How OPTILite™ Works

Run Creation

OPTILite™ organizes your orders into related groups called "runs".  A run is comprised of the quantities and sizes you need to cut, available inventory sizes, quantities, and optimization rules (parameters) to be associated with a single thickness and color of glass.

You can enter sizes in either fractional (33 1/4) or decimal (33.25) format.  OPTILite™ automatically converts decimals within 1/64th of an inch and redisplays the results in a uniform, fractional format.

To create a new run, you select the thickness and color of glass being considered from the available glass thicknesses and colors that have been entered through OPTILite’s Abbreviation Maintenance utility.  These abbreviations are typically entered as part of the pre-installation setup of your OPTILite™ system. 

You also enter a table and optional title to provide identification or comments about the contents of the run.

Run Creation - Order and Inventory Sizes

When specifying which order items you want produced, you enter the sizes and number of pieces required (up to 999).  In addition, OPTILite™ allows you to specify a 10 character Order Number, Item Number and a character Mark or Note.  A normal/low priority classification permits you to specify whether the glass must be produced, or should only be cut if there is any scrap after the optimization of normal pieces.

After entering up to 100 different order items, you enter the inventory that is available.  Along with the number of sheets (up to 9999) of a particular size, OPTILite™ allows you to specify a Storage Location and the Inventory Cost.

Run Creation - Parameters

There are two groups of basic rules that allow you to control OPTILite's operations.  Layout Parameters deal with trim settings and layout complexity.  Output Parameters control the printing of the optimization results.  They deal with scrap designations, dimensional representation and report format.  During system installation a set of permanent parameters is defined to reflect your own standard mode of operation.  When generating a run, you may change these settings to reflect any unique processing requirements.   

OPTILite’s Layout Pictorials

Following a rapid optimization process, your run is transformed into useful results.  The most impressive of these is the pictorial representation of each cutting layout.  Each shows the exact location of all scores to be made on the selected inventory sheet.  

You control whether the dimensions are printed in fraction or decimal format, and whether they are shown in relative or absolute coordinates.  Neither production control, nor the cutter himself, needs to make any calculations.

OPTILite™ Reports

OPTILite™ provides the following reports, which may be displayed onscreen or printed.  Please refer to the two sample reports below.

• Order/Layout Cross Reference Report - Order information for the run and the layouts in which each order is cut
• Inventory Usage Report  - Details of the inventory used, detailing the number of sheets required, square footage and yield summary information
• Yield Summary – Summarized inventory usage for the run by layout
• Offal Report – Lists the dimensions and quantity of each offal piece
• Parameter Recap - A recap of the parameters set for the run

We see the following business benefits as a direct outcome from implementing PMC's products and services.

• Improved yields and reduced material waste
• Elimination of paper and pencil cutting layouts
• Pictorial representation of each cutting layout
• Real-time reports
• A customized system that fits your plant’s specific needs
• Easy installation and use
• Reduced warehousing costs of stocking several different stock sizes
• Reduced labor costs