Page 32 - MetalForming Magazine September 2022

Fabrication: Nesting Software
as a power user of the nesting soft- ware—part of the 10 percent of users who use 90 percent of its features— squeezes plenty out of ProNest to reduce significantly the programming time for nesting while employing var- ious features to reduce material usage and smartly select proper sheet sizes for the jobs.
“I prepared a PowerPoint presenta- tion to sell management on this soft- ware,” Toop recalls, “and by the third bullet point, we had the go ahead to buy it.”
What proved so persuasive in those bullet points? Here’s an example: One PowerPoint slide on part-nesting capa- bility showed a nest of 187 parts on a first-attempt ProNest-programmed sheets as compared to 178 parts via the previous software, resulting in sav- ing one full sheet ($320) on a job. And, ProNest required 1 min. of program- ming for this job as compared to 30 min. for the old software. Another: For estimating, with the feed rates, work- center rates and material costs inte- grated into ProNest, the software creates 99-percent-accurate laser-operation prices. And, estimators can use PDF and DXF files to create quotes, with the software’s AutoNest module enabling one-click identification of the optimal sheet size in inventory for that particular part, and creating an accu- rate quote in about 1 min. depending on part complexity.
Today, with ProNest in place and running on laser cutting machines across multiple locations, Toop and laser cutting operators, programmers and estimators make use of various software features to save money and time, including these key modules:
• Automatic Nesting enables one- click nesting. Users can choose their preferred nesting strategy to control the balance between nesting speed and material utilization, or select Intelli- Choice for the software to determine an algorithm-based strategy.
• Nesting System Optimization determines the ideal sheet size for a particular set of parts. The module reportedly calculates every possible
combination of parts, plates, remnants and different nesting strategies until it finds the best possible outcome.
• Common Line Cutting enables sharing of the common edges of adja- cent parts. This feature can be applied automatically to similar parts or manually for dissimilar part pro- files, with kerf compensation auto- matically applied. Using this feature results in fewer pierces and reduced cutting distance to maximize produc- tivity and consumable life while sav- ing material.
Huge Reduction in Programming Time
Besides the benefits brought by the nesting software to Standard Iron & Wire Works identified above by Toop, he has another.
“We have what we call T jobs—inter- nal jobs such as parts for fixtures and check gauges,” Toop says. “Suppose a fixture requires 10 separate parts. With our prior nesting software, we would tab all of those parts (separate CAD files) together and bring them into the nesting software as a single part, a cou- ple-hour process. Now with ProNest and its tabbing capabilities, we can nest a T job in 5 min. That time savings is important for us. With this and other nesting-software capabilities, our pro- grammers nest only 2 to 3 hr./day,
whereas when I started they were nest- ing 10 hr./day.”
The difficulty in finding qualified employees first influenced Standard Iron & Wire Works to bring in the new nesting software.
“Trying to replace people who’ve programmed for 20 years or more as they retire is becoming more and more difficult,” offers Toop. “Since we brought in ProNest, we’ve put together work instructions for nesting. Com- bined with the software’s ease of use, we have put people who have never nested on a computer, given them the work instructions, and said, ‘Nest these work orders.’ They can do it!”
Ease of use helps, too, with filling in across the manufacturer’s various locations when a programmer is out sick or on vacation.
“Just recently,” Toop says, “we had programmers in two locations who were out. I was able to sit here and nest for all of these plant locations. With the old nesting software, we didn’t have the ability to program efficiently across locations.”
Significant Boost
in Material Utilization
With ProNest in place, Standard Iron & Wire Works has set about consoli- dating its sheet sizes. “With this nesting software, we have such improved uti-
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MetalForming/September 2022 29
New nesting software employs algorithms that enable Standard Iron & Wire Works to tightly fit parts on sheets for laser cutting, leading to significant gains in material utilization.