Manufacturing and processing: Inventory software for plastic fabricators
Inventory software for plastic fabricators that tracks full sheets and offcuts by material, thickness and colour, so usable remnants get used before a fresh sheet is cut.
Where stock drifts for plastic fabricators.
A plastic fabricator's workshop has racks full of sheet: acrylic in various colours and thicknesses, polycarbonate, polyethylene, engineering plastics. Every job leaves an offcut too big to throw away. Those offcuts get leaned against the wall and after a few weeks are impossible to tell apart: was this cast or extruded acrylic, and what thickness exactly? For a small new job the operator cuts into a full sheet for convenience, while a suitable offcut is standing nearby. Meanwhile purchasing reorders a sheet type because stock looks low, while the last sheets are already allocated to a scheduled job or are tucked away in a corner.
Inventory software for plastic fabricators
Example- 1
Label sheets and offcuts
DoneEach sheet gets a label on arrival with material, type, thickness, colour and size.
- 2
Suggest offcuts when reserving
In progressWhen a job is scheduled, the system first looks for offcuts of the right material and thickness that are large enough.
- 3
Report usage and new offcuts
NextAfter machining, the operator reports whether the sheet was fully used or an offcut remains, with its size.
From receipt to use.
Label sheets and offcuts
Each sheet gets a label on arrival with material, type, thickness, colour and size. After cutting or routing, a usable offcut gets a new label with its remaining size. An offcut stays recognisable years later, even once the protective film with the supplier print has been peeled off.
Suggest offcuts when reserving
When a job is scheduled, the system first looks for offcuts of the right material and thickness that are large enough. Only if none fits is a full sheet reserved. The operator sees on the job card which sheet or offcut to take and where it is stored.
Report usage and new offcuts
After machining, the operator reports whether the sheet was fully used or an offcut remains, with its size. Pieces below an agreed threshold are written off as waste. During a rack count, differences are corrected with a reason, so the records match what is actually there.
Alongside your purchasing and suppliers.
At plastic fabricators sheet stock is often tracked in a spreadsheet or the order system, and offcuts not at all. Purchasing orders from one or two regular sheet suppliers. The inventory software connects to purchase orders and job data, and returns reservations and usage where they are needed for cost price. Purchasing manages suppliers and orders, the workshop manager manages racks and locations, the operator reports usage and offcuts.
Minimum offcut size per material
An offcut of an expensive engineering plastic is worth keeping even when small, while a narrow strip of thin acrylic is rarely reused. Agreeing a minimum offcut size per material stops the rack filling with pieces nobody picks. The threshold can be adjusted later if certain offcuts turn out to get used after all.
Offset offcuts in cost price or not
When an offcut is used for a later job, the first job can carry the full sheet or only the part it used. Full sheet is simple and safe; the used part gives sharper prices but needs reliable offcut records. The software supports both, as long as the choice is fixed upfront.
Stock coloured sheet or order per job
Common thicknesses in clear and white are stocked by most fabricators. Coloured or less common sheet is often ordered per job. Stocking it means faster delivery but risks sheets sitting for a long time. The overview shows how long sheets typically stay in the rack, so you can decide per type.
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Read the storyWhich stock we record.
We set up the sheet types you use most, with labels for sheets and offcuts, reservations per order and reporting of usage. Together we walk through a week of ordinary orders, plus an order where the suggested offcut turns out too small when measured again. The other materials, periodic counts and a signal to purchasing when free stock runs low you add once the first sheet types are right.
View pricingSupport and updatesGood to know.
Explore pricing and optionsHow much time does labelling offcuts take?
Very little, if it happens at the right moment: straight after cutting, when the operator already knows the size. A label printer at the machine and a screen to enter the size make it a matter of seconds. Labelling afterwards takes far longer and introduces errors.
Can the system tell offcuts of different colours apart?
Yes, colour is one of the label properties. Differences such as cast versus extruded acrylic or a UV-protected sheet are recorded too. That prevents a part being made from a sheet that looks the same but behaves differently.
What about material the customer supplies?
It gets its own marking and stays linked to that customer. It does not count as free stock and can only be reserved for their jobs. After the job you can see what is left, so you return it or store it by agreement.
Does this work with our nesting program?
If the nesting program can import offcuts as available sheets, we can supply the offcut list for that. Nesting then takes account of what is really in the rack. If not, the programmer picks an offcut from the list and enters the size.
What often connects to this.
- Digital job cards for plastic fabricatorsDigital job cards for plastic fabricators that bring the released machining file, the material specification and the measurements for each job together, so an operator never cuts from an outdated program.
- Website for plastic fabricatorsA website for plastic fabricators that explains sheet materials and processes such as routing, laser cutting, line bending and bonding through applications, so a customer knows what is feasible.
- Enquiry form for plastic fabricatorsAn enquiry form for plastic fabricators that asks for drawing, tolerances, material choice and application, so engineering can judge whether a part can actually be made.
Know what is really there.
Start with a short intake. Then we schedule a call to show the software with your services, team and way of working.
WhatsAppinfo@vorlyo.com Inventory software for plastic fabricators: sheets and offcuts by material, thickness and colour, with reservations per job and remnants you can find.
- Label sheets and offcuts
- Suggest offcuts when reserving
- Report usage and new offcuts