AutoPanelSizer arranges identical parts side by side for efficient robot destacking. Pallets of finished parts can now be swapped during the cutting of a board.
IN WOODWORKING, every millimeter counts. Efficiently cutting panel materials saves resources, time, and money. With AutoPanelSizer 6, the Fraunhofer Institute for Algorithms and Scientific Computing (SCAI) takes its optimisation software for cutting rectangular parts to a new level.
Two features stand out: First, the software now supports any number of cutting stages. This makes it especially attractive for small woodworking and carpentry shops. Second, AutoPanelSizer offers more precise control over preferred panel formats and overproduction. Industrial sawing systems benefit from improvements in robotic destacking and the ejection of waste pieces. AutoPanelSizer continues to operate as a pure optimisation engine with no graphical user interface of its own. Software providers for sawing systems integrate the Fraunhofer software into their own or into third-party CAD/CAM or ERP solutions.
Unlimited Nesting Depth: Big Impact for Small Businesses
In small businesses, workpieces are typically loaded manually into panel saws. Small batch sizes, spontaneous customer requests, and small offcuts are part of everyday operations. This is where the new adjustable nesting depth shines: AutoPanelSizer generates cutting plans in which the workpiece is cut, rotated, and reloaded into the saw as often as needed. This reduces waste: more parts to be produced fit onto the panel, and reusable offcuts for the next job become larger. This is especially valuable for expensive decorative laminates, HPL-coated panels, or high-quality veneers.
Greater Efficiency with Large Parts
The larger the parts, the more challenging the cut: a poor arrangement of large parts can quickly lead to additional waste. AutoPanelSizer 6 improves the placement of large parts and handles mixed order lists more effectively. This reduces waste and increases yield. At the same time, planning becomes more robust when many part sizes and offcut formats are involved.
Panels are often trimmed at the edges to guarantee precise cutting dimensions and right angles. However, if parts are further cut in subsequent processing steps, they do not require trimming. AutoPanelSizer now allows this to be set individually for each part. This reduces waste compared to uniform trimming.
Businesses that dispose of waste through a hatch can set a maximum size for waste pieces. The software then automatically generates cuts so that the waste fits through the hatch—with as few extra cuts as possible. Users can also define where waste and offcut pieces should be positioned. Offcuts can be placed at the front or back of the panel, matching the machine and workflow.
Built for Robots, Useful in the Workshop
In fully automated plants, robots pick up the finished cut parts and place them on pallets. AutoPanelSizer 6 now supports swapping out full pallets while a panel is being cut. This allows for a greater variety of parts per panel, reducing material consumption. Additionally, the software groups identical parts next to each other. The robot can pick them up in one go. This reduces the number of passes and increases throughput.
These industrial advantages also benefit craftspeople: the same algorithms that shorten robot paths also group parts efficiently on the workshop floor. Labeling, sorting, and further processing steps require fewer detours as a result.
AutoPanelSizer 6 lets users adjust the nesting depth freely, reducing waste and costs in complex layouts.
More Control Over Material and Overproduction
With the new version, businesses have greater control over planning. They can prioritize certain panel formats, making better use of existing inventory. Overproduction can also be controlled more precisely: the evaluation of optional parts produced beyond actual demand can now be adjusted individually in AutoPanelSizer 6. This allows the cutting process to align more closely with real demand.
A Pure Optimisation Engine—Integration Required
Important for those expecting a “Start” button: AutoPanelSizer is a pure optimisation engine and does not have its own graphical user interface or machine interfaces. The software is aimed at providers who want to integrate cutting optimisation into their own systems. These include manufacturers of CAD/CAM or ERP solutions as well as machinery builders with their own user interfaces. This model has become well-established: from specialised machine manufacturers to international furniture producers, companies worldwide use optimisation engines from Fraunhofer SCAI directly within their workflows. Whether through small, specialised software or complex ERP systems, access is always provided through an integration partner. The advantage: every interface is tailored precisely to the specific machine, business, and workflow. The optimisation engine delivers the best plans in the background.
The Complexity Behind Cutting Optimisation
At the heart of the engine lies sophisticated mathematics. Behind the seemingly simple goal of “minimising waste” is a classic production optimisation problem. Experts refer to this as the cutting-stock problem. In two-dimensional panel cutting, additional constraints come into play. These include saw blade width, safety distances, trimming edges, clamp zones, rotation direction due to grain or decor, and minimum offcut dimensions. Depending on the system, there are requirements for the sequence of guillotine cuts. The problem is combinatorially complex. The number of possible cutting plans increases rapidly with the number of parts. Modern methods, therefore, combine mathematical optimisation, heuristic search strategies, and domain knowledge. Fraunhofer SCAI has developed deep expertise in this area over several decades.
Fraunhofer SCAI: Applied Research Driving Industrial Solutions
Fraunhofer is believed to be Europe’s leading organisation for applied research. Fraunhofer SCAI, based in Sankt Augustin, develops methods and software at the intersection of high-performance computing, mathematical optimization, and industrial applications. The goal is always to solve computationally intensive tasks robustly, quickly, and cost-effectively in production environments. AutoPanelSizer exemplifies this philosophy. Scientifically sound algorithms run in a lean, integrable optimisation engine.
Designed for Every Scale: From Small Workshops to Large Industry
By supporting any number of cutting stages, AutoPanelSizer 6 is now also explicitly aimed at small businesses. At the same time, the software remains what it has always been: a powerful optimisation engine without its own GUI, which demonstrates its strengths when combined with the interfaces and workflows of other providers. Both small workshops and industry benefit: the former through maximum material utilisation, the latter through higher throughput. In both cases, better cutting plans are no accident, but the result of smart algorithms.
See page 30-31 of our August/September 2026 issue on our Back Issues page.
