Significance of nesting software in lean manufacturing systems

Nesting software in lean manufacturing has been widely employed. Although ptimising material use is a critical task, nesting software plays a crucial role during integration, automation and part quality. The main objective of this software is to leverage the mathematical processing power of the PC to optimise material usage and reduce cost. Nesting software automatically works on the required quantities of individual parts to be produced on sheets or plates of the stock material. This is usually done by using part geometry from CAD files to output NC code that controls a cutting machine like a laser, plasma, oxyfuel, waterjet or saw. Software applicability Nesting software programs can import and work with 2D file formats like DXF and DWG. Nesting programs with automatic CAD error correction tools and tool-path capability provide additional automation during the CAD import process. To achieve optimum part quality, nesting software may be used to apply advanced process - specific parameters. The parameters that need to be applied depend on the cutting process used. With a plasma machine, for instance, varying the feed rate and kerf compensation and enabling automatic height control lockouts are some of the factors that need to be implemented to achieve good quality holes. A laser machine may need the activation of a pulse pierce with a proper cut condition. Wide range compatibility Nesting software can provide specific settings for different holes of varying sizes. Cutting sharp corners with a water jet machine requires a ramp - down of the cutting speed moving into the corner and a ramp up coming out of the corner. Meanwhile, lasers may benefit from specific corner - radius techniques to achieve the same goal. Whatever the objective is, nesting software is capable to provide the power and flexibility needed for a given cutting process. Creating highly efficient nests is one thing, but cutting those nests productively is another. Thanks to many productivity tools now integrated within nesting software, manufacturers can cut their nests faster and smarter than ever before. As with process parameters, different cutting processes may be more advantageous in productivity tools compared to others. Whether used with common - line cutting to reduce cutting time on a water jet, collision to prevent part tip-ups on a laser, or chain-cutting to eliminate costly pre - heat cycles on an oxy fuel machine, the nesting software gives beneficial features, no matter what the cutting process is used. Strategic operation Lean manufacturing involves turning over material inventory as often and as completely as possible. Nesting software plays a major role in this process. A very useful tool is the ability to nest a partial sheet or plate and then save the digital remnant or skeleton for later use with another nesting job. Such systems need the facility''s wide commitment to inventory control, but can gain excellent material savings. Not all material remnants are conveniently stored in digital format, however, so the ability to use nesting software to create the remnant or import it as a CAD drawing is very useful and helps get those small, but valuable "drops" out of the rack. Not all material is defect - free, especially in the world of water jet cutting, in which materials such as stone are routinely used. Importing a JPG image of the material over the electronic nest area and then nesting around voids and other defects to minimise scrap and wasted production time is yet another example of how advanced nesting software can help manufacturing companies succeed. Customised approach Generating an optimised toolpath for the nest is a goal in every process, but the specific objective may vary based on cutting process and application. Accounting for these variables among the major processes is an important function of nesting software. Intelligent sequencingBlack Friday 19