Reveal T-FLEX

Reveal T-FLEX - the specialized solution of automation of placement of circuits of parts on procurements with obtaining schemes of their cutting.

As a part of the T-FLEX PLM complex there was a program for cutting of sheet materials earlier. But the former solution had the architecture limiting development of a product and its integration with other components of the T-FLEX PLM complex. The company management made the decision on creation of the separate software product.

On July 25, 2016 the company announced Top Systems release of an independent specialized product of automation of cutting of procurements.

Cutting T-FLEX program 15 is the annex to the system of parametrical design of T-FLEX CAD 15 and it is intended for automation of cutting of sheet materials for different types of cutting. The program precisely and quickly calculates the scheme of cutting of parts so that waste of the cut-out material were minimum. Schemes of cutting can be made out in the form of drawings of T-FLEX CAD and be used for preparation of managing programs for^[1].

In T-FLEX Cutting material cutting types are implemented:

• linear — cutting of procurements in switches;
• guillotine — obtaining optimal schemes of cutting of sheet material on a squared part end-to-end machine cuts;
• figured — obtaining optimal schemes of cutting of sheet material on a part of any form.

Work in the program is performed within the project of cutting. The project of cutting integrates in itself initial data, parameters of cutting and results of calculation of the program. In parameters of the project there are inline tunings connected with a solution algorithm (gaps and indents, the amount of business waste, cutting of parts in cavities, the level of optimization of a solver, etc.

As initial data of parts and procurements in the program the circuits of shadings loaded from one or several drawings of T-FLEX CAD can be used. In addition dimensions of rectangular parts and procurements can be set manually in the interface of the program.

Screenshot of an application window, (2016)

Results of calculation are schemes of optimal cutting on procurements and summary information on cutting (quantity of the set and cut out parts and the spent procurements, testing and assessment material values).

Screenshot of an application window, (2016)

Features of the program

• Associative communication between circuits of parts and procurements with initial geometry
  • Between circuits of parts and procurements in the project of cutting and their initial geometry on the drawing of T-FLEX CAD associative contact is kept. Thanks to it at change of circuits of shadings on the drawing updating of the corresponding circuits of parts and procurements in the project of cutting can be executed. Updating is executed manually that gives the chance to consider changes of initial geometry, when necessary.

• Management of options of approximation of circuits of parts and procurements
  • For simplification of spline geometry of circuits of parts several options of simplification of geometry influencing calculation speed are possible. The simplest case of simplification is used by a rectangle for the parts having notches, facets or roundings off which should not have impacts on the scheme of cutting.

• Cutting "in a backlog"
  • For linear and guillotine cutting there is a possibility of production of parts "in a backlog". Parameter "in a backlog" is used for cutting of additional quantity of parts to provide a warehouse stock of the most demanded positions.

• Accounting of defects on procurements
  • For guillotine cutting adding of the procurements having defects is provided in the program: chips, scratches, notches, etc. The defect is set by rectangular area of a certain size and provision on procurement. With defects the program executes calculation taking into account these areas.

• Possibility of manual rearrangement of parts on the scheme of guillotine cutting
  • For guillotine cutting there is a possibility of manual rearrangement of parts on the scheme of cutting. So, for example, the user has an opportunity to select a part on the scheme of cutting and to move it on the new place sufficient for placement on the same or other procurement.

• Exchange of initial data and results of cutting with other systems
  • Possibilities of import/export of T-FLEX CAD lift limits for exchange of any data for cutting with third-party programs. For example, circuits of parts and procurements can be imported from AutoCAD, and then to export the scheme of cutting back.

Notes