Cut to Length — CutFlow Academy

Overview

Cut to Length (CTL) combines slitting and cutting: you slit the coil into strips of specific widths and cut each strip to a specific length. Different lengths require different machine settings, so CTL groups strips by their target length and optimizes each group independently.

The optimizer considers how many strips fit across the coil width and how many lengths to cut per group to satisfy demand. On a cut-to-length line, N blades make N cuts, which divide the coil into N + 1 segments across its width. The last segment is your leftover trim unless the strips happen to fill the coil exactly (or the leftover width is itself a size you need) — so a machine with 7 blades yields up to 8 strips per pass, but typically 7 strips plus a trim segment.

Setting Up a Job

1

Navigate to Cut to Length

Click Cut to Length in the left sidebar under Optimize.

2

Enter Coil Width and Edge Trim

Enter the width of the coil being processed. Set edge trim if material is removed from both edges (enter the combined total).

3

Set Max Blades

Enter the number of blades your machine has. N blades make N cuts across the coil, creating N + 1 segments — so 7 blades produce up to 8 strips per pass. When the strips don't fill the coil exactly, the last segment is leftover trim, so you get 7 strips plus the trim. Default is 7.

4

Add Strips

Click + Add Strip for each strip type. Enter the item number (optional), width, length, and quantity needed.

5

Click Optimize

Press Optimize. CTL groups strips by length, optimizes each group's slitting pattern, and shows results.

Field Reference

Field	Description
Coil Width	Full width of the incoming coil.
Edge Trim	Combined trim from both edges — subtracted once per coil.
Max Blades	Number of blades on your machine. N blades cut the coil into N + 1 segments, so up to Max Blades + 1 strips per pass — but the last segment is trim unless the strips fill the coil exactly.
Item #	Optional identifier per strip type, shown in results and PDF.
Width	Slit width for this strip type.
Length	Cut length for this strip type. Strips with the same length are optimized together in one machine setting.
Qty needed	How many pieces of this strip are required.

Length grouping: Strips with exactly the same length value are automatically combined into one length group. If two strips have slightly different lengths, they are treated as separate groups requiring separate machine setups.

Link Lengths Feature

Link Lengths — sync all strips to one length

When you have multiple strips that should all have the same length, the Link Lengths toggle lets you type a length once and have it apply to every strip simultaneously.

The toggle appears to the right of the "Strips" label, represented by a chain-link icon. When enabled (highlighted in blue), editing any length field updates all other strips to match instantly.

1

Enable Link Lengths

Click the chain icon labeled Link lengths at the top right of the strips table. It turns blue when active.

2

Existing rows snap to match

When you enable the toggle with rows already in the table, all rows immediately update their length to match the first row's value.

3

Type a length in any field

With Link Lengths on, typing a new length in any row's length field instantly updates all other rows to the same value.

4

Disable to set different lengths

Click the chain icon again to disable Link Lengths and return to individual length editing.

Note: Link Lengths is a convenience tool for setup. Once the optimizer runs, strips are grouped by their actual length values. If all strips share the same length, they all go into one length group.

Reading Results

The results panel shows a KPI bar at the top and then one card per length group:

KPI	What it means
Total Passes	Total number of coil runs across all length groups.
Length Settings	Number of distinct length groups (= number of machine length setups required).
Overall Efficiency	Material efficiency across all groups combined.

Per-Length-Group Cards

Each group card shows: the shared length value, the cut patterns for that group (same format as Coil Slitting), trim per run, number of runs, and a visual bar. If there are multiple groups, each has its own card — representing a separate machine setting change.

Cost Calculation

Enable Include cost calculation to add cost estimation. Enter material, density, thickness, and price. The cost summary breaks down total material, good-parts cost, scrap cost, and percent-in-scrap — same as the other optimizer tools.

Tips & Best Practices

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Use Link Lengths for uniform jobs

When all strips are the same length (e.g., all 120 inches), enable Link Lengths before adding strips to set the length once and forget it.

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Minimize length groups to reduce setups

Each unique length requires a separate machine setup. Where possible, round lengths to the same value to combine strips into one group and cut setup time.

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Max Blades affects efficiency

A higher Max Blades value means more strips per pass, reducing the number of coil runs. Set this to your machine's actual blade capacity.

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Save templates for repeat orders

Regular CTL orders can be saved as templates and reloaded in seconds — all widths, lengths, and quantities pre-filled.