A solution procedure for solving the nonrectangular cutting stock problem of the clothing industry using expert knowledge within an intelligent CAD environment

Abstract

A certain type of the cutting stock problem arises in the clothing industry. It is of the general non-rectangular two-dimensional type, but involves special considerations and restrictions. The solution procedure usually followed in the clothing industry is based on the experience of technicians, who use their skills to determine satisfactory cutting patters on the cutting table. In this paper a solution procedure for solving this problem-type is presented, which on a CAD environment combines O.R techniques and heuristics with expert knowledge for cutting-pattern generation. It produces a final cutting solution, which fully satisfies the orders for various garment-types. In the final stage of the solution-procedure the non-rectangular cutting stock problem is transformed into a rectangular one, that can be solved by means of heuristic methods. Numerical examples taken from the clothing industry demonstrate the efficiency of this procedure.