Laser cut nest
Here’s a small section of a much larger CNC nest program that filled up a 2m x 1m sheet of metal. We only have to worry about programming 1 part and then the software takes care of finding the best most efficient pattern wasting as little material as possible. The programming software even picks the fastest route through all the parts so that the laser cutting head doesn’t have to keep going over sheet that has already been cut. This image shows just one type of part nested over a whole sheet but the same principle works with multiple part types on a nest.
Full sheet nest of stainless steel components
This image shows a CNC laser nest used to laser cut out 4mm thick 304 stainless steel plates. The panel on the right hand side shows us the different profile conditions for the holes and outer profile. The bottom panel shows the order cutting text where we can later the order that features and parts are laser cut. The main window shows the parts as they will appear within the actual sheet of metal on the laser bed. We can simulate the cutting sequence to verify that all parts will be cut and that there won’t be any problems with parts flipping up and catching the laser cutting head.
Laser nest with 3D model and production notes
This view shows all the information that can be used to aid production staff when manufacturing a component. Not only is there the nest shown filling a standard sized sheet of metal but there are notes giving part numbers, laser cutting run times, assist gas types, sheet type and thickness information as well as a 3D images and dimensions bends ready for production. It’s easy to provide a print out of this information to go with the customer drawing and route card to answer most of the questions setters need when setting up each work centre.
For more information on Radan sheet metal software follow the link or give us a call.