Two-Dimensional Rectangular Cutting Problems: what you see is what you model
J. F. Oliveira
Two-dimensional rectangular cutting problems arise in many industries, including glass and furniture manufacturing, textiles, metalworking, and logistics. These problems are characterised by a hard combinatorial nature combined with a deeply geometric structure: the shapes, cuts and spatial relations that we observe in practice have a strong influence on how we model the problem mathematically.
This talk revisits the two-dimensional rectangular cutting problem as a unifying framework through which to discuss the typology of cutting and packing problems, the role of geometry and how mathematical models have evolved in this field. Particular attention is given to the recently proposed Floating-Cuts paradigm, which provides a flexible representation for guillotine and non-guillotine patterns alike. Recent research on operationally relevant issues, such as overcuts and lifters in marble cutting, pattern complexity and the variable-sized cutting stock problem, will also be presented.
Keywords: cutting and packing, mathematical programming, geometric constraints
Scheduled
Plenary session II: José Fernando Oliveira
September 3, 2026 3:30 PM
Graduation Hall