Panel Optimizer

[Brent Brown]

I believe the e-Cabs panel optimizer does a good job of optimizing material, but it isn't so good at optimizing our labor. For example, it might place a 22w x 24h part directly above a 24w x 22h part on a sheet of melamine rather than rotating one of them so I can just take a 22\" slice of melamine off rather than a 24\" and then rotating it and cutting it again, along with all the fence realignments (yes, with the material properly defined for size and without grain and a 1/8\" margin). Optimizing for labor is pretty important for those of us not using a CNC router. For smaller jobs I have found that it is much better to take the cut list and draw out my own panels from them. Anyone have a better solution, such as a panel optimization program they use to supplement e-cabinets?

Thanks,

Brent

[Leo Graywacz]

The last smaller job I used the optimizer and I was able to do it my normal way on my CAD and get a 25% better yield. It showed I needed 4 sheets and I was able to do it with three. Even with the cost of labor added in I still saved $90. Not a huge savings, but if I save this much on a job that had 30-40 sheet it can really add up. This is something that needs to be made more efficient in the software. But in big jobs the savings might not be worth the labor put into it to get them.

[Jeff Norris]

brent change your nesting settings to \"cut line\" and ecabinets will optimize for a table saw