Importing the cut list from Excel
At step 1 click “Import list” and choose an Excel (.xlsx, .xls) or CSV file. The program finds the column headers by name, so the column order does not matter and the table may start further down the sheet (the program looks in the first 15 rows). It reads the sheet named EXTRAS or, if there is none, the first sheet.
| Column header | What to enter | Example | Required | Accepted names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length | the part length, in mm | 1250 | yes | L, length (mm), lungime |
| Quantity | the number of pieces | 4 | yes | qty, pcs, pieces, cantitate |
| Face F | the side of the section on which the angled cut is made, in mm | 40 | no (default 30) | face, F, cutting face, latura |
| Material type | the kind of material; only tubes, sections, bars, angles, flat bars and rebar are imported, while sheet and other rows are skipped | Tube | yes | type, category, tip material |
| Material | the section name; parts with the same name are cut from the same bars | Tube 40x40x2 | recommended | profile, section, material |
| Label | the part mark, so you recognise it on the sheet | A1 | no | mark, part, position, code, eticheta |
| Left angle | the cut angle at the left end, in degrees; 90 = straight cut | 45 | no (default 90) | angle 1, u1, angle left |
| Right angle | the cut angle at the right end, in degrees | 45 | no (default 90) | angle 2, u2, angle right |
In the program, the “Excel template” button at step 1 downloads the same template as an .xlsx file.
How to enter the angles
The angle is the one between the cut and the bar length: 90° means a straight cut, 45° an angled cut, as at the corners of a frame. The length is measured at the long point of the part. Face F is the side of the section on which the angle shows: for a 60×40 tube cut across the wide side enter 60, across the narrow side 40. From the angle and face F the program calculates how far the angled cut goes into the bar and nests neighbouring parts.
The 7 steps, one by one
- 1
Parts
Enter the cut list: click “Import list” and choose the Excel or CSV file, type the parts into the table, or paste them straight from Excel (Ctrl+V in the first cell). The “Excel template” button downloads a ready-made table. Click “Verify data”: rows with problems turn red. If face F does not appear in the material name (for example F 50 on “Tube 40x40x2”), the program asks whether it is correct, so you do not cut a section with different sides the wrong way.
- 2
Offcuts
Tell the program which offcuts you have in stock, so it uses them before new bars. Import them from a file with the columns Code, Material, Length and Quantity, or add them manually. “Analyse offcuts” shows which parts fit in each offcut.
- 3
New stock
For each material choose the available new bar lengths (for example 6,000 or 12,000 mm) and how many you have. The exact-fit tolerance says how far the parts may exceed the bar length when they are cut exactly to length, with no blade loss between them: 10 mm by default, 20 mm on 12 m bars.
- 4
Cutting plan
Click “Generate plan”. The program places the parts in bars with minimal waste, uses offcuts first and nests mitred parts: it flips them so the angled cut of one part is also the cut of the next. You can drag parts between bars, flip a part, add an empty bar or undo the last move. Every bar shows its offcut and yield.
- 5
Materials report
See how many new bars and which offcuts you used, plus the new offcuts over 1,000 mm. Type the code of the first new offcut (for example R0100) and the next ones are numbered automatically, so you can label them and find them in stock.
- 6
Exports
Download the plan in the format you need: full Excel, a CSV of the cuts, A4 cutting sheets (printed or saved as PDF), the workshop app or the whole project (.json). Each format is described below.
- 7
Consumption report
See the consumption of each material in millimetres and, if you import the weights, in kilograms: new bars, offcuts used, reusable offcuts, waste under 1,000 mm, yield, number of cuts and blade wear. The report exports to Excel or prints.
Exports (step 6)
| Format | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Full Excel (.xlsx) | five sheets, each with filters: Plan by bar (material, bar, type, length, parts in cutting order, used, offcut, offcut code, yield), Cuts (one cut per row, with order, label, length, face F, angles and whether the part is flipped), Parts (each part, its quantity and the bars it appears in), Bars needed (how many new bars and which offcuts you need, in metres) and New offcuts (code and length). |
| Cuts CSV (.csv) | the same data as the Cuts sheet, separated by semicolons, in UTF-8. Opens straight in Excel or imports into other programs and machines. |
| Cutting sheets (PDF) | one A4 sheet per bar, with the bar drawing, the parts in order, tick boxes and the offcut. Print them or choose “Save as PDF” in the print window. |
| Workshop app (.html) | a single file you open on a phone, tablet or computer, offline: the operator picks the material, sees the current bar and ticks off the cut parts, and progress is kept. |
| Project (.json) | the whole project, with parts, offcuts, stock and plan, to open on another computer with “Import project” or to archive. |
Exports, printing and the workshop app are available in the Workshop, Production and Factory plans and during the 3-day trial. If your machine needs a specific format, the Factory plan includes a custom export.
The offcuts file (step 2)
A table with four columns, recognised by name: Code (the offcut’s stock code), Material (the same name as in the cut list), Length (mm) and Quantity.
Weights for the consumption report (step 7)
For the report to show kilograms too, import a CSV with two columns and no header: the material name (exactly as in the cut list) and the weight per metre, in kg/m. You will find the weights in the weight tables.
Frequently asked questions
Why is nothing imported from my cut list?
Check that the table has Length and Quantity (or Length and Material) headers, that the lengths are numbers and that the Material type column says tube, section, bar, angle, flat bar or rebar (sheet is skipped on purpose). If your list uses another layout, copy the columns into the template or paste them straight into the table.
Why does a part show a 135° angle in the plan?
It is the same 45° part, flipped to nest with its neighbour. In Excel, the “Flipped” column shows “yes” for these parts.
Where is my work saved?
The current project is saved automatically in the browser of the computer you work on. To move it to another computer, use “Export project” and “Import project”.
What are the demo’s limits?
The demo without an account handles up to 20 pieces of a single material, without exports or printing. A new account gets 3 days of full access, free.