Cut Long Products (Optimization)

The Cut Long Products section (also called Optimization) helps you plan how to cut your steel bars efficiently. This reduces waste and saves money by finding the best way to cut what you need from what you have.

[SCREENSHOT: Optimizations page showing list of cutting plans]

What is Cutting Optimization?

When you have long steel bars in inventory and need to cut them into shorter pieces for orders, there are many ways to do it. Some ways waste more material than others.

The optimization tool automatically finds the best cutting pattern that:

Uses the bars you have in stock
Produces the pieces customers ordered
Creates the least amount of waste
Minimizes the number of cuts needed

Example: If you have 12-meter bars and need pieces that are 3.5 meters and 4 meters long, the system figures out how to cut them to waste as little as possible.

Viewing Your Cutting Plans

The main page shows all your optimization runs (cutting plans).

What you’ll see:

Name - Description of the cutting plan
Date Created - When you ran it
Status - Complete, in progress, or failed
Waste % - How much material will be unused
Actions - View details, download, delete

[SCREENSHOT: Optimization list with columns labeled]

Running Optimization

Step 1: Prepare Your Data

Before running optimization, make sure you have:

✅ Current inventory entered in the system
✅ Orders entered with correct quantities and lengths
✅ Matching material types and diameters

Tip: The optimizer can only use bars you have in inventory to fulfill orders you’ve entered.

Step 2: Start a New Optimization

Click the + New Optimization button
A setup form appears

[SCREENSHOT: New optimization form]

Step 3: Select What to Include

Choose what inventory and orders to use:

Inventory Selection:

Select the material grade (e.g., Grade 250)
Select the diameter (e.g., 20mm)
The system shows you how many bars you have available

Orders Selection:

Select which orders to include in this cutting plan
Check the order numbers and quantities
You can select multiple orders at once

[SCREENSHOT: Selecting inventory and orders]

Step 4: Run the Optimization

Give your optimization run a clear name (e.g., “Order 101-105 Grade 250 20mm”)
Click Run Optimization
The system calculates the best cutting pattern
This usually takes 10-30 seconds

[SCREENSHOT: Optimization running progress]

Step 5: Wait for Results

A progress indicator shows the optimization is working. When complete, you’ll see:

✅ Success message
Results summary
Option to view details

Understanding Results

Viewing the Cutting Plan

Click on a completed optimization from the list
The details page opens

[SCREENSHOT: Optimization results detail page]

What you’ll see:

Summary Section:

Total bars to cut
Total pieces produced
Waste percentage
Material utilization

Cutting Patterns: Each pattern shows:

Which bar from inventory to use (by position/ID)
What lengths to cut from it
How many times to repeat this pattern
Waste remaining from each bar

[SCREENSHOT: Cutting pattern example with visual diagram]

Reading a Cutting Pattern

Example pattern:

Bar #1 (12,000mm) → Cut: 3,500mm, 3,500mm, 4,000mm = 11,000mm used
Waste: 1,000mm (8.3%)
Repeat this pattern: 5 times

This means:

Take bar #1 from your inventory
Cut one piece 3,500mm long
Cut another piece 3,500mm long
Cut one piece 4,000mm long
You’ll have 1,000mm left over as waste
Do this same pattern on 5 different bars

[SCREENSHOT: Annotated cutting pattern diagram]

Downloading Results

Downloading the Cutting Plan

To save the plan or print it for the production floor:

Open the optimization details
Click the Download button
Choose format:
- Excel - Spreadsheet with all patterns
- PDF - Printable cutting instructions
The file downloads to your computer

[SCREENSHOT: Download button and format options]

Tip: Print the PDF and give it to the operator who will be cutting the bars.

What’s in the Download

The downloaded file includes:

List of bars to use (by inventory reference)
Exact cutting measurements for each pattern
How many pieces of each length to produce
Total waste calculation
Summary statistics

[SCREENSHOT: Sample downloaded cutting plan]

Comparing Optimizations

If you want to try different approaches:

Run optimization with different inventory selections
Run optimization with different order combinations
Compare waste percentages
Use the plan with the lowest waste

Example:

Run 1: Using only 12-meter bars = 12% waste
Run 2: Using mix of 12-meter and 6-meter bars = 7% waste
Choose Run 2 - saves material!

Managing Your Optimizations

Renaming an Optimization

Click the Edit button (pencil icon)
Change the name to something more descriptive
Click Save

Good naming examples:

“Week 42 Grade 500 16mm”
“Customer ABC Order 101-103”
“Urgent Orders Oct 21”

Deleting Old Optimizations

To keep your list clean:

Find optimizations you no longer need
Click the Delete button (trash icon)
Confirm deletion

Warning: Deleted optimizations cannot be recovered. Download them first if you might need them later.

Video Tutorial: Creating Cutting Plans

Video Script:

“Let’s learn how to create efficient cutting plans with GoSmarter’s optimization tool.

From the sidebar, click on ‘Cut long products’ under Production Planning. You’ll see a list of any previous cutting plans you’ve created.

To make a new cutting plan, click the New Optimization button.

First, you need to select which inventory bars to use. Let’s say we’re working with Grade 250 steel, 20 millimeter diameter. Click the inventory selector and choose Grade 250, 20mm. The system shows you have, let’s say, 50 bars available, each 12 meters long.

Next, select which orders this cutting plan should fulfill. Check the orders you want to include - let’s say Order 101 needs thirty pieces at 3.5 meters, and Order 102 needs twenty pieces at 4 meters. Check both orders.

Give your optimization a clear name, like ‘Orders 101-102 Grade 250’. This helps you find it later.

Click Run Optimization. The system now calculates the most efficient way to cut your bars. This takes about 20 seconds.

The system found the optimal solution. Let’s look at the results.

You can see a summary: You’ll use 18 bars, produce 50 pieces total, and waste is only 8 percent. That’s excellent efficiency.

Below are the cutting patterns. Pattern 1 says: Take a 12-meter bar, cut one piece at 3,500 millimeters, another piece at 3,500 millimeters, and one piece at 4,000 millimeters. That uses 11 meters total, leaving 1 meter as waste. Repeat this pattern on 12 different bars.

Pattern 2 shows a different combination for the remaining pieces.

To save this plan, click Download. Choose PDF if you want to print it for your operators, or Excel if you want to work with it in a spreadsheet.

The PDF shows clear cutting instructions. You can print this and take it to the shop floor.

That’s how you create efficient cutting plans. The system does all the complex math to minimize waste and save you money.”

Common Questions

What if the optimization can’t use all my inventory?

The system only uses bars that can efficiently produce the required pieces. Leftover inventory stays in your stock.

What if I don’t have enough inventory to fulfill my orders?

The optimization will show what it can do with available inventory. You’ll need to get more stock for the remaining orders.

Can I adjust the cutting patterns manually?

The patterns are optimized by the system. If you need different patterns, try running optimization with different inventory or order selections.

How accurate is the waste calculation?

Very accurate. However, add a small allowance for saw blade width (kerf) when cutting in real production.

Can I save multiple optimization runs?

Yes! Keep different scenarios saved so you can compare them and choose the best approach.

What if two patterns have similar waste percentages?

Other factors matter too: number of cuts, bar handling, operator convenience. Choose what works best for your situation.

Tips for Best Results

Keep inventory accurate - The optimizer can only work with what it knows you have
Group similar orders - Optimizing orders with the same material together gets better results
Consider bar handling - Sometimes a plan with slightly more waste but fewer cuts is more practical
Save your plans - Keep successful plans for reference when similar orders come in
Download before cutting - Always have a printed plan for the shop floor

Next Steps

With your cutting plan ready:

Update inventory - Mark bars as used after cutting
Update orders - Change status to “In Progress” or “Complete”
Calculate scrap rate - Verify waste percentages

Smart cutting planning saves material, time, and money!