Program to calculate beam order quantities? 1

[TerryR1]

Can someone point me to a program/excel that helps calculate order quantities for steel beams and other shapes?

Ie if this is my BOM:
qty4 15ft
qty6 9ft
qty4 3ft
...
The software sheet could take that and tell me how many 40ft sticks I need to order.

Didn't have any luck trying to find this on google... prolly cuz I don't know the correct search term.

Thanks!

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Write a spreadsheet... very quick - very easy

 

[MikeHalloran]

A spreadsheet will indeed work for you.

But don't assume local availability of 40 ft sticks, or 30 ft sticks, or 60 ft sticks.

Instead, make your RFQ list exactly the lengths and quantities you need, which gives your metals distributors the flexibility to propose meeting your needs with what they have available.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[TerryR1]

So yall haven't come across a program that does this? Surely there has to be something out there...
I'm working with pretty big BOMs with 100s of finished pieces at different lengths; it is taking me a couple hours to manually get the order quantity right.

MikeTheEngineer, if I just simply add up the lengths and divide by 40, my order quantity is too small. The excel needs some smartness to it that would take a while for me to program.

MikeHalloran, good point, thanks. Make them do the work. I still would love to have a tool to use myself.

 

[cowski]

This looks like a variation on the "cutting stock problem"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutting_stock_problem

Perhaps adding that into your search terms will provide more relevant results.

www.nxjournaling.com

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Didn't say you had to put some "brains" into it. That is why you have a college degree

 

[TerryR1]

Thanks cowski!!!