has anybody succesfully managed to write an algorithm to minimize the packing used? In this case a set of items has to be put in the least number of boxes and the smallest boxes possible. So far I have found only 'brute force' options that simply try out the six possible orientations for each and every item, resulting in thousands of calculations for just a handfull of items.
in the end I went for the service of https://www.3dbinpacking.com. It looks like the results are correct and the service returns the results quickly enough
this is a variation of a mathematical problem known as the “knapsack problem”. the knapsack problem is thought to be “NP-hard”. all known solutions at the moment are some type of brute force with restrictions.
There are many commercial packages out there, as an alternative to building your own solution.
We have just started using Magic Logic (I have no other affiliation with Magic Logic, current or prior).
I am familiar with the name
And a rest service could be an option...
Still, with the myriad of OE business applications, I imagined somebody has solved it...
Just do what Amazon does. Use the largest box possible and put the smallest item in it so it is guaranteed to fit.
www.forbes.com/.../what-a-waste-online-retails-big-packaging-problem
in the end I went for the service of https://www.3dbinpacking.com. It looks like the results are correct and the service returns the results quickly enough