Using the Part Selection

Once the Part Selection is loaded with parts, it can be used for nesting operations. Double-click on a part will add the part to the current nest, bumping it to the lower left corner of the raw plate. If parts are sorted together then a double-click and using the Ctrl key will add all the parts in one go.

Inside the Part Selection pane there are also three icons representing the following functions:

This function is used to quickly create a new nest based on the properties of the active tab, the priority of machines and the available material. The created nest is named based on the set-up for automatic naming. A project may contain flat bars of different types, ones that may be converted to plates (type 10) and ones that are not allowed to be converted into plates (type 11). Both will use the same type of raw material from the catalogue, that is raw material of type 10.

This functions resets and empties the Part Selection.

This function is activating the automatic nesting function for plates or profiles using the Active tab in the Part Selection. Available raw materials are presented and can be selected to be potentially used in the automatic nesting process. Raw materials are compared with machine restriction and the machine with highest priority is selected for each material. When one or many materials have been selected, the automatic nesting can be started. The automatic nesting progress is shown in the canvas and when accepting one or many nestings are generated. Nestings are presented in the window and are automatically named based on rules defined in the set-up.

Once a nesting is active in one of the windows in the canvas, the parts can manually be added from the Part Selection. Double-click on a part to place it on the current nest and the dimensions, thickness, steel quality and of course machine restrictions will be automatically checked. The part is bumped to the left and down on the nesting. The part can also be dragged into the nesting. Once again, all restrictions are checked and if fulfilled, the part will be connected to the cursor. If a part should be nested on a different thickness or quality and the part is within the limitations of the set-up for quality and thickness exchange, then dragging in the part while keeping the Ctrl button down will allow the part to be nested.

This function is activating the pre-nesting of selected plate parts, that means, all parts currently presented in the open tab of the parts menu on an unlimited number of raw plates. When activated, a dialog is shown for raw plate definitions:

Here raw material intervals are given and registered together with a machine selection to the pre-nesting process. The order of machines also defined the machine priority in the nesting process. A definition contains possible lengths and widths of materials, shortest and longest with a step that means, lengths from 10000 to 11000 with step 500 would generate an unlimited number of raw plates with lengths 10000, 10500 and 11000 in all the defined widths.

When all material is defined the process is started by clicking OK in the dialog and a monitoring dialog is presented:

This monitoring dialog contains three tabs, each with live information about the current nesting process. The first tab, Progress charts, contains three charts on the top showing the nested mass in percentage, the material consumption in square meters and the scrap percentage. The lower char shows the nesting result, in square meters, with material consumption and part and scrap areas. The Layout tab contains a graphical view of all nestings and the Material usage tab contains the used material in a list form. The pre-nesting activity is ended, when the results are satisfying, by clicking the Accept button.

The result of the pre-nesting activity is several nestings and several new raw materials, all stored in the database. The materials are stored as a proposed material (attribute MatSta with value Proposed) meaning these materials can be picked up within the ERM integration and processed further. Once available, this MatSta attribute is changed into value Approved.

Nestings, nested on proposed material have restrictions. It is not possible to process them further with tool path definition and creation of NC information until the material status has changed.