Nesting software options

General software related questions should be posted here.
Post Reply
Spitterkat
1 Star Member
1 Star Member
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2017 4:06 pm

Nesting software options

Post by Spitterkat »

Just wondering what is out there for nesting software / what everyone uses.
Old Iron
3.5 Star Member
3.5 Star Member
Posts: 681
Joined: Wed Nov 26, 2014 5:12 pm

Re: Nesting software options

Post by Old Iron »

I use Sheetcam
BTA Plasma
3.5 Star Elite Contributing Member
3.5 Star Elite Contributing Member
Posts: 590
Joined: Thu May 12, 2011 4:28 pm

Re: Nesting software options

Post by BTA Plasma »

If you need true shape nesting we sell Pronest LT however we would need to know the actual electronics you have for the post processor. Sheetcam is also a good way to array nest.

http://www.plasmaland.com/product_info. ... 0eb0a13fb8
Spitterkat
1 Star Member
1 Star Member
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2017 4:06 pm

Re: Nesting software options

Post by Spitterkat »

I currently have solidworks LT, just wondering what other options are out there / how much they cost
tcaudle
4 Star Elite Contributing Member
4 Star Elite Contributing Member
Posts: 1353
Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2012 6:47 pm

Re: Nesting software options

Post by tcaudle »

1. Nesting is overrated. It's only useful if you do lots of job shop type mixed sheet layouts. (different layups day after day) For a few sheets a week or most decorative cutting, you can do it by hand almost as fast as auto nesting. If you want to cut a bunch of one or maybe even 5 or 6 different parts you manually place one row of mixed parts, and then simply use the "duplicate" function in SheetCAM. You can do an entire sheet in seconds after you have the first row done. Of course if you have 100 different parts and only one or two sheets then it gets tedious.
2. GOOD nesting programs are expensive. By good it means it needs little clean up and it does not break some of the rules of plasma cutting like placing things to close or have the lead-ins in the wrong place or lapping inot an adjacent part.
3 Nesting is largely a CAM process since it needs to take into account the actual cut paths.
Spitterkat
1 Star Member
1 Star Member
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2017 4:06 pm

Re: Nesting software options

Post by Spitterkat »

Sorry not solidworks, pronest LT
AdrianH
2 Star Member
2 Star Member
Posts: 87
Joined: Tue Dec 27, 2016 1:08 pm

Re: Nesting software options

Post by AdrianH »

I was doing a job a lot bigger than my hobby plasma could do and needed multiple cut parts, so I approached a laser cutters to get prices on full sheets, but I needed to sort out nesting to get the most efficient use I could, after looking at options I ended up at this website http://www.mynesting.com
You download the client side software and run on windows that allows you to go onto their cloud based servers that run the nesting software.
You pay a sum of money say $60 for 10 credits, you pick the size of sheet, add some spacing dimensions between pieces and from the edge, upload your dxf's etc and say how many pieces you would like to get and it works out the cuts over so many sheets of steel.

It only costs you a credit when you are happy with the results and download your final sheet dxf's.
I found it to be the lowest cost as opposed to investing in software and time myself.

There are probably more companies doing it out there, but I was please with their support section when i needed help.

Adrian

edit to add multiple parts
Last edited by AdrianH on Sun Nov 26, 2017 6:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Spitterkat
1 Star Member
1 Star Member
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2017 4:06 pm

Re: Nesting software options

Post by Spitterkat »

I currently run with pronest LT and autocad. tcaudle, do you know how I would go about omitting the nesting software? usually i profile out pretty simple shapes for customers, to me the nesting software we have seems expensive and overkill for what we use it for (never those 200 piece jobs that fill an entire sheet like in the demos, we might occasionally do high number cuts but theyre all the same profile / stacked evenly).
lcrepairs
1/2 Star Member
1/2 Star Member
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2018 4:23 pm

Re: Nesting software options

Post by lcrepairs »

I know this post is old but I've been using Vectric Cut2D and the auto nest works real well for me. I nested 6 different parts on 14 sheets, worked real well. The cost of that program is around $485 It also has the easiest Cad software I've ever used.
TruCut CNC XT 4x8
PM-950 Mill
G0776 13x40 Lathe
User avatar
SegoMan DeSigns
3.5 Star Elite Contributing Member
3.5 Star Elite Contributing Member
Posts: 822
Joined: Sat Jan 06, 2018 4:45 pm

Re: Nesting software options

Post by SegoMan DeSigns »

Here is another thread on nesting software you can slide the pay amount bar in the link and get it for free.. (if you like it throw them some $$)

viewtopic.php?f=52&t=26683
Post Reply

Return to “General Discussion”