Q: What is the difference between OFL and FLX versions?

The FLX license can be transferred to another computer, if necessary. The FLX license is not a multi-user license or a float -type license. All TonCut licenses are standalone licenses assigned to a workstation, not a person! Transferring FLX license to another computer is only possible after a few days have passed since its last use. In justified cases, the transfer of license may take place faster, but this requires our intervention. Note: FLX license requires continuous Internet access on the computer on which it is used! The OFL license cannot be transferred to other computers. The license is permanently assigned to a single computer and this cannot be changed.

Q: How to activate TonCut?

There are three ways to activate TonCut: 30 days DEMO version - select this option if you want to try it, before you buy it. Activation by activation code - select this option if you've already bought your license and have an activation code. Activation by license key - in other cases select this option. If you run the program for the first time an Activation Wizard window will appear. Select one of the options and follow the on-screen instructions. If activation wizard does not appear, please click Help » License keys in the menu and select one of the options in the top right corner. Then simply follow the on-screen instructions. Computer on which you want to activate TonCut doesn't have access to the Internet? If the computer on which you want to install TonCut does not have access to the Internet , you will need other computer with the Internet connection. In this case, the program generates a hardware key . If you activate a DEMO version, in order to obtain an activation key you need to go to https://www.toncut.com/demo-activate and enter the hardware key of PC on which you want to activate TonCut. If you already have an activation key, just type it in along with your hardware key on https://www.toncut.com/activate . Activation with our website ends with generation of a license key. Just add this key to your TonCut selecting one of three options mentioned above.

Q: I have activated DEMO version, but the program still doesn't optimize, what to do?

Check license validity. You can do so in the License keys window accessible from the Help menu. Check that your computer has the correct date and time set. If the program still does not optimize, please contact customer service.

Question 1

How to upgrade Super Glazier to TonCut?

Accepted Answer

To upgrade Super Glazier to TonCut, you need to update your license. To do so follow these steps:

Press the Buy now button above.
Log in. You have to be logged in to upgrade your license.
On the list of Your licenses find the one you wish to update and press Update to its right.
Select the version and license type to which you want to upgrade.
Check validity of your personal data, select payment method and press the Order or Order and Pay button.
After finalization of the transaction you will receive the activation code and activation manual.

Question 2

How to uninstall TonCut?

Accepted Answer

To uninstall TonCut, follow the instructions below:

Depending on your operating system:
- Windows XP - Open Control Panel and select Add or Remove Programs.
- Windows Vista - Open Control Panel and select Uninstall program.
- Windows 7 - Open Control Panel and select Uninstall program..
- Windows 8 - Right click on button with Windows icon in the bottom left corner and select Applications and Features.
- Windows 8.1 - Right click on button with Windows icon in the bottom left corner and select Applications and Features.
- Windows 10 - Right click on button with Windows icon in the bottom left corner and select Applications and Features.
Find TonCut on the list of programs and select it.
Click Uninstall or Remove.

Question 3

Where to get a computer hardware key to activate TonCut?

Accepted Answer

In order to obtain a hardware key, follow the below instructions:

Run TonCut.
If Activation Wizard appears, select Activate license or Activate DEMO license option.
If the Activation Wizard does not appear, select Help » License keys from the menu and then press the Activate license or Activate DEMO license.
In the activation window select Activate license using a web browser or respectively Activate DEMO license using a web browser.
Your computer hardware key will appear at the bottom of the window. You can save it now or copy to the clipboard.

Question 4

What is the difference between OFL and FLX versions?

Accepted Answer

The FLX license can be transferred to another computer, if necessary.

The FLX license is not a multi-user license or a float-type license. All TonCut licenses are standalone licenses assigned to a workstation, not a person!

Transferring FLX license to another computer is only possible after a few days have passed since its last use. In justified cases, the transfer of license may take place faster, but this requires our intervention.

Note: FLX license requires continuous Internet access on the computer on which it is used!

The OFL license cannot be transferred to other computers. The license is permanently assigned to a single computer and this cannot be changed.

Question 5

How long can I use the DEMO version?

Accepted Answer

DEMO version is active for 30 days from the activation date.

DEMO version can be activated only once on one computer. Activate it only if you are sure that within the next 30 days you will find time to try out the program.

Question 6

What are the limitations of the DEMO version?

Accepted Answer

The DEMO version has no limitations. The DEMO license corresponds to Professional OFL.

Question 7

How to install TonCut?

Accepted Answer

To install TonCut simply follow the steps below:

Download the installation file by clicking the Try for free button above.
Run the installation file.
Follow the installation program instructions.

Question 8

How to activate TonCut?

Accepted Answer

There are three ways to activate TonCut:

30 days DEMO version - select this option if you want to try it, before you buy it.
Activation by activation code - select this option if you've already bought your license and have an activation code.
Activation by license key - in other cases select this option.

If you run the program for the first time an Activation Wizard window will appear. Select one of the options and follow the on-screen instructions.

If activation wizard does not appear, please click Help » License keys in the menu and select one of the options in the top right corner. Then simply follow the on-screen instructions.

Computer on which you want to activate TonCut doesn't have access to the Internet?

If the computer on which you want to install TonCut does not have access to the Internet, you will need other computer with the Internet connection. In this case, the program generates a hardware key.

If you activate a DEMO version, in order to obtain an activation key you need to go to https://www.toncut.com/demo-activate and enter the hardware key of PC on which you want to activate TonCut.

If you already have an activation key, just type it in along with your hardware key on https://www.toncut.com/activate.

Activation with our website ends with generation of a license key. Just add this key to your TonCut selecting one of three options mentioned above.

Question 9

I have activated DEMO version, but the program still doesn't optimize, what to do?

Accepted Answer

Check license validity. You can do so in the License keys window accessible from the Help menu.
Check that your computer has the correct date and time set.
If the program still does not optimize, please contact customer service.

Question 10

Program optimizes poorly! What should I do?

Accepted Answer

If the program optimizes poorly, please save the SSI file with the data and send it to support@codeton.com.

Question 11

Does TonCut have a warehouse feature?

Accepted Answer

Yes, TonCut from version 8.0 supports the warehouse feature. The program stores orders, warehouse stocks and cuttings made. Additionally, TonCut automatically updates warehouse stocks when the optimization results are accepted.

Question 12

Can TonCut print labels for the pieces?

Accepted Answer

Yes. When the optimization results are accepted, please select Results » Print labels from the menu.

Question 13

Can TonCut print labels for the usable waste?

Accepted Answer

Yes. When the optimization results are accepted, please select Results » Print labels from the menu.

Question 14

What is the difference between Professional and Basic versions?

Accepted Answer

In addition to all features of the Basic version, the Professional version of TonCut has the following features:

Use the full power of the PC - to accelerate searching, the program will harness the full power of the computer by utilizing all processor cores.
Printing labels for pieces.
Printing labels for reusable waste.
Import of CSV, XLS, XLSX and ODS files.
Export of input data and cuttings to CSV files.
Export of cuttings to DXF, PLT and HPGL files.
Import from KD Max (additional plugin).

Question 15

How to speed up the optimization?

Accepted Answer

First, we must emphasize that the two goals - speed and quality - are mutually exclusive. If you want TonCut to optimize faster at the expense of quality, follow the guidelines below.

All the guidelines below apply to the Optimization profiles tab in the Search options window.

A Restore defaults button is in the bottom-left corner of the window. It opens the configuration wizard, which in the second step allows you decide to prioritize either speed or quality of optimization. In most cases, answering the prompts will suffice. If not, here are more tips:

Reduce the number of optimization profiles - you can switch off or remove some optimization profiles, e.g.:
- If all of your materials have the same size, their order is irrelevant - you can leave only "From small" or "From big" profiles.
- If "Equal from big" and "Equal from small" profiles are on the list, you can disable the "From big" and "From small" profiles - the "Equal and more equal" method usually produces better results.
- Disable any slow profiles on the list.
Disable or simplify global optimization - this can significantly increase the optimization speed. However, the results can be significantly worse - you should especially expect a lot of waste on the last sheets.
Disable or simplify adaptive sheet order change - you can increase the threshold for this method to 30% and beyond. The number of tries and change cycles can be decreased. If so, the program will optimize like TonCut 5.
Set time and volume limits - while setting time limits take the capacity of your hardware into account.
Reduce search accuracy - the number of tries can be reduced to 1 in later runs. The number of tries on the first run can also be decreased.
Upgrade your license to Professional - if your PC has multiple processors or a multicore processor you should consider upgrading to the Professional version, which supports multi-threaded optimization, to fully use its computation capacity.
Disable AI - the AI runs multiple optimization tries, which can cause the entire process to take significantly longer. Disabling it will certainly speed up the optimization.

Question 16

How to upgrade TonCut to version 8?

Accepted Answer

To upgrade TonCut to 8.x version, you will first of all need to upgrade your license. To do so, follow the steps below:

Press the Buy now button above.
Log in. You have to be logged in to upgrade your license.
On Your licenses list find the one you wish to upgrade and press Update to its right.
Select the version and license type to which you want to upgrade.
Check the validity of your personal data, select the payment method and press the Order or Order and pay button.
After finalizing of the transaction you will receive your activation code and the activation manual.
Do not forget to download and install the latest program version.

Question 17

How to update TonCut?

Accepted Answer

To update TonCut follow these steps:

Click Download in the upper menu.
Find your program version. If you cannot find it, log in - an option for downloading update installers of older program versions will appear.
Download the right installation program for your license.
Start the installation wizard.
Follow the instructions in the installation wizard.

Do not uninstall the previous program version before updating!

Question 18

How can I increase optimization quality?

Accepted Answer

Speed and quality are mutually exclusive, so if you want the program to optimize better at the expense of speed, follow the guidelines below.

All the guidelines apply to the Optimization profiles tab in the Search options window.

A Restore defaults button is in the bottom-left corner of the window. It opens the configuration wizard, which in the second step allows you decide to prioritize either speed or quality of optimization. In most cases, answering the prompts will suffice. If not, here are more tips:

Increase the number of optimization profiles - you can enable or add optimization profiles, e.g. slow profiles, if they are on the list.
Enable or increase global optimization complexity - this can significantly improve the quality of the results. However, the optimization speed may be reduced drastically.
Enable or enhance adaptive sheet order change - you can reduce the threshold for this method to 5%. You can increase the number of tries and change cycles.
Disable time and volume limits - when disabling time limits take the capacity of your hardware into account, as optimization can take very long on legacy computers.
Increase search accuracy – you can increase the number of tries in the first and later cycles.
Upgrade your license to Professional - if your PC has multiple processors or a multicore processor you should consider upgrading to the Professional version, which supports multi-threaded optimization, to fully use its computation capacity.
Enable AI - the AI usually finds better results than traditional optimization algorithms, so enabling it is worthwhile for improving the quality of the results.

Question 19

Program can't find any proper result! What should I do?

Accepted Answer

Check that the materials are big enough to contain the smallest pieces.
If using a structure, make sure that the pieces match the material in this regard. If the material does not have any structure and the pieces need it, the program will not find any result.
Remember that the kerf also takes some space on the material. If your pieces have dimensions close to the size of the material, enable the Allow cuts on edges option.
If your pieces have dimensions close to the size of the material, remember that the minimum cut width is set. This means that the material must have at least the same size as the piece plus the kerf, plus the minimum cut width.
If Cut depth limit is enabled, make sure that it is possible to arrange the pieces to fit the material. Take piece structures and sizes and direction of the first cut into account.
If materials have formatting set, it requires to take cut depth limit into account in the configuration. If so, consider the need for additional margin cuts. In practical terms this means the depth limit must be set to 3 or 4 cuts and not 2, if you want to cut in strips. The exact value depends on the number of cuts and the cutting method.
If Cut length limit is set. Make sure that the pieces can be arranged so that the cuts do not exceed the set limit.

Question 20

I see no "TonCut" tab in Excel. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

The TonCut tab can appear in Microsoft Excel 2007 or newer. Additional requirements:

Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 - download here.
Visual Studio 2005 tools for MS Office - download here.

Both of these required packages are installed with TonCut. If, for some reason, this cannot be done, you can install them manually.

If all conditions are met and both packages are installed and the TonCut tab still fails to appear in Excel, please use our contact form to let us know.

Question 21

How to remove the red warning when printing labels?

Accepted Answer

Short explanation. In label options, in the Labels tab, specify the number of labels per page printed, dimensions and layout. Additionally, in the Margins tab, specify the margins for the whole page. Please make sure a page can contain as many full labels as specified in the Labels tab.

Longer explanation. The following settings are responsible for the layout of labels on a printed page:

Number of label columns and rows - this specified how many labels will be placed horizontally and vertically on a page.
Label width and height - this specifies the dimensions of a label.
Horizontal and vertical spaces - this specifies the spacing between labels.
Page margins - this specifies the margins of a page.

For example, suppose we are printing on a 210 x 297 mm A4 page. Our label paper has the following parameters:

Margins - 4 mm top and bottom, 1 mm left and right.
Label dimensions - 69.2 x 36.1 mm.
Number of labels - 3 horizontally, 8 vertically.
No spacing between labels.

This means that:

The working space is 208 x 289 mm - we have subtracted the margins from the page dimensions.
We have 3 labels horizontally, 69.2 mm each, hence a total of 207.6 mm.
We have 8 labels vertically, 36.1 mm each, hence a total of 288.8 mm.
207.6 is less than 208. Likewise, 288.8 is less than 289. Our labels will fit on the page and the red warning will not be displayed.
If we increase the size or number of the labels or the spacing between them, they will no longer fit on the page and the red warning will appear.

Question 22

How to disable element rotation?

Accepted Answer

Short explanation. Specify the structure direction for both the material and the element.

Longer explanation. If the element has no structure or the structure is irrelevant, the program will try to rotate it. To set a structure:

In material group settings enable May have structure.
In material settings set a structure alongside the length or width.
In element settings set a structure alongside the length or width.

Question 23

I see no option to set veneers! What should I do?

Accepted Answer

Short explanation. In material group settings enable May be veneered.

Longer explanation. Make sure May be veneered is enabled in material group settings. Then, in the element editing window, additional four rectangles will appear on the diagram. By clicking on them with either the left or the right mouse button you can set the veneer type.

Curious fact. You can also navigate the element diagram by keyboard. Use arrow keys to move and the space bar to modify the values. Additionally, when an edge is selected, you can press the MENU button (between ALT and CTRL, on the right hand side of the keyboard).

Question 24

How to set material formatting?

Accepted Answer

While editing the material data, elongated rectangles are visible on the edges of the diagram. Those rectangles contain values - that exactly is the formatting. You can change the values by clicking on the rectangles.

Curious fact 1. You can navigate the diagram by keyboard using the TAB key. As is usually the case, the TAB key allows you to move forward and SHIFT-TAB to move back. Additionally, the ENTER key acts like the TAB key.

Curious fact 2. In the material group settings you can set auto-formatting. If so, formatting will be automatically set to this value while adding new material.

Curious fact 3. Default formatting of a material group is the same value for all edges of the material. You can, however, change this in standard size settings to make the default formatting different for each edge.

Question 25

What are net and gross dimensions?

Accepted Answer

Short explanation. A gross dimension includes veneer thickness, while a net dimension does not.

Longer explanation. Gross and net dimensions make sense only when the material group may be veneered. Veneering can be enabled in the material group settings. While editing the material data, you can then select in the bottom left corner whether the dimensions are gross or not. By default they are gross dimensions.

Curious fact 1. What element size is ultimately to be cut is determined by the material group settings. This can be either a gross or a net dimension. Please remember, however, that the dimension being cut also includes margin and surplus. Hence, the dimension selected for cutting will additionally be reduced by the margin and increased by the surplus.

Curious fact 2. The method for defining the material dimensions can be changed also by keyboard shortcuts:

CTRL+B - gross dimensions.
CTRL+N - net dimensions.

Curious fact 3. The method for defining the dimensions can also be changed already after setting the dimensions. If so, the program will ask whether the dimensions on the diagram should be changed or not and calculate the values accordingly if needed.

Question 26

What is piece surplus and piece margin?

Accepted Answer

Short explanation. These are additional modifiers of the dimension being cut. The surplus increases it by a set value on each side of the element. The margin, on the other hand, decreases the dimension.

Longer explanation. Surplus and margin must not be confused with gross and net dimensions. If the element is to be increased due to veneering, go to the material group and select that the gross dimension is to be cut. So what is the purpose of the surplus and the margin? These are some examples of use:

If, after the cutting, the resulting edges are not ideal and require further processing, we must cut somewhat larger elements. This is what the surplus is for.
If we want larger dimensions on the labels than the actual element dimensions, we must use the margin.

Curious fact. You can set default surplus and margin values in the material group settings. If so, both values will already be set when adding new elements. We can also force specific values so that they cannot be changed while adding elements.

Question 27

What is the cut depth limit?

Accepted Answer

The cut depth limit applies to 2D materials and to devices that always make the cut through the entire length or width of a piece of material. The first cutting divides the material into two pieces (A and B) - this is the first depth level. Now we take one of such pieces (for example A) and cut it at a right angle (90 degrees) to the previous cut. Thus piece A has been divided into even smaller pieces (C and D) - this is the second depth level. If we cut one of the pieces (C or D) at a right angle to the second cut, that will be the third level, and so on. Similarly with piece B - cutting at a right angle to the first cut will give us a second depth level, and so on.

Parallel cuts through the entire length or width of a piece of material have the same depth level.

Curious fact 1. This functionality was created for devices that have a hardware limit for this. It can, however, be used for different purposes, such as to reduce the complexity of a cutting. This can be particularly useful for strip cutting, when we want a strip to include no more than 1 or 2 cutting depth levels. If so, enable strip cutting in the device settings and set the cut depth limit to 3 (one for the strips and two more inside a strip).

Curious fact 2. Please remember that the formatting also generates cuts. Make sure whether it should be included in the depth limit calculation. Importantly, different methods for cutting off the edges can generate a different number of cutting levels (1 or 2).

Question 28

What is the minimum cut width and how does it differ from the kerf?

Accepted Answer

It is the minimum width of a piece of material that can be cut without problems. The minimum cut width has nothing to do with the kerf. The kerf is the width of the waste generated by the cutting devices and can be changed in the material group settings.

The best illustration for this functionality is glass and the way glass is cut. Incisions are made into the panel with a special knife and the pieces are broken off. If the piece is too narrow, this can be very difficult. Hence, the minimum cut width is a very desirable option when cutting class.

The minimum cut width applies mainly to the waste. The goal is to generate the cutting in such a way as to make it easy to cut, considering the limitations of the device, material and person doing the cuts.

Question 29

How to enter element and material data manually in a fast way?

Accepted Answer

Short explanation. TonCut enables fast manual data input with keyboard shortcuts.

Longer explanation. In the program’s main window you can easily navigate between projects and stock with ALT-1 and ALT-2 keyboard shortcuts. You can add a new element or material using the + or the INSERT key. You can also go to editing by pressing ENTER or F2. Remove elements and materials with DELETE. Search by pressing F3 or CTRL+F.

To navigate elements and materials, use arrow keys on the keyboard. You can select all elements or materials by pressing CTRL+A. You can also select a group of elements by holding down the SHIFT key and using the arrows. You can select any non-adjacent elements or materials by holding down CTRL, navigating the list with arrows and pressing space.

Elements. Use TAB, ENTER or SHIFT-TAB to navigate between fields. Use arrow keys to navigate the diagram. You can change the structure on the diagram by pressing space. Veneers on the edges of the diagram can be changes using either space or the MENU key (near CTRL on the right hand side of the keyboard).

Materials. Use TAB, ENTER or SHIFT-TAB to navigate between fields - this also applies to formatting width for the individual edges. The structure on the diagram can be changed by pressing space.

Question 30

How to import data into the program?

Accepted Answer

TonCut enables the import of elements, materials, material groups and veneers. The program can read XLSX, XLS, ODS and CSV files. The files can follow any data structure, using any column order. Different methods can be used to import the data. These are:

Pressing the Import button in the main view. You can also press CTRL+I.
Dragging and dropping the files to the main window.
Directly from Microsoft Excel - the TonCut tab shows different options for data export to TonCut. You can expert the whole sheet, the current selection only, or all sheets if needed.
Tabular data can be copied to clipboard and pasted into TonCut using the CTRL+V shortcut.
In File explorer you can right-click a file and select the Import to TonCut option.

Question 31

How to configure strip cutting?

Accepted Answer

Short explanation. In the device settings. Remember that the program does not know how wide and how complex the strips are meant to be. For this reason additionally define a cut length limit or cut depth limit.

Longer explanation. Enable Strip cutting in device settings. Then limit the strip size with:

Cut depth limit - this allows you to limit the complexity of a strip. If used, this should be set to 3 or 4. You can find more information about this option under What is the cut depth limit?
Cut length limit - this allows you to limit the strip width. If strips are cut alongside the width, cutting must be limited alongside the length. The value entered will be the maximum strip width.

Question 32

What are TonCut 8’s requirements?

Accepted Answer

TonCut has no specific hardware requirements, but the faster the computer, the more variants the software can check in order to find better solutions. While selecting the hardware it is worth noting that the Professional version utilizes all available CPU cores, significantly improving the speed of the cutting optimization process.

The only requirement that needs to be considered refers to the operating system. TonCut 8 is tested on Windows 8.1 and Windows 10. In practice this means the software may run under older Windows versions but this is not guaranteed.

TonCut may also run on Mac OS. This, however, requires an application enabling Windows software to be run, such as Parallels Desktop.

Question 33

Does TonCut run on Mac OS?

Accepted Answer

Short explanation. Yes, using Parallels Desktop.

Longer explanation. TonCut was created for Windows but may be run on Mac OS. This requires the use of a special application enabling Windows software to run on Mac OS, such as Parallels Desktop.

Question 34

How to make sure bar codes appear on labels?

Accepted Answer

Short explanation. In configuration turn on piece identification by bar code and then enter element IDs.

Longer explanation. TonCut can print bar codes on element labels. These bar codes are element IDs that need to be entered manually or imported together with the elements. To do so, in the Configuration window (Options menu), General tab, select element identification by bar code and description. After turning this option on elements can be described using an additional ID.

Curious fact 1. The ID can have any length but remember that the longer it is, the more condensed the bar code will be.

Curious fact 2. An ID may only contain:

digits,
letters of the Latin alphabet,
spaces,
square brackets,
round brackets.