Question. I had a job using really expensive laminate and set the material cost (in the board list) really high but the result was very similar to when I used my standard costs. Why did the optimiser ignore the extra cost of material?
Answer. It did not. If the parts do not fit then they do not fit and the change in cost may have no effect. Over many runs it is usually the case that increasing material cost increases the cutting complexity (staggers, head cuts, and recuts) and this reduces waste and increases cutting time. However, if the parts fit awkwardly there is often not much scope for an improvement and perhaps not enough to save a board of material.
