Determination method and determination system

Abstract

To provide technology that can improve the yield of blank material manufacturing. [Solution] A determination method for determining whether to manufacture a product by arranging multiple blank materials on the same steel plate, provided that the multiple blank materials ordered meet the condition of being the same, which indicates that they are within a range where it is acceptable to treat them as having the same attributes, and also meet the delivery date condition, which indicates that the delivery date can be met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a determination method and a determination system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in the production of blank materials used for mass production such as press forming represented by automotive parts, household appliances, and building materials, steel strips are continuously blanked using a press device and a mold (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In recent years, blanking using a laser has also been carried out instead of a press device and a mold.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Conventionally, steelmakers supplied steel plates to blank material manufacturers, and the blank material manufacturers cut out blank materials from the steel plates purchased from the steel material manufacturers. However, the blank material manufacturers could not always purchase steel plates with an appropriate width for the ordered blank materials. Therefore, there was room for improvement in the yield of blank material production.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technique capable of increasing the yield of blank material production.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a determination method for determining whether to manufacture a steel plate by arranging multiple blank materials that satisfy the same condition, which indicates that among multiple ordered blank materials, they are within a range where it is acceptable to treat them as having the same attributes, and also satisfy the delivery condition, which indicates that the delivery date can be met.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is the determination method described above, wherein the ordered plurality of blank materials include partial blank materials that constitute a TWB material obtained by joining a plurality of types of partial blank materials.

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is the above determination method, wherein, based on the shape of the blank material to be manufactured, the width of the steel plate to be processed used in the manufacture of the blank material, and the position and angle of the blank material on the steel plate are determined.

[0009] One aspect of the present invention is the above determination method, wherein the yield when cutting the blank material from the steel plate is calculated, and the width of the steel plate and the position and angle of the blank material are determined in order to optimize the cost index value based on the yield cost based on the yield and the steel plate cost based on the width of the steel plate.

[0010] One aspect of the present invention is the above determination method, wherein the width of the steel plate and the placement position and angle of the blank material are determined such that the yield cost is less than a first threshold and the steel plate cost is less than a second threshold.

[0011] One aspect of the present invention is the above determination method, wherein the cost index value is a yield loss cost obtained by multiplying the yield loss amount, which is determined based on the width of the steel plate and the placement position and angle of the blank material, by the cost per unit weight of the steel plate corresponding to the width of the steel plate.

[0012] One aspect of the present invention is a determination system comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires order data; and a determination unit that determines whether to manufacture a plurality of blank materials ordered in the order data by arranging them on the same steel plate, satisfying the same condition which indicates that they are within a range where it is acceptable to treat them as having the same attributes, and also satisfying the delivery condition which indicates that the delivery date can be met. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, the yield of blank material manufacturing can be increased. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This diagram shows a schematic representation of the process from order placement to delivery of blank materials in this embodiment. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates laser blanking using a laser blanking device. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the system configuration of the blank condition determination system 1 of the embodiment. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of blank information 21. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of steel plate information 22. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows an example of the process flow for determining the blank condition in the blank condition determination system 1 of the embodiment. [Figure 7] This diagram illustrates the cost of yield loss. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of steel plate costs. [Figure 9] This flowchart shows a modified example of the process flow for determining the blank condition by the blank condition determination system 1 of the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] The blank condition determination system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0016] [1. Overview] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the process from receiving an order for a blank material to delivering the same in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the process from receiving an order for a blank material to delivering the same is roughly divided into a first process, a second process, a third process, a fourth process, and a fifth process. The first process is a process in which a steel manufacturer determines blank conditions including the attribute conditions of the steel material used for manufacturing the blank material and the nesting conditions when cutting out the blank material from the manufactured steel sheet based on the order data of the blank material provided by the ordering company of the blank material.

[0017] The order data includes shape data, attribute data, and delivery information data. The shape data is data indicating the shape of the blank material. When the ordered blank material is a TWB (Tailor Welded Blanks) material, the shape data may include the shape data of the individual parts (hereinafter referred to as "partial blank materials") before joining and the data related to joining.

[0018] The attribute data is data indicating the attributes of the blank material. Specific examples of the attribute data include information related to the strength of the metal constituting the blank material (e.g., strength tolerance), information related to the thickness of the metal constituting the blank material (e.g., thickness tolerance), and information related to the processing of the metal constituting the blank material (e.g., plating thickness tolerance). When the ordered blank material is a TWB material, the attribute data includes data indicating the attributes of the partial blank materials to be written.

[0019] The delivery information data is data related to the delivery of the ordered blank material. The delivery information data may be, for example, data indicating the delivery date and the delivery location. The time required for transportation is determined according to the delivery location. Therefore, according to the delivery date and the delivery location, the time when the transportation of the ordered blank material should be started, in other words, the time when the ordered blank material should be completed is determined.

[0020] The blanking conditions are determined based on one or more order data. The blanking conditions include attribute conditions of the steel sheet to be manufactured (including sheet width, strength, sheet thickness, and processing conditions) and nesting conditions indicating the placement position and angle of the blank material (including partial blank material) manufactured from each steel sheet. Here, 'angle' refers to the amount of rotation used to determine the orientation of the blank material by rotating it within the plane of the steel sheet, and can be an angle relative to anything, such as the angle of the blank product with respect to the longitudinal or width direction of the steel sheet, or the angle of rotation with respect to the center of gravity of the blank product. Depending on the steel sheet and blank product shape used, it is possible to determine which angle to use as appropriate. The 'width' of the steel sheet refers to the coil width when the steel sheet is processed into a coil shape by rolling. The information indicating the placement position and angle of the blank material determined here (nesting conditions) is supplied to the third process as blanking data.

[0021] In determining blanking conditions, a single steel plate may be assigned blanking materials for multiple order data. In this case, blanking materials assigned to the same steel plate are blanking materials with attribute data that satisfy the same condition, which indicates that they can be treated as having the same attribute without any problems. For example, even if the strength tolerance S1 of the blanking material for the first order data and the strength tolerance S2 of the blanking material for the second order data are strictly different values, they may be assigned to the same steel material if they satisfy the same condition. In this case, the strength of the assigned steel material is determined to be a strength that is acceptable (satisfies the strength condition) for both the blanking material with strength tolerance S1 and strength tolerance S2. Multiple order data assigned to a single steel material in this way may be order data from different ordering parties (customers). Multiple order data assigned to a single steel material in this way may include partial blanking materials for TWB material.

[0022] The second process is the manufacturing of steel plates that meet the attribute conditions determined in the first process. More specifically, the second process involves rolling the rolled material (also called a slab) for steel plates, which is produced by refining pig iron, to manufacture steel plates. In the process of manufacturing the rolled material, attributes such as strength are determined by adding additives. Steel plates are generally stored and managed in a coiled state for easy storage, transportation, and processing. The width and thickness of the steel plates to be manufactured are determined according to the rolling mill used to roll the rolled material. Steel manufacturers can arbitrarily change the width and thickness of the steel plates to be manufactured within the range of their rolling mills. In the second process, steel plates are manufactured according to the conditions determined in the first process.

[0023] The third step is to cut out blank materials from the steel plates of the specified width manufactured in the second step, based on the placement position and angle of the blank materials determined in the first step. For cutting out the blank materials, a press-type blanking device that punches out blank materials from the steel plates using a die, or a laser blanking device that cuts blank materials from the steel plates using a laser can be used. Laser blanking devices can achieve narrower nesting spacing than press-type blanking devices, which is advantageous for improving yield. In this embodiment, the case where a laser blanking device is used is assumed. Of the blank materials manufactured in the third step, blank materials that have been ordered as individual blank materials move on to the fifth step as final blank materials. Of the blank materials manufactured in the third step, partial blank materials used in the manufacture of TWB materials move on to the fourth step.

[0024] The fourth step is the process of manufacturing TWB material by joining multiple partial blank materials. The placement position and angle of each partial blank material are included in the order data obtained in the first step. Each partial blank material is placed according to the order data, and each joining part is joined. The joining of multiple blank materials is performed by methods such as laser welding or plasma welding. The TWB material manufactured in the fourth step moves on to the fifth step as the final blank material.

[0025] The fifth step is the process of transporting the manufactured product (final blank material) according to the order data to the delivery location according to the order data (delivery information). Within Japan, transportation is carried out by land or sea. For international deliveries, transportation is primarily carried out by sea.

[0026] Figure 2 illustrates laser blanking using a laser blanking device. Steel plates are blanked, for example, by the laser blanking device B shown in Figure 2. The laser blanking device B comprises an unloader B01, a fine leveler B02, a belt conveyor B03, a pair of first rails B04, a pair of first traveling bodies B05, a second rail B06, a second traveling body B07, a laser nozzle B08, and a control device B09.

[0027] The unloader B01 rotates coil C to feed the steel plate to the fine leveler B02. The fine leveler B02 grips the steel plate from above and below, correcting its shape. The belt conveyor B03 transports the steel plate, corrected by the fine leveler B02, from upstream to downstream.

[0028] A pair of first rails B04 are provided so as to sandwich the belt conveyor B03 in the width direction and extend along the conveying direction of the belt conveyor B03. A pair of first running bodies B05 are each provided so as to be able to run on the pair of first rails B04. A second rail B06 is supported by the pair of first running bodies B05 and is provided so as to cross over the belt conveyor B03. The second rail B06 extends in a direction perpendicular to the first rails B04.

[0029] The second running body B07 is mounted to be able to move along the second rail B06. The laser nozzle B08 is supported by the second running body B07. The laser nozzle B08 emits a laser downwards. As the laser nozzle B08 moves while emitting the laser onto the steel plate, the steel plate is cut.

[0030] The control device B09 cuts blank material M from a steel plate by moving the first traveling body B05 and the second traveling body B07 and controlling the output of the laser nozzle B08 based on blanking data. The blanking data represents the outline of the blank material. For example, if the outline is represented in vector format, the control device B09 can process the steel plate along the outline by moving the first traveling body B05 and the second traveling body B07 along the path representing the outline while irradiating the laser nozzle B08 with a laser. For example, if the outline is represented in raster format, the control device B09 can process the steel plate along the outline by scanning the first traveling body B05 and the second traveling body B07 and irradiating the laser nozzle B08 with a laser at the location where the outline exists.

[0031] Traditionally, blank materials were produced by press processing manufacturers and other businesses ordering steel plates from steel manufacturers, designing the nesting of the blank material from the steel plates they received, and then cutting them out. In contrast, this embodiment assumes a case where the steel manufacturer produces the blank material and supplies it to the businesses. Therefore, in this embodiment, the steel manufacturer acquires shape data of the blank material or partial blank material to be manufactured along with the blank material order, and then performs processes 1 to 5 based on this shape data to deliver the final blank material to the customer.

[0032] According to the blank material manufacturing process of this embodiment, steel manufacturers can manufacture steel plates of a width suitable for their own manufacturing environment in response to the specifications of the ordered blank material and cut out the blank material, thus enabling them to manufacture blank materials under optimal conditions. In particular, regarding the manufacturing of steel plates, optimization can be achieved not only according to a single order data, but also according to multiple order data. For example, optimization can be achieved by manufacturing blank materials for multiple order data that can be manufactured using the same steel plate from a single steel plate. This optimization is especially possible when multiple order data are obtained from multiple different customers, and is only possible for steel manufacturers. Furthermore, even when manufacturing blank materials that use multiple partial blank materials, such as TWB material, it is possible to optimize each partial blank material. For example, optimization can be achieved by manufacturing partial blank material a used in company A's TWB material and partial blank material b used in company B's TWB material from a single steel plate. In addition, according to the blank material manufacturing process of this embodiment, companies such as press processing manufacturers do not need to perform nesting or cutting of blank materials themselves, so they can concentrate their management resources on press processing and improve efficiency.

[0033] Furthermore, the blank material manufacturing process of this embodiment not only improves the efficiency of press working manufacturers and the like, but also optimizes the upstream steel plate manufacturing process, thereby achieving optimization across the entire industry involved in the manufacturing, processing, and sales of blank materials. More specifically, the blank condition determination system 1 of this embodiment can reduce GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions in blank material manufacturing. The configuration of the blank condition determination system 1 of this embodiment, which can achieve these effects, will be described in detail below.

[0034] [2. System Configuration] Figure 3 shows an example of the system configuration of the blank condition determination system 1 of the embodiment. The blank condition determination system 1 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) connected by a bus, memory, auxiliary storage devices, etc., and executes a program. By executing the program, the blank condition determination system 1 functions as a device comprising a blank information acquisition unit 10, a storage unit 20, and a blank condition determination unit 30. Note that all or part of each function of the blank condition determination system 1 may be implemented using hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media include, for example, portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. The program may be transmitted via a telecommunications line.

[0035] The blank condition determination system 1 may be composed of one computer or multiple computers. The computers comprising the blank condition determination system 1 may be physical computers or virtual computers. The blank condition determination system 1 may be configured as a so-called cloud computing system.

[0036] The blank information acquisition unit 10 registers blank information 21, which indicates the manufacturing conditions of the blank material, in the storage unit 20. For example, the blank information acquisition unit 10 extracts manufacturing conditions such as the quantity, thickness, and shape of each blank material from the blank material order information (order data) as blank information 21. In this case, if the order data includes TWB material, the blank information acquisition unit 10 extracts blank information 21 for each part blank material that constitutes the TWB material. For example, the blank information acquisition unit 10 may include a communication interface and receive blank information 21 from the ordering company's system.

[0037] Furthermore, for example, the blank information acquisition unit 10 may include a connection interface to an external storage device where the blank information 21 is stored, and may be configured to read the blank information 21 from the external storage device. The blank information acquisition unit 10 may also include an input device such as a keyboard or mouse, and may be configured to accept input operations for the blank information 21. The blank information acquisition unit 10 stores the acquired blank information 21 in the storage unit 20.

[0038] The storage unit 20 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk drive or a semiconductor storage device. The storage unit 20 stores blank information 21 and steel plate information 22. The steel plate information 22 is information indicating the attributes of various steel plates used in the manufacture of blank materials.

[0039] Figure 4 shows an example of blank information 21. For example, the blank information 21 is stored in the storage unit 20 in the form of a blank information table 21T, where each record holds the manufacturing requirements for each blank material with different manufacturing requirements. If the order data includes TWB material, a blank information table 21T is stored for each partial blank material included in the TWB material. Each record in the blank information table 21T has values ​​such as blank ID, shape information, quantity, attributes, and delivery information. The attributes indicate the attributes of the blank material as a steel material. The attributes may include some or all of the information included in the attribute data (strength, plate thickness, and processing). The delivery information indicates the delivery information for each blank material (e.g., delivery date and delivery location).

[0040] The blank ID is identification information used to identify individual blank materials of different types. The shape information defines the shape of the corresponding blank material. For example, the value of the shape information may be the corresponding shape data itself, or it may be reference information (such as a memory address or file path) to the area where the corresponding shape data is stored. For example, the shape data may be CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. For partial blank materials used in the same TWB material, the blank ID may be defined in a different manner than that of a single blank material. For example, in Figure 4, blank ID "BL01" is the blank ID of a single blank material, but blank IDs "BL04_1" and "BL04_2" are partial blank materials used in the same TWB material.

[0041] Figure 5 shows an example of steel plate information 22. For example, the steel plate information 22 is stored in the storage unit 20 in the form of a steel plate information table 22T (Figure 5), where each record holds material information for each steel plate with different attributes. Each record in the steel plate information table 22T has, for example, a steel plate ID and values ​​for material attributes. The steel plate ID is identification information for identifying each steel plate with different material attributes.

[0042] Returning to Figure 3, the blank condition determination unit 30 determines the blank conditions based on the blank information 21 and the steel plate information 22. More specifically, the blank condition determination unit 30 identifies blank materials (including partial blank materials) that satisfy the delivery date condition indicating that the delivery date will be met, and the same condition, as blank materials to be placed on the same steel material. The delivery date condition indicating that the delivery date will be met may, for example, be a condition indicating that the date obtained by adding the number of days required for each process of the work required from the date the order was received until delivery is earlier than the delivery date. More specifically, the delivery date condition indicating that the delivery date will be met may also be a condition indicating that the following equation holds true with respect to the delivery date. Delivery date > Transportation period + Blanking process period + Σ (Lead time for each process including packaging) + Administrative period + Order placement date

[0043] The blank condition determination unit 30 then determines the attribute conditions and nesting conditions of the steel plate from which the blank material to be placed will be cut. The blank condition determination unit 30 outputs the determined attribute conditions of the steel plate for the second process and outputs the determined nesting conditions of the blank material for the third process. If the order data includes TWB material, the blank condition determination unit 30 generates joining information from the order data, indicating the joining position and joining method of each part blank material that makes up the TWB material, and outputs it for the fourth process. The blank condition determination unit 30 also outputs the delivery information included in the order data for the fifth process.

[0044] [3. Determination process for blank conditions] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the process flow by which the blank condition determination system 1 of the embodiment determines the blank conditions. First, the blank information acquisition unit 10 acquires blank information 21 from blank material order information, etc., and registers it in the storage unit 20 (S10). Next, the blank condition determination unit 30 performs a determination process based on the blank information 21 registered in the storage unit 20 (S20). As a result, the blank condition determination system 1 can determine the blank conditions that optimize the cost based on the width of the steel plate used in manufacturing the blank material (hereinafter referred to as "steel plate cost") and the cost based on the yield of blank material manufacturing (hereinafter referred to as "yield cost"). The flow of the determination process will be described in detail below.

[0045] First, the blank condition determination unit 30 identifies the blank material to be placed based on the blank information 21 (S201). Specifically, the blank condition determination unit 30 identifies one or more blank materials (including partial blank materials) that satisfy the delivery date conditions and the same conditions as blank materials to be placed for the same steel material. At this time, blank materials ordered by multiple order data may be considered as candidates for blank materials to be placed for the same steel material. As described above, blank materials from multiple order data ordered by different customers may be considered as candidates for blank materials to be placed for the same steel material.

[0046] Next, the blank condition determination unit 30 determines the initial values ​​for the blank material's placement position, angle, and steel plate width based on the blank material's shape data identified in S201 (S202). Here, the initial values ​​for the blank material's placement position, angle, and steel plate width may be determined arbitrarily as long as the following (1) to (3) are satisfied.

[0047] (1) The blank material to be manufactured must be able to be placed on the surface. (2) The steel plate width must be within the range that can actually be manufactured by the steel manufacturer.

[0048] For example, the blank condition determination unit 30 may recognize the minimum required steel plate width based on the shape data of the blank material and set that value as the initial value for the steel plate width, or it may set the maximum possible steel plate width as the initial value. Once the placement position and angle of the blank material are determined in S202, the length of the steel plate required for placing the blank material is determined.

[0049] Next, the blank condition determination unit 30 calculates the yield of the blank material based on the arrangement determined in S202 (S203). Subsequently, the blank condition determination unit 30 calculates an index value (hereinafter referred to as the "cost index value") for optimizing both the steel plate cost and the yield cost in blank material manufacturing, based on the steel plate width determined in S202 and the yield calculated in S203 (S204). In other words, optimizing the cost index value means minimizing the cost index value.

[0050] Here, if we denote the evaluation function that gives the cost index value as φ, then the evaluation function φ can be expressed by equation (1) below.

[0051] Evaluation function φ = amount of yield loss × cost of steel plate per unit weight ... (1)

[0052] Equation (1) calculates the cost (yield loss cost) due to the portion of the steel plate used for cutting blank material that is not used as blank material (yield loss). Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the yield loss cost. The left diagram shows an example of blank material arrangement when the steel plate width is narrow, and the right diagram shows an example of blank material arrangement when the steel plate width is wide. In Figure 7, the left diagram shows an example of steel plate width (a) and blank material arrangement when the amount of yield loss is small, and the right diagram shows an example of steel plate width (b) and blank material arrangement when the amount of yield loss is large.

[0053] In the example in Figure 7, if the material cost of the steel sheet (steel sheet cost) does not depend on the steel sheet width, then the yield loss cost will be higher for steel sheet width b, which has a larger yield loss, than for steel sheet width a. However, as mentioned above, the actual steel sheet cost is a cost based on the steel sheet width, and can vary not only by the yield loss but also by the steel sheet width. Figure 8 shows an example of steel sheet cost.

[0054] For example, when manufacturing narrow steel plates using a rolling mill designed for wider steel plates, the production of narrow steel plates occupies the rolling mill without fully utilizing its production capacity, resulting in higher costs from a productivity standpoint. In this case, productivity increases as the steel plate width increases, and therefore the steel plate cost decreases. The example in Figure 8 shows that the cost of a steel plate with width a in Figure 7 is A, and as the width increases from there, the cost of the steel plate decreases, reaching its minimum cost B at width b.

[0055] On the other hand, rolling mills have a weight limit on the amount of steel sheets they can process, and the wider the steel sheet being manufactured, the shorter the length of steel sheet that can be manufactured at one time. Therefore, if the steel sheet width becomes too large, productivity decreases and costs increase. The example in Figure 8 shows that if the width exceeds the width b that takes place at the minimum steel sheet cost B, the steel sheet cost increases. In other words, the evaluation function φ given by equation (1) represents the cost incurred due to a yield loss that is determined according to the steel sheet width and the arrangement of blank materials. By selecting the steel sheet width and blank material arrangement that minimize this, it is possible to simultaneously minimize yield cost and steel sheet cost and determine the optimal steel sheet width and blank material arrangement according to the specifications of the rolling mill.

[0056] Return to Figure 6. Next, the blank condition determination unit 30 changes the placement position, angle, or steel plate width of the blank material (S205). In addition to (1) and (2) above, the blank condition determination unit 30 may arbitrarily change the placement position, angle, or steel plate width of the blank material as long as the following (3) is satisfied. Since the yield loss cost can vary depending on the placement position and angle of the blank material, the blank condition determination unit 30 may change the placement position and angle of the blank material in various patterns even for the same steel plate width to search for a smaller yield loss cost in order to minimize the yield loss cost.

[0057] (3) The arrangement position, angle, and steel plate width combination of the blank material are different from combinations used in the past.

[0058] Next, the blank condition determination unit 30 calculates the yield of the blank material based on the placement position and angle determined in S205 (S206). Subsequently, the blank condition determination unit 30 calculates a cost index value based on the steel plate width determined in S205 and the yield calculated in S206 (S207).

[0059] Next, the blank condition determination unit 30 determines whether the termination condition for the determination process has been met (S208). If the blank condition determination unit 30 determines in S208 that the termination condition has been met, it outputs the combination of blank material placement position and angle and steel plate width that yielded the minimum value among the cost index values ​​calculated up to that point as the determination result (S209), and terminates the determination process. For example, the blank condition determination unit 30 can comprehensively optimize yield cost and steel plate cost by selecting a combination of placement position and angle and steel plate width that minimizes the cost index value (yield loss cost) calculated by the evaluation function φ of equation (1).

[0060] On the other hand, if the blank condition determination unit 30 determines in S208 that the termination conditions have not been met, it returns to processing in S205. As a result, the blank condition determination unit 30 repeatedly performs the changes to the placement position, angle, or width of the blank material and the calculation of the cost index value until it determines in S208 that the termination conditions have been met.

[0061] Here, for example, the termination condition may be that the number of repetitions of S208 exceeds a predetermined threshold. In this case, the more times S208 is repeated, the more patterns of combinations of blank material placement position and angle and steel plate width will be inspected. Therefore, the threshold in this case should be set to a larger number of repetitions within an acceptable range.

[0062] Alternatively, the termination condition may be, for example, that the cost indicator value falls below a predetermined threshold. In this case, since it is guaranteed that the predetermined target has been achieved with respect to the cost indicator value, the combination of the blank material placement position and angle and the steel plate width can be optimized with greater precision.

[0063] According to the blank condition determination system 1 of the embodiment described above, the yield of blank material manufacturing can be increased by determining the width of the steel plate to be processed used in the manufacture of the blank material, as well as the position and angle of the blank material relative to the steel plate, based on the shape of the blank material to be manufactured related to one or more order data.

[0064] (modified version) Figure 9 is a flowchart showing a modified example of the process flow in which the blank condition determination system 1 of the embodiment determines the blank conditions. In the flowchart shown in Figure 97, before step S201, the blank condition determination unit 30 performs a process to identify candidates for placement (step S301). The candidates for placement are candidates for blank materials that are identified as blank materials to be placed in the process of step S201. The candidates for placement may include a number of blank materials that cannot be placed in the same steel material.

[0065] Specifically, the blank condition determination unit 30 identifies one or more blank materials (including partial blank materials) that meet the delivery date conditions and the same conditions as candidate blank materials to be placed on the same steel material. In this case, blank materials ordered by multiple order data may be considered as candidates for blank materials to be placed on the same steel material. As described above, blank materials from multiple order data ordered by different customers may be considered as candidates for blank materials to be placed on the same steel material.

[0066] In the modified process, the blank condition determination unit 30 identifies one or more blank materials from the candidate blank materials to be placed as blank materials in step S201. The blank condition determination unit 30 performs steps S202 to S208 for the identified combination of blank materials. If the termination condition is not met, the identification of the blank material to be placed in step S201 is repeated. Therefore, the processes from step S202 onward are repeatedly executed for multiple blank materials included in the candidate blank materials, in multiple combinations. As a result, the yield of blank material manufacturing can be further improved. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0067] 1. Blank Condition Determination System 10 Blank Information Acquisition Unit 20 Memory section 21 Blank Information 21T Blank Information Table 22 Steel plate information 22T Steel Plate Information Table 30 Blank condition determination unit

Claims

1. A blank information acquisition step in which a computer acquires blank information indicating manufacturing requirements for each of the multiple blank materials that have been ordered, A computer acquires material information for each steel sheet used in the manufacture of the blank material, and A determination method comprising: a determination step in which a computer determines, based on the blank information and material information of each of the plurality of blank materials, that the plurality of blank materials satisfy the same condition, which is a condition indicating that they can be treated as having the same attributes without any problems, and that the delivery date condition indicating that the delivery date can be met, and that the plurality of blank materials be manufactured by placing them on the same steel plate that satisfies the material information.

2. The determination method according to claim 1, wherein the ordered plurality of blank materials include partial blank materials that constitute a TWB material obtained by joining multiple types of partial blank materials.

3. The determination method according to Claim 1, wherein a computer determines, based on the shape of the blank material to be manufactured, the width of the steel plate to be processed used in the manufacture of the blank material, and the position and angle of the blank material on the steel plate.

4. The computer calculates the yield when cutting the blank material from the steel plate, The computer determines the width of the steel plate and the placement position and angle of the blank material in order to optimize cost index values ​​based on the yield cost based on the yield and the steel plate cost based on the width of the steel plate. The determination method according to claim 3.

5. The computer determines the width of the steel sheet and the position and angle of the blank material such that the yield cost is less than a first threshold and the steel sheet cost is less than a second threshold. The determination method according to claim 4.

6. The aforementioned cost index value is the yield loss cost obtained by multiplying the yield loss amount, which is determined based on the width of the steel plate and the placement position and angle of the blank material, by the cost per unit weight of the steel plate corresponding to the width of the steel plate. The determination method according to claim 4.

7. The acquisition unit retrieves order data, A determination system comprising: a determination unit that acquires blank information indicating manufacturing requirements for each of the multiple blank materials ordered in the aforementioned order data; acquires material information for each steel plate used in the manufacture of the blank materials; and determines, based on the blank information and material information of each of the multiple blank materials, that multiple blank materials that satisfy the same condition, which indicates that they are within a range where it is acceptable to treat them as having the same attributes, and that also satisfy the delivery date condition, which indicates that the delivery date can be met, will be manufactured by placing them on the same steel plate that satisfies the material information.

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