General Help
Device Support
The Gasket Estimating Program (G.E.P.) is designed to run on any web enabled device. The program is web-based, which means that there is no software to install or updates to keep up with. The program was designed in and optimized for the Google Chrome web browser, although it will support other current browsers as well. For the best user experience, we recommend Google Chrome. You can download the latest version from Google here.
Account Users
There are two different types of users in the Gasket Estimating Program (G.E.P.): admin users and general users. Admin users, as the name implies, have access to the administrative functions for their account, such as: user, labor/manufacturing, and pricing settings. Specific help and instructions for the administrative functions can be found below. A new G.E.P. account comes with (3) user account licenses by default (additional licenses can be purchased). By default, the administrator account is also setup as an active user account. This can be changed in the user settings (see below for more information).
User accounts have access to all of the tools in the G.E.P. Active users can add or update materials and use the utilization functions. An account may have an unlimited number of users, but only active users will have login access. The number of allowable active users at any given time is determined by the number of licenses purchased for your account. The default is (3) active users at a time. Admins and users may access the G.E.P. from anywhere and on any device with an internet connection, but may only have one active session at a time.
Admin Menu Help
Account Details
The Account Details section contains all of the pertinent information about your account (company name, address, phone, etc.), as well as the name and email address for the account administrator. This is the email address that will be required for logging in to all of the administrative functions within the G.E.P. The minimum required information for your account is the company name and administrator email. Also under the account details, you will see the expiration date for your account's annual subscription and the number of user licenses for your account, as well as an option to change your password.
Add User
To add a user to your account in the G.E.P., you simply need to add their email address. Once added by the account administrator, the user will receive an email with instructions for creating a new login password. Please note, only users who have been designated as "active" by the account admin will be able to login to the G.E.P.
View User Info
From the View User Info screen, you will be able to view, edit, and delete any account user information. You will also be able to view and change which user accounts are currently active.
Settings
From the Settings screen, you will be able to view and edit your default G.E.P. settings. The general settings include those related to units (SI or metric), gasket spacing (which detrmines how much of a "buffer" to account for between gaskets in the utilization calculations), and your desired profit margins. With the exception of the profit margin settings, these values can be individually changed on a case by case basis by your individual users as they are used in the various G.E.P. modules.
The Manufacturing Settings screen, as the name implies, allows you to create manufacturing workcenters for use in determining the labor/cutting costs associated with various types of gasket manufacturing.
Materials Menu Help
Add New Materials (Sheet & Roll)
To add a new material (either sheet or rolled goods) to your database, you must complete the associated form. Any user can add new sheet materials to your account database. Sheet materials provide the option for additional "non-standard" pricing, rolled goods do not. The names that you choose for these materials will be how they are ultimately referenced within the program, so it is recommended that account admins determine a naming format to be followed by all users to avoid confusion. Additionally, the program will not prohibit duplicate material entry. Maintaining the material database is up to the individual account owners and users. A selected catalog of 20+ materials will automatically be preloaded in the account database when a new account is created. These materials may be updated or deleted as desired by the account users.
Regular maintenance on the materials database will occur throughout the year or as needed. Accounts with expired subscriptions could have their saved data deleted to create additional space for new and active. Currently, all user data will be stored for up to 1 year after the date of subscription lapse, unless otherwise requested by the account administrator.
A mass upload option is available. For more information, contact G.E.P. Support.
View/Update Materials
From the View/Update Materials screen, you will be able to view all of the materials in your database, as well as edit and delete any material information.
Utilization Menu Help
Basic Sheet Yield
The basic sheet yield program calculates sheet utilization in two patterns: stacked and honeycomb. In most cases, the honeycomb pattern produces a more dense distribution, leading to greater yield and less waste. Additionally, the program always considers the material layout based on the orientation as stored in the database based on an x-y plane. The y-axis would therefore be the vertical or north-south axis, while the x-axis would be the horizontal or east-west axis. In some instances, for rectangular sheets, considering these axes as being rotated by 90 degrees (thus switching the two axes) will increase the sheet yield.
Once the results are calculated, you can also adjust settings to include center/scrap credit, as well as input required quantities to determine total material usage.
The basic sheet yield program can consider gaskets of various shapes, including: circle, square, rectangle, oval, and obround; in both standard and non-standard sizes.
Optimized Sheet Yield
The optimized sheet yield program calculates sheet utilization based on best known packed densities produced by mathematical "circle packing" algorithms. These results typically require precise placement of individual gaskets on the sheet, therefore they are ideally suited for production using CAD based CNC machines. Because the densities are based on circles, the optimized program only works for round gaskets. Additionally, for rectangular sheets, the program requires fixed ratios of .1 to .8 (in tenths) by 1. This means that some sheet sizes will be calculated as smaller than they actually are. The effective sheet size is indicated on the results tab.
The optimized sheet yield program is also limited to predetermined thresholds as follows: 5000 pcs (square), 200 pcs (.1 x 1 rectangle), 347 pcs (.2 x 1 rectangle), 300 pcs (.3 x 1 rectangle), 299 pcs (.4 x 1 rectangle), 300 pcs (.5 x 1 rectangle), 307 pcs (.6 x 1 rectangle), 437 pcs (.7 x 1 rectangle), and 420 pcs (.8 x 1 rectangle). This could produce failed results when attempting to calculate yield for small gaskets from large sheets.
Center Yield
The center yield program, like the optimized yield program, calculates utilization of round discs (a.k.a. "centers" or "drops") based on best known packed densities produced by mathematical "circle packing" algorithms. Again, these results typically require precise placement of individual gaskets on the sheet, therefore they are ideally suited for production using CAD based CNC machines. Because the densities are based on circles, the optimized program only works for round gaskets.
Also, like the optimized sheet yield program, the center yield program is limited to a predetermined threshold of 500 pcs. This could produce failed results when attempting to calculate yield for small gaskets from very large discs.
Continuous Roll Yield
The continuous yield program works similarly to the basic sheet yield program, except that it accounts for rolled materials of continuous length. Otherwise, the functionality is basically the same. For non-round or non-square shapes, the input orientation of the piece may affect the results.
Segmented Gaskets
The segmented gaskets program determines the cost for fabricating arc sections of a gasket. This is used primarily, though not exclusively, when a user must fabricate a gasket that is larger than the standard sheet size(s) that are available.
Plug-Down
The plug-down program looks at nesting of various sizes to determine a good estimate of the total required material for large cutting jobs. The yield results are based on the optimized formulas, so users who are using the plug-down program to estimate yield results for non-computer aided manufacturing may want to adjust accordingly.
The plug-down program only accounts for nesting within the centers of other gaskets, and does not account for corners and other "nooks and crannies" where additional quantities of small diameter gaskets may be nested. This tool is only intended to provide a reasonable estimate of sheet usage.
Layouts
Optimized yield layouts provide precise coordinates to assist with creating CAD drawings for transfer to CNC cutting machines. However, all of the coordinates are based on default unitless shape (square, rectangle, or circle) with a dimension of 1. In other words, the actual coordinates for a shape of any size, can be extrapolated simply with by multiplying the coordinates by the actual material size.
The coordinates are stored in text files that can be viewed/saved individually, or downloaded in .zip archives that contain all of the files. The coordinates are presented in x-y format. The x-axis is the horizontal axis (east-west) and the y-axis is the vertical axis (north-south). The origin is located at the center point of the material.
Frequently Asked Questions
Coming soon...
Contact
G.E.P. Support
G.E.P. Support is available during normal business hours, Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST.
To submit a support request, please email us at: gepsupport@klinger-thermoseal.com.