will open and the formats used will be added to the table at the same time. First, theprogram tries to use all possible smallest cut-offs and formats and then proceeds with larger formats. If theprogram “consumes” complete stock of possible recorded formats, the calculation will be terminateddisplaying a message on material shortage. To avoid such premature end of calculation, it is recommendedto select the “negative stock” option for at least one basic format.

When the calculation is over,statistical data - quantity ofmaterial used, quantity of newcut-offs and waste, as well asthe total length of all cuts andyield of the material – will beshown in the lower part of thewindow.

Absolute yield of the materialrepresents the sizes of theboards included to the size ofthe material, expressed inpercents.

For relative yield, sizes ofusable cut-offs are added to thesize of boards.

Absolute yield of individualformats is shown in the table.

Note:

After starting the calculation, the “No material formats available” message may appear if:

- There are no formats available for the current material in the list of materials;- The formats are available, however, the programs considers them cut-offs (the “Minimum length of large

format sides” parameter is too big) and the use of cut offs in calculation is not activated at the same time.

When the calculation is over, the “Suitable material not available” message may appear if:

- Sufficient number of formats required is not available and the “Negative stock allowed” is not activated;- Only the cut-offs, which cannot be utilised at least to the specified percentage, are available;- The boards required cannot be “arranged”, under specific conditions (e.g. the “Cut-off minimum” or “Kerf”

are too big) on the formats available.

By clicking on the icons in the left part of the window (or by double clicking on the required format in thetable), you can view or print: the designed cutting plan, statistics on the cutting plans, the list of formats,which were used, the list of boards including division into respective formats, and the list of cut-offs created.

After clicking on each out of these icons (and also after clicking on any icon in the program which is used forprinting), the window with a preview of a printed report will be displayed:

By clicking on corresponding icons and controls in the upper part of the window, you can:

- Print a printed report- Display the required page of a multiple page report- Move the printed report by a half page downwards (it is used when printing two short printed reports on a

single page)- Switch the coloured printout on and off – if you use a laser printer, switch the colours off as some of

them might be too bright in a monochromatic version and thus difficult to read- Zoom-in (enlarge) the preview- Zoom-out (reduce in size) the preview- Read the stored printed report from a file- Store the displayed printed report into a file- Export the displayed preview into a graphic file (*.bmp, *.jpg) using the current resolution- Export the printed report data into a text file (this function is accessible only for some printed reports)

After successful calculation, two icons appear in the left lower part of the window at the same time, whichcan be used to:

Save the entire cutting plan into a file.

Change the material stock,i.e. reduce the stock of used formats and increase the stock by new cut-offs

Other two icons are located there permanently, which can be used to:

Open a cutting plan from a file. The program will understand it as if it were just calculated by it – i.e.you can view it and print it (including all other lists)...

Change program setting – it can be used e.g. for a fast change in the setting for cutting plan printout,etc.

When the “Cutting plan design” window is closed, the program will prompt you (if this option is selected in theset-up) to save the calculated cutting plan (if you have not saved it so far). If you have not printed this cuttingplan out or you need it for archive purposes, do not forget to save it. However, when the window is closed, allthe data about it will be lost (pressing the “Calculation” button once more has the same effect).You will also be prompted in the similar way to change the stocks in the warehouse.

Sets...

The sets you produce in a series production (i.e. the same set even if with some differences – differentmaterial, different external dimensions – is contained in your jobs more often) can be entered into the list ofsets.

These records will also save you more time because:

- The set and all its parts (boards, strips, other components) can be entered only once and always whenyou want to use it in a job, simply move it from the list

- All materials, strips, other components, and external dimensions of the set can be changed very fast sothe particular set can be entered into the list only once. According to your customer’s needs, you canmodify it easily and move it, modified in this way, into a job.

Example:You are a manufacturer of kitchen units. Enter individual cabinets and shelves, which will represent sets, intothe list of sets. If a customer places an order for a kitchen unit (which will represent a job), you do not have toenter all components of the job elaborately, but simply select particular sets (cabinets and shelves) from thelist of sets after changes in materials and external dimensions as appropriate.

After clicking on this icon (in the right lower part of the main window), the window with the list ofsets will open. This list is very similar to list of sets and most of the functions have the samemeaning. The method and display of cost calculation is also identical.

To enter a new set, click on the icon below the upper table and in the window, which will open, enter thefollowing:

Image – for better orientation, amaterial image can be assigned tothe set. Images (*.jpg) are stored inthe Images\Sets directory in theinstallation directory of the program.The side ratio is 3:4 (150 x 200points).

Mark – max. 15 characters

Title – max. 60 characters

External dimensions – enter themif you want to use automaticrecalculation of dimensions of theboards in the set when externaldimensions of the set are changed

Then, to enter boards of the set, click on the icon below the lower table and enter the following:

Quantity – number of pieces

Width – vertical dimension

Height – horizontal dimension

Do not rotate – select this option if you want to maintainorientation of the board (blister grain direction)


Material – click on the icon and the window containingthe list of materials will open. Select the required materialfrom the table using double click or pressing the Enter key.

Edge covering strips – an edge-covering strip can beassigned to each of the four edges of the board (selector click on the button and choose it in a similar way asthat for the material). Select the edge covering strips in thefollowing order – upper, right, lower, and left. For control, theassigned strips are displayed around the image of thematerial and also in the table in the main window.

After clicking on the or buttons, the window in which automatic dimension calculation can be set willopen:

Here, it is necessary to specify the external dimension of theset (X, Y or Z) to which the board dimension will be relatedand which values we want to subtract from it (or to divide theremaining value by the number 2-9, respectively).

So, for instance, for the case of the width of internal shelvesof the set, we have to subtract two times the width of thematerial (2 x 18 mm) and clearance (1 mm), if any, from thewidth of the set (X dimension).Then, the formula for calculation of the width of the board isX-37 mm. It is entered into the window in the way shown inthe figure.

If you want to include other components into the set, click on the icon below the lower table (or pressthe + key and keep the Ctrl key depressed at the same time). In the window, which then opens, enter thefollowing data:

Item – click on the button and the window with the list ofother components will open. Select the required componentfrom the table using double click or pressing the Enter key.

Quantity – enter the quantity in the current unit of measure

MASS CHANGE IN DIMENSIONS:

If you need to change dimensions of the whole set, enter the dimension youwant to change (X, Y, or Z), the new value of the dimension in the lower partof the “Sets” window and click on the icon with a symbol of a calculator. All

the boards the dimensions of which are entered using this “calculation” will be recalculated.

TRANSFER OF THE SET INTO THE JOB:

If you need to transfer the entire set (i.e. all its parts – boards, strips, and othercomponents) into the job, just select the required set in the upper table, enter thequantity into the box below the table (the quantities of all parts will be increased

automatically) and click on the icon next to the box.

Data Backup...

After clicking on this icon, the window will open in which you can backup all the data or restore thedata from the backup file if the computer fails.

Select the disk and the directory:

The DataFiles\SAVE directory is a default directory for backupfiles, which can be found in the installation directory of theprogram. It can be changed, if necessary, and the data can bebackup into any directory on any disk.

Backup file name:

All the data, which can be found in the program, will be storedinto one file with the extension *.opa, the name of which can bechanged or edited as appropriate. The program offers currentdate as a default name. Backup is initiated by clicking on the“Saving the data” button.

Viewing backup files in the selected directory:

All the backup files (*.opa files) in the directory on the selecteddisk will be displayed here automatically. After selecting one ofthese backup files, the “Refreshing data” button is activated.After clicking on this button and confirming, all the data will berestored from the selected backup file. However, it is alsorecommended to backup data before restoring. As the data willbe permanently deleted after restore!

About the Program...

After clicking on this icon, a window will open in which you can find the number of a current versionof the program, address and contact information of the author and distributors, sorted by country.

optimik - manual_en

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