Nesting Software: 6 Best to Use in 2024 [CNC, Laser, Plasma]
These tools maximize the efficiency of your nesting operations
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Key notes
- Automatic nesting software are ideal for cutting down costs and minimizing material losses.
- The tools listed below have intelligent features like multiplying the shapes ideally on a given surface and more.
You need efficient nesting software if you want to minimize the amount of scrap raw material produced while cutting your materials.
Nesting is the process of cutting custom patterns out of different materials to maximize the usage of space. It can be used with glass, wood, steel, ceramic, plastics, etc.
This type of program analyzes the shapes you want to nest and, using computer algorithms, fits as many cutting patterns inside the available space as possible. This allows you to waste less material, reduce production times, avoid any possible human errors, and reduce overall costs.
The cutting is done by specialized CNC (computer numerical control) machines, which can be adapted to your chosen cutting material. The model/models to be cut can be created using CAD (Computer-aided design) software compatible with your CNC machine.
Today, we will explore some of the best automatic nesting software options on the market.
What are the best automatic nesting tools for Windows?
Inventor Nesting – Perfect for professionals
Inventor Nesting is a CAD-embedded software with true-nest shaping tools to optimize raw materials or help in product designs or manufacturing.
You can manage your manufacturing object by setting up nesting properties, thus creating a nesting study to manage your product.
To get a better idea, each nest is a set of shapes arranged on a sheet of material for cutting your available raw materials. Plus, you can compare nesting studies to optimize efficiency while reducing costs.
Furthermore, to create your nest study, the materials need to have packaging associated to include them all. After that, the study can be opened in the dialog box, listing shapes, packaging, and materials.
You can also set up the job quantity or shapes to personalize your product at its best and, therefore create the perfect outcome for your project.
In addition, you’re able to create 3D nesting models and generate cutting paths using Inventor CAM or directly export the project as DXF files.
This tool comes with the Product Design and Manufacturing collection, delivering features that work inside Inventor. You can connect products for 2D drafting, large-scale design review, or visualization.
Key features of Inventor Nesting include:
- Automated true-shape nesting
- Smooth workflows for cutting paths
- Reports reviews and comparison to see nesting efficiency
- Guided steps to create your nest study correctly
Inventor Nesting
Manage your nesting projects with ease with the help of this superior CAD software to design the best models.NestIt – Friendly and intuitive interface
If you’re looking for nesting software with a steep learning curve, NestIt might be the perfect choice.
That is because it comes with a very friendly and comprehensive interface that anyone can use, even without much prior training.
With this tool, you can easily import CAD files and modify the input geometries through an internal CAD.
NestIt is also extremely versatile. It allows you to enter the required quantity for each part, set the number of rotations, and even apply mirroring.
That means you can specify how many parts mirrored along X and Y you need without importing them repeatedly into your design.
Another interesting option is setting a certain part as a filler. This way, the part will fill the available space after placing all the other parts.
Also, with NestIt, the container can be of any shape. You may set multiple containers, and the software automatically calculates their multiplicity.
Of course, each nesting solution can be manually modified by importing new geometries or moving, rotating, scaling, and editing them individually.
And after you’re done, you can export the nest files with lots of possible options and formats.
Let’s review some of its top features below:
- Intuitive and easy-to-use interface
- Advanced mirroring capabilities
- Modify the geometries and then set the main geometry parameters before nesting
- High nesting performances and many settings for your output files and reports
- Export the DXF result with the possibility of removing (or merge) the common lines
NestIt
Get a great nesting software with a modern and intuitive user interface and extensive features.SigmaNEST – Great for cost estimations
SigmaNEST is a powerful and easy-to-use full suite of CAD tools that allow you to design parts and nest them, can import data from all major CAD systems, and allow automatic NC (numerical control) and full NC simulation with G-code display.
With this software, you have full control over quoting and cost estimation, inventory management and stock control, work order and job tracking, and integrate perfectly with MRP/ERP business systems.
By using the wide range of features found in this application, you can reduce waste materials, lower the production cost per part, allows part-in-part nesting, and offer you the possibility to choose from a wide range of nesting strategies.
You can also use SigmaNEST to optimize tool path sequencing – allowing you to reduce your CNC machine’s time-cycle for faster and more efficient results. You can also use common-line and continuous cutting features that offer you full control over the cut direction and sequence, and many other options.
You can see its full list of features accompanied by detailed descriptions on the dedicated website.
Some other features that are worth mentioning, based on their type:
Nesting key features include:
- Move common line pair – allows you to align and rotate parts
- Sheet defined task parameters – can apply cutting directions directly to the material to reduce scrap
- HD Super Nest supports Best Sheet and the Continuous Nesting module
- High-definition rectangular nesting engine – improved nesting for rectangular parts
CAD import and geometry:
- Batch support for files in inventor vault
- Easily import CAD data
- Solidworkds support
Inventory features :
- Can assign configuration rules
- Advanced material handling – easily assign part removal
You can find a good range of training material on the SigmaNEST official website.
DeepNest – Ideal for laser cutters or plasma cutters
The next entry is DeepNest, an open-source nesting software made for laser cutters or plasma cutters, without losing any materials.
With a robust nesting engine, you can get the advantage of nesting bitmap images for laser engraving and construct your pieces measured by perfection
If you need effective software specialized to improve yield raw material, this solution provides real help by automatically merging common lines, improving part quality to avoid heat, and much more.
Moreover, you will benefit from a simple-to-use interface that helps you finish the job in minutes. Practically, you only need to import your files, mark the most significant part as your sheet, and let the tool find the best answers.
Another worth mentioning benefit is the time-saving option that lets you part your material without multiple laser passes and, therefore, improves your workflow timing.
All in all, such a useful program will significantly help any user who needs robust nesting services, especially for manufacturers who work in the industry. In fact, this software can read DXF, SVG, and Corel CDR files and write DXF and SVG files.
Key features of DeepNes include:
- Merge common lines for laser cuts
- Support for DXF files
- New path approximation feature
- New nesting engine
- User-friendly interface
NestFab – Easy CAD import
NestFab is another great automated nesting software that offers a wide range of useful features, all of them being covered by a user-friendly UI.
You can fully control nesting settings like quantities, sheet size, and part rotation and have full automation processes that allow you to produce nested parts around the clock.
Key features of NestFab include:
- Interactive CAD importer – you can easily import any CAD data to NESTfab by automatically searching for the part that fits
- Export nests – you can save your layouts to CAD formats and select from a huge range of export options that assures maximum compatibility
- Can print detailed reports – a variety of nesting reports that can assist the production team both before and after the cutting is done
- Automates workflow by using a production planning system
You can also add the Ultra Performance package to NESTfab, which adds a few more incredibly powerful and useful features:
- Professional-level nesting efficiency
- Can set exact part and sheet spacings – including no gap
- Free rotation of your parts
- Can set tilt tolerance for grainy materials
- Repeat nest options – allows more efficient production by repeating the commands
- Common line cutting
The NestFab official website offers useful tutorial videos to help you use this software.
MyNesting – Can be accessed on any device
MyNesting offers you a great web app, that allows you to automate your nesting creation process at a fraction of the cost compared to other applications presented in this article.
However, you don’t need to download anything because it simply works in a browser. That means you can start the nesting on your PC at the office and continue the job on a tablet at home or on the move.
The latest iteration of the web app is also AI-powered, so it delivers intelligent nesting algorithms that will bring your productivity to the maximum.
The tool is available for a 7-day trial period, and then you need to pay for a licence. You have two options here. You may use a monthly payment plan or a daily fixed quota to access all its features.
You can find a good range of tutorials on the MyNesting official website.
This article explored some of the best nesting software options available on the market. We chose to present software that covers both the needs of professionals and beginners.
The nesting software options presented above cover all your possible needs regarding automating the nesting process and all precision cutting devices, including traditional CNC, laser, or plasma.
What they also have in common is the fact that the services come at a pretty steep price. However, all of them have testing or free trial versions.
Let us know what software you chose from this list in the comment section below.
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