Using remainders in cutting

#374

Aside from buying remainders «as is» without cutting (see Buying remainders and cut-offs without cutting), the factory’s stock remainders can be used directly in the client’s project cutting. The calculation automatically picks them instead of new sheets if this is set in the material settings.

How it works

When calculating the project cutting, the platform looks at the «Order of material usage» flag on the panel card:

  • «Remainders first» — first tries to lay out parts on the available cut-offs and partial remainders. Only if a part doesn’t fit any remainder, a new sheet is taken.
  • «Sheets first» — parts are laid out on new sheets. Stock remainders are not used (use this when you have a narrow batch of identical cut-offs and don’t want automatic distribution).
  • «Client remainders and sheets» — priority on the client material (if any), then new sheets. More details — Client material in the project.

What the client sees in the cutting

After the cutting is calculated, the cutting map shows three types of material sources:

  • New sheet — a standard sheet from the factory catalog.
  • Factory remainder — a cut-off or a partial sheet from the stock, marked on the cutting map as «Remainder» with its dimensions.
  • Client material — if the client has connected their own material, marked with a separate label.

In the part list, each part shows which source it will be cut from. If the client reshuffles the project, the calculation recomputes the sources.

What happens to the remainder after cutting

If the remainder fits all the required parts and there is still empty space left:

  • If the remainder passes all three minimum thresholds — length, width and area (the min_rest_size_X, min_rest_size_Y and minimum business-remainder area settings on the material card, see Individual settings; if the material has no values of its own, the default production settings apply), the leftover stays in the factory stock as a new business remainder. Size checks are performed strictly along the axes, without a «symmetric» tolerance that used to allow an imagined 90° rotation of the part.
  • If even one threshold is not met, the leftover is written off as waste.

If the remainder doesn’t fit all parts entirely — it is used partially; the unused part either returns as a cut-off (if business) or is written off. If a part is later removed from an already finished map, the empty columns and rows left in its place are closed automatically — so no unnecessary gaps or offsets remain in the machine commands.

How the factory admin manages the process

  • Global «Remainders first» mode — turn it on if you want the accumulated cut-offs to be actually used. For typical fast-moving materials.
  • Minimum business remnant sizes — set on the material card. If you have compact 200×200 mm cut-offs, set the threshold to 200 — smaller remainders won’t even be considered (they’d be useless anyway).
  • Disable remainders for a specific material — sometimes useful: e.g., for a new decor where old-batch remainders may not match by color. Set «Sheets first» on the card.

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