Question. For one set of results I increased the number of parts required and re-ran the optimisation. To my surprise the overall cost went down?
Answer. Usually if you need to produce more parts you need more material and the cost will go up. However, this is not always the case. If offcuts have no value and the extra parts can be cut from offcuts there will be no increase in material cost. In some cases the extra parts allow more strips to be cut as checkerboard or eliminate the need for a head cut and this may reduce the cutting time and hence the cost of cutting.
