CAN'T CUT COMPLETE PART IN A NEST

[beefy]

There's a Sheetcam JOB file in the attached zip folder. It's a very simple cut for illustrating this problem.

I drew a disc with a small hole in the middle. Import into Sheetcam. In Sheetcam I put the small hole on a separate layer and use a drill operation on this layer to mark the hole centre, all good.

The outer circle is on the other layer and I apply a normal cutting operation.

With just the one part, the hole centres are marked and then the outer cut is done, all good.

Here's the problem: when I want to cut multiples of this part, whether I use copy, duplicate, multiple duplicate, or array, I cannot get the parts to complete one at a time, i.e. mark hole centre & cut outline on part 1, then move to part 2 and repeat. Instead Sheetcam wants to do all hole marking on every part before starting ANY outside cuts.

Can Sheetcam not do this. Tried selecting "Keep Parts Together" in the cutting operation, but obviously this won't help seeing as the hole marking is in drill operation.

Edit: Tried the same thing but with a plasma operation for the bolt hole instead of a drill operation. Each part will complete that way so seems if one part has several layers and the SAME type of operation is applied to each of those layers, then the whole part can complete, BUT if different operation types are applied to the layers the whole part will not complete.

Anyone know is this can be worked around.

Keith.

[BTA Plasma]

Hey Beefy is it the cut sequencing your having a hard time with? Numbering your start points?

[acourtjester]

Another way to do it is start with one part the bring the next one in as a new part not copy of the same part. This will keep them separate from each other but you can still nest the group as one routine

[beefy]

Thanks for replying guys.

I figured out how to do it and what was the cause of the issue.

Seems the "problem" (Sheetcam was actually doing the right thing) was to do with minimizing tool changes. The drill operation and the plasma operation were using different plasma TOOLS.

Went to OPTIONS menu / JOB OPTIONS / NESTING tab / OPTIMISATION box, and the selection was MINIMISE TOOL CHANGES. Guess this setting makes the first tool go through all of its tasks before allowing the 2nd tool to start. So changed the selection to MANUAL OPTIMISATION (KEEP PARTS TOGETHER) and now each part would complete before moving on to the next one.

So seems that is sort of a global "keep parts together" for the job, whereas the "keep parts together" selection in the operation box only applies to that operation.

Keith.

[acourtjester]

I miss-understood your question but you finding the correct answer will help me in future when I run into that.
Thanks

[tnbndr]

and now each part would complete before moving on to the next one.

Does it complete the part including cutting the outside? so that one part could be removed from the sheet or does it complete all the internal tools for one part and then move to the next part and complete all the internal tools, etc and then come back and cut the outside?

TIA

[beefy]

Does it complete the part including cutting the outside? so that one part could be removed from the sheet or does it complete all the internal tools for one part and then move to the next part and complete all the internal tools, etc and then come back and cut the outside?

Everything, the complete part, so I could lift it out before the 2nd piece was started.

Keith.

[tnbndr]

Everything, the complete part, so I could lift it out before the 2nd piece was started.

Thanks for the information. I can see where that may be helpful in the right situation.