In this article we will look at the Astra Cutting program. Its main task is to optimize the cutting of molded and sheet material. The software provides everything you need to create cutting cards, print reports and labels. “Astra Cutting” is suitable for both professionals and amateurs due to its simple controls and many functions. Let's take a closer look at it.
The cutting is created according to a special order. By default, several blanks are saved, among them there is a table and a shelving unit. To create a unique item, you will need to choose a simple product. Extended template libraries are located on the official website of the developers, and there is also an import function from other programs.
Editing Product Details
To make a cutting, you need to specify the details of the product. This is done in a specially designated table. Several details are automatically created in the templates, but the user can edit or delete them at any time. Carefully enter the data into the lines; the type of cutting depends on them.
Adding your own part occurs in a special menu. Several tabs contain specific forms to fill out. First, general information, material, length, width and quantity are added. The edges are installed in the adjacent tab. In addition, you can attach any file to the part that would describe it or perform certain tasks.
Sheet Formation
In the second tab of the main window, one or several sheets are created, where cutting will be done. The material, width, height, thickness, length and weight of the sheet are indicated. After entering the information, it is added to the table. An unlimited number of sheets is supported.
Drawing up a cutting map
The penultimate step is to draw up a map. It is generated automatically in accordance with the previously entered information, but the user can edit the necessary data in the map tab.
Astra Opening has a built-in small editor where the selected sheet opens. There are several tools there that are used to move parts along a plane. Thus, this function helps to optimize manual cutting. After the changes, all that remains is to save them and send the project to print.
Reporting
The implementation of cutting requires a certain amount of different materials, and, accordingly, monetary costs. To withdraw the required amount of materials and money for a given project, simply use the tab "Reports". There you will find several different types of documentation, including reports, statements, and additional maps.
Advanced settings
Pay attention to the cutting and printing options that are located in the program settings. Here you can set the desired parameters once so that they apply to subsequent projects. In addition, there are several options for visual customization.
Advantages
- Availability of Russian language;
- Unlimited trial period;
- Product library support;
- Reporting function;
- Simple interface.
Flaws
- The program is distributed for a fee;
- Too few tools in the editor.
“Astra Cutting” is a simple, but at the same time multifunctional program, designed for drawing up cutting maps for sheet and molded materials. It allows you to optimize this process, help sort data and obtain reports on materials and costs.
Astra Cutting is a program for creating cutting cards for sheet material for subsequent cutting on CNC machines. It is designed primarily for furniture factories and allows you to work with the following materials: fiberboard (fibreboard) and chipboard (chipboard), solid wood, plastic, metal and glass. It can also keep track of the cost of materials and work with data uploaded into the 1C: Enterprise Management program. In addition, it is possible to integrate with import and export of projects directly from the program interface.
Using Astra Cutting, you can quickly create and edit cutting maps, count the remaining material after the cutting process, create technical documentation and invoices along with the cost of all work. For cutting materials according to schemes from the program on CNC machines, it supports a large number of post-processors, here is an incomplete list of equipment with which it can work: Holzma, Selco, Felder, Casadei Macchine, Mayer and others. This list is constantly updated.
Among other features, it is worth noting the ability to assign numbers and individual names of parts as part of the main product; you can also set the size of the edges to be glued or ground, and the size of the edges for welding in the case of using metal products. For the convenience of the user, the program contains a library of elements, which contains the most frequently used fragments of circuits; the contents of the library can be expanded by adding your own elements. For each project, technological documentation is created: a schematic image and specification, as well as data on the manufacture of parts and cost accounting; there you can also create and print marks with the name or number of parts.
Key Features and Functions
- creating and editing cutting charts for sheet materials;
- there is an opportunity to work with CNC machines;
- support for a large number of CNC postprocessors;
- integration with the Astra Furniture Designer program;
- keeping records of work and materials;
- the ability to upload data to the 1C: Enterprise Management program;
- library of ready-made standard elements;
- printing of technological documentation and tags for product labeling;
- compilation and printing of reports.
Limitations of the free version
- In the demo version, you can export and print only the first page of the project.
January 17, 2016
Download Astra Uncover for free. The program is designed for automated cutting of sheet materials and provides automatic and interactive generation of cutting maps; calculation, storage and accounting of waste. Charles 3.10.1, 3.6.5, 3.6.4, 3.5.2, 3.3.1.. DOWNLOAD (3.5 MB), Screenshots Astra Nesting 5.3 Astra Nesting - Program for cutting sheet materials. Before you download: FREE.
Created 1. 7. 0. 5. On the other hand, the formation of cutting charts for materials is an integral part of the design and technological cycle for preparing the production of furniture. A characteristic feature of domestic furniture enterprises is a fairly high level of design automation. For this reason, the most popular among furniture makers are cutting programs integrated into computer-aided design (CAD) systems.
Our magazine addressed the topic of optimizing the cutting of materials exactly four years ago (FM No. 3, 2. Comparison of the results of a survey of participants, whose composition has remained virtually unchanged, shows that the possibilities for optimizing cutting maps are far from exhausted. This is a complex mathematical problem for which we use various methods and algorithms.
Time adjusts the optimization criteria. Obviously, in a competitive environment, when each client is literally worth his weight in gold, reducing the cost of products without loss of quality and reducing the production time of furniture are top priorities.
Description of programs: 1. KitchenDraw 4.5 (Russian version) - for kitchen design. 2. Astra 3.5 – for automated cutting of sheet metal. Do not rotate the parts when cutting; sheet filing size along the edge is 5 mm; cutting width 3.5 mm. Read, watch and analyze! Options for generating initial data for cutting. Astra-Uncover.
The role of high-quality cutting from this point of view can hardly be overestimated. Firstly, this is an increase in the utilization rate of materials. This problem is solved in two ways: by placing parts more densely on sheets and by organizing efficient work with scrap materials.
Download Astra Uncover for free. The program is designed for automated cutting of sheet materials and provides automatic and interactive generation of cutting maps; calculation, storage and accounting of waste
Charles 3.10.1, 3.6.5, 3.6.4, 3.5.2, 3.3.1. Astra Opening download free. The Astra Nesting cutting program is designed to optimize the cutting of sheet materials - particle boards.
- The Astra Nesting cutting program is designed to optimize the cutting of sheet materials - particle boards, metal, glass and plastics. Simple and intuitive program tools allow you to: Quickly create an order for cutting.
- Program for drawings, CAD download free. Astra Opening 5.1 - free download on SoftoMania.net, Title: Astra Opening 5.1.
Let's take a closer look at the last method. The need for accounting and subsequent use of scraps is obvious. However, it is very difficult to organize such work with large volumes of production, and in the absence of automation tools, it is almost impossible due to storage and identification problems. The problem can be solved by using barcoding of the entire range of parts and scraps involved in cutting. Currently, a similar feature is included in the functionality of many automated cutting systems.
WOODY 2.0 (+ cutting module with Sawyer 1.6 warehouse). Furniture (Design of wardrobes). Bcad furniture maker 3.5 (3.7). Programs for optimization of cutting sheet materials: Cutting 2. Astra - D3.5. Cut-Reveal.
Secondly, the ease of execution of cutting cards allows you to reduce the total production time of products and the amount of scrap. From the point of view of optimization of cutting maps, the concept of lightness corresponds to their manufacturability. Of course, this is an overly simplified correspondence, but based on the fact that there is still no sufficiently complete definition of the manufacturability of cutting cards, it can be quite accepted. Today, algorithms have been developed that make it possible to increase the coefficient of material utilization during cutting to 9. However, these maps still need to be executed. This is where problems can arise. Let's give one simple example.
Let's say a cutting map has been generated, for execution of which on a format-cutting machine, after cutting 1/5 of the slab, the remaining part must be repositioned, i.e. Sheet size DSt. P 2. 80. 0 x 2. 07. Cut off a fifth of the sheet in width. A portion of the sheet of size 2 remains. Thickness DSt. P – 1. Having carried out simple calculations, we find that the worker needs to move 5.
And if the thickness of DSt. P will be 2.8 mm, then the weight will increase to 9. Let’s make an analogy - a standard bag of potatoes weighs “only” 4. What quality of work can be expected from a worker, forcing him to produce such cutting cards. Arguments like saving material are unlikely to inspire him. Thirdly, cutting is the first technological operation in furniture production, which sets the rhythm of all production areas of a furniture enterprise.
The cutting area provides the initial parts to the areas that implement subsequent technological operations: shaping, edge finishing, adding holes, packaging products. The total order fulfillment time depends on how rhythmically batches of similar parts leave the cutting area.
I'll give you an example again. In order to save material, identical parts are placed on five different cutting cards. You can imagine how long it will take to transfer them for further processing.
In addition, a large number of stacks of parts of different sizes will have to be stacked in the immediate vicinity of the machine. What kind of rhythmicity can we talk about in this case? Fourthly, the accuracy of cutting. There is an opinion that when making furniture, tolerances of a few millimeters are acceptable. Although the furniture industry does not require the precision inherent in mechanical engineering, nevertheless, deviations in dimensions greater than 0.5 mm are unacceptable.
Otherwise, what kind of quality can we talk about? Let us consider the cutting technology from this point of view. Each time the size of the part being cut changes, the worker must re-install the stops to ensure the required size. Each such installation requires a certain amount of time and, most importantly, is carried out with some error, which is explained by backlash. Any mechanic knows that by moving the stops in one direction, the total error can be reduced. Whereas alternating movement of the stops in different directions can significantly increase it. Here is another indicator of manufacturability - reducing the number of size settings as a factor in improving the quality of products.
Finally, fifthly. Today, even small enterprises purchase high-performance sawing equipment, which places special demands on the formation of cutting maps. Of course, appropriate software has been developed and offered for it, but its cost can amaze the head of even a very prosperous enterprise.
Especially if you compare it with the cost of domestic cutting programs, many of which provide no worse quality cards. At the same time, no one is going to write off conventional format-cutting machines. This means that the cutting program must be able to optimally distribute tasks. So, no matter what they say (and when preparing the material, I repeatedly heard opinions about the irrelevance and low significance of the topic), optimization of cutting maps is the most important part of technological preparation in furniture production, and its effective solution requires automation. This means that automated nesting programs are becoming a practical tool for increasing work efficiency.
Currently, these programs are considered by most furniture makers as an integral part of a comprehensive CAD system. It is this approach that can ensure its most effective use for three main reasons: automatic and 1. Probably, developers of stand-alone programs also understand this. When preparing this review, invitations were sent to many addresses, but only developers of complex CAD systems represented on the domestic software market responded (in fairness, we note that not all). This once again shows that the future lies in integrated design and manufacturing technologies.
Now directly about this review. In its preparation, the editors pursued two goals: to show furniture makers the current state of affairs in the field of automation of cutting materials for the furniture industry in order to provide them with information for an informed choice of program; to trace the dynamics of development of the corresponding software from the leading players in the furniture CAD market in Russia.
For a more detailed analysis, those interested can refer to the mentioned issue of the Furniture Factory magazine and form their own opinion about what was done by each of the developers. This, you see, will allow us to draw certain conclusions for the future. All survey participants were asked to briefly answer a number of questions, as well as indicate additional information relevant to furniture makers that was not included in the survey questions. In order to provide the most fair comparison of cutting program capabilities, all participants were asked to cut the same list of parts. In order to avoid suspicion of bias, it was decided to use an original algorithm for generating cutting tasks, “invented” on the website of professional furniture makers http: //www. Promebelclub. ru/.
Those interested can view the idea at the link http: //promebelclub. A parts list has been generated. Dimensions of parts. Number of parts. In addition, some initial conditions were specified: sheet size DSt. P 2. 80. 0x. 20. 70 mm; Do not rotate parts when cutting; sheet filing size along the edge is 5 mm; cutting width 3.5 mm. Unfortunately, the scope of the article does not allow us to present all the resulting cutting maps as illustrations.
They are posted on the magazine's website and are available at the link www. FM No. 3, 2. 01. 1) The article shows only one cutting map, the last one. It's no secret that all programs are starting to work well. This is due to the mathematics of cutting optimization, so the first cards are tightly packed and have good manufacturability. Yet the nuances and inconvenient details are concentrated precisely on the last card. Read, watch and analyze! Options for generating initial data for cutting.
Astra- Reveal. The Astra-Nesting program for creating an order provides manual entry, adding from the product library, obtaining a list of parts from the Astra-Furniture Designer program, importing from Excel, CSV, TXT, from systems 1. C, CADWORK, Komandor Designer, K3, downloading from the web - servers.
BASIS - Open. If BAZIS-Nesting is used autonomously, then the dimensions of the parts are entered manually. To maximize manual input speed, only the keyboard is used; the mouse is not used. If BAZIS-Cutting is used as part of the BAZIS-Furniture Maker complex, then the dimensions of the panels and their number are read from the model, taking into account the thickness of the cladding, allowances for jointing and further technological operations, i.e.
It is possible to enter part parameters from Excel files. K3-Cutting: The K3-Cutting module can be used both as part of the K3-Furniture complex, and separately. In the first case, data from K3-Furniture is transferred automatically to cutting. When using K3-Nesting as an independent module, parts, materials and business balances are added manually.
At the same time, it is possible to read parts from the archive of standard products. This allows you to partially avoid manual data entry.
The hero of today's review, the Astra Cutting program, perhaps stands out from the usual range of office and service programs. The area of its application is quite specialized. The manufacturers themselves say that the program was developed “especially for small and medium-sized furniture enterprises that produce custom-made furniture.”
However, I would say that in addition to chipboard, fiberboard and plywood, it can be used for cutting any sheet materials: glass and metal, plasterboard and paper - which means that the potential users are not only furniture makers, but also, for example, builders-finishers or printing houses. Personally, I became interested in “Astra Cutting” when I needed to calculate the optimal cutting of labels for lithography on sheets of tin.
You may ask why such a program is needed at all, because cutting a couple of sheets of gypsum fiber board into parts for decorative building structures is easy and manually, and the program does not cost that little money. And you will be right - such a tool is redundant for performing one-time cutting calculations. However, it can be very useful for a professional.
The program does not work with just one sheet to be cut - the working file is an order, which can consist of a number of products, each of which, in turn, consists of a set of parts. Moreover, it is possible to maintain a library of parts and products - this is very convenient if customers often order standard products or original products partially consisting of standard parts.
The directory also includes parameters and processing methods for different materials, types of edges and prices for various types of material processing.
In addition, end-to-end management of a materials warehouse is possible, in which measured leftovers after cutting a previous order are returned to the warehouse and can be used when cutting the next order.
The program generates cutting maps automatically, taking into account such technological and organizational production parameters as cut width, cutting edges of the sheet, taking into account through cuts, type of cutting, minimum distance between saws, etc., but if you wish, you can always make your own adjustments in a special way cutting map editor mode.
A separate algorithm can be used to calculate the processing of material edges, be it gluing chipboard edges for furniture production, grinding or cutting a glass edge, or cutting an edge for metal welding.
After calculating the cutting of the order, a complete set of technological documentation is generated for each cutting card - a sketch and specification, including the necessary information for the manufacture of parts and accounting for the work performed. In addition, you can additionally generate a statement of material availability, a specification for gluing the edges of parts, as well as an invoice for the work performed and materials ordered, and even labels for marking parts.
Let's take a closer look at order formation from start to finish.
Parts in an order may relate to a specific product or may not be included in the product. You can, firstly, enter the parameters of each part manually, secondly, select from a library of finished products and parts, and thirdly, import from an Excel spreadsheet or text file. 
The properties of each part are described by the following fields.
Number. In fact, you can enter not only numbers, but also letters into this field, which allows you to use the alphanumeric part number (as well as its full name in additional properties) as part of the product, corresponding to its real representation in the design documentation.
Length and width. These are the dimensions of the part in millimeters.
Quantity. The number of identical parts of a given type in a product. If the order includes several identical products, then it would be correct to indicate the number of parts per product, and then indicate exactly the number of products in the appropriate field.
Rotate. This field allows you to rotate this part 90 degrees in any direction when cutting. Such a part is marked with a diagonal grid. The parameter makes sense when cutting wood and paper, when the location of the fibers of the material along the short or long side is important and arbitrary rotation of the part during cutting should be prohibited.
Thickness. The parameter is applicable when sheets of material of the same type can be of different thicknesses, so as not to create multiple entries in the materials directory. Then, when cutting, sheets with the appropriate thickness are used.
Material. Material type - selected from the list.
In addition to these basic properties, you can set the processing of each edge for each part. 
In addition to the parts, the order must contain information about the sheets of material available. These data can also be directly entered into the table - length, width, thickness, sheet material and quantity. If a quantity is not specified, the supply of that material is assumed to be unlimited. But a more correct way is to select sheets from the warehouse. It stores information about both purchased whole sheets and trimmings from past orders. 
Once the part and material information is entered, automatic nesting can be started. In the case of a large order with several dozen parts, this process can take up to half an hour. The results are displayed on the "Nutting Maps" tab. If the options offered by the program do not suit you for some reason, any map can be called up for editing by double-clicking on it in the list.
In the editing mode, a close-up of the cutting map opens on the left side of the screen, and on the right side there is a cutting map buffer (a list of uncut parts) and a list of cutting maps awaiting editing. 
Parts are selected by clicking the left mouse button, and by holding down the Shift key, you can select several parts at once. You can also highlight details with a cutting frame.
You can perform a number of actions on selected parts.
1. Parts can be moved arbitrarily along the free part of the cutting map. Depending on the settings, the program automatically tracks the position of the part and does not allow you to place it so that it intersects with parts already placed on the map. The program can also automatically move the part you placed all the way towards the base point on the cutting map, observing the specified gaps and the width of the cutting lines.
2. Parts can be moved to the cutting map buffer and back. The buffer is also used to move a part between different cutting maps.
3. If the “Rotation” checkbox was selected for the selected part when setting its parameters, then you can rotate it horizontally or vertically.
4. A group of parts can be aligned to the width of the cut vertically or horizontally, removing unnecessary gaps (if automatic alignment is disabled in the settings).
5. A group of parts can be aligned to a common base - along the top, bottom, left or right edge. In this case, the edges of the first part in the group are used as a base - it is highlighted in red.
6. The parts can be moved all the way in any direction.
7. You can estimate the amount of material that will be used as useful scraps for use in other orders.
Work with the order is completed by printing out the finally approved cutting cards, as well as specifications for them and for edge processing. You can also calculate the cost of work and materials for an order and print accounting documents. 
In conclusion of the review, I will express the opinion that the program can undoubtedly be useful to people who use cutting of materials in their commercial activities, the income from which will easily recoup its considerable cost. However, the developers should once again work out some of the program's flaws, add a help system that was abandoned halfway, and tidy up the interface a little. I’ll make a reservation that the review included a demo version of “Astra Cutting” - it is possible that the full version is devoid of some or all of the shortcomings that I discovered.
When creating an order for cutting, you can enter parts manually or import data from another program.An essential feature of specifying the initial data is the use of the alphanumeric part number and the name of the part in the product, which corresponds to its actual representation in the design documentation.
Library of standard products
The program allows you to describe a library of standard products and use them in the future when creating orders for cutting. You can reduce the time required to enter initial data for cutting by tens of times - a few commands and the order is ready for cutting.Pasting the edges of parts
For parts, you can specify the edges to be glued. At the same time, an arbitrary number of grades of material for gluing edges is supported. The entered information is used to calculate the quantity and cost of the material per order.When cutting glass or metal, this function is no less useful! In the same way, you can consider grinding the edges of parts for glass or cutting edges for welding for metal.
Optimal cutting
Automatic cutting of material is carried out taking into account technological and organizational parameters of production. The parameters allow you to set: cut width, cutting the edge of the sheet, taking into account through cuts, type of cutting, minimum distance between saws, etc.A unique set of customizable parameters is a distinctive feature of the Astra Cutting program.
When manually editing maps, a number of functions are provided for quick and accurate cutting adjustments: placing a group of parts to the width of the cut, aligning to a common base, shifting until it stops, etc. At the same time, canceling completed operations is supported, allowing you to restore the previous state of the cutting map, and scaling document windows.