Opening and controlling preliminary "Nesting" program

The command is used to open the Nesting program. It can be opened in the assembly environment only. Parts contained in the Nester environment must be assigned technologies created for Nesting Router machines.

To open the command, go to:

Woodwork Design -> Technology -> Nesting

The command opens a control window for the Nester program displaying Part Occurrence on raw material sheets. Preliminary sheet sizes for each material are taken from the material description stored in the material database.

Nester window

The following commands can be accessed using the toolbar:

Open

Opens previously saved cutting scheme.

Save

Allows saving the created cutting scheme.

Add new Sheet

Allows inserting additional raw material sheets in the opened tab.

Fit

Rearranges parts on the sheets.

Settings

Nesting settings

▪	Part rotation increment: defines part rotation increment. This is done by means of dragging, where a part is rotated interactively.

▪	View Sheet columns: specifies the maximum number of raw material sheets per row.

▪	Parts placing corner: selects the sheet corner from which parts will be automatically arranged.

Material Replacement Configuration

here, you can choose the material replacement configuration. In this case, the materials tab will contain names that will be used in the final BOM.

The browser presents a list of parts arranged on the sheets. It will be given for one active material only or, in other words, only for the tab that is active at the given moment. The part item will be further expanded and the list presented below will include occurrences of the part. As you select an occurrence item with the cursor, you also select the occurrence in the graphic display, where you can view the arrangement of parts on the sheets. Parts can be selected in the reverse order. In such event, a part is selected with the cursor in the graphic display and the part can be found in the browser using Find in Browser function available from the contextual menu that is opened by right-clicking the mouse.

Part properties window displays the main characteristics of the selected occurrence.

Nesting occerence properties

Here, the user can change X and Y coordinates, and rotation angle of the part. Interactive dragging of the part in the graphic window will also affect the sizes.

All parts that are found in the assembly are classified by raw material. A separate tab is created for each raw material, which displays raw material sheets with the arranged parts.

Manipulating the Occurrences

For simplicity, occurrences will be referred to as parts.

Parts can be selected by means of the cursor; the selected part will be active.

Dragging the Parts

The selected part can be dragged to a different point of the sheet using the cursor. The part recognizes other parts on the sheet preventing overlaps. However, sometimes situations occur, in which parts have to be dragged over other parts. In such event, press and hold "Shift" key while dragging the part. Overlapping loop lines or lines that are outside the sheet are highlighted in red.

Rotating the Parts

The selected parts have additional handles that can be used to rotate the parts. The parts are rotated at a discrete angle, the increment of which is specified in the settings. To rotate a part over the other part, press and hold "Shift" key.

Commands for additional manipulations are available from the contextual menu that is opened by right-clicking the mouse.

Contexr menu of nesting part

Cut	Cuts the selected occurrence to a data buffer. Later, you will be able to paste the occurrence from the buffer to the desired location or a new sheet.
Copy	Copies the selected occurrence to the data buffer. Later, you will be able to paste the occurrence from the buffer to the desired location or a new sheet.
Delete Occurrence	Deletes occurrences from the sheet.
Refit Sheet	Automatically rearranges parts on the current sheet.
Flip Over X axis	Flips the part over X axis. Note. When the part is flipped over, holes will be facing down and will not be included in the CNC program. Therefore, when flipping parts over, take into account all the consequences.
Flip Over Y axis	Flips the part over Y axis. Note. When the part is flipped over, holes will be facing down and will not be included in the CNC program. Therefore, when flipping parts over, take into account all the consequences.
Find in browser	Finds the part in side browser.
Open in Inventor	Opens the part in the Autodesk Inventor.
Zoom Occurrence	Zooms in the selected occurrence.
Zoom Sheet	Zooms in the current raw material sheet.
Zoom All	Zooms in all raw material sheets.

Manipulating Raw Material Sheets

If the cursor is placed on an empty space in the raw material sheet, right-click the mouse to open the contextual menu and manipulate the sheet.

Sheet Context meniu of nester

Crop Sheet	Crops the edges of the given sheet depending on the current layout of parts.
Delete Sheet	Deletes the entire sheet. All parts are transferred from the sheet to the buffer containing parts that did not fit in the sheet.
Sheet properties	Opens the sheet size dialog box. Here, you can change sheet size and indent values.
Refit Sheet	Automatically rearranges parts on the current sheet.
Zoom Sheet	Zooms in the current raw material sheet.
Zoom All	Zooms in all raw material sheets.

If, for any reason, some occurrences did not fit in the sheet or the entire sheet was cleared, or you want to leave the part aside while creating a new sheet, you can use the special buffer for such occurrences. Any occurrence can be dragged to the buffer while holding "Shift" key. Parts can also be dragged back to the sheet from the buffer.