Sheet Optimizer

[woodturner]

Looking for a recommendation regarding a sheet optimizer. Just getting into KCDW/Artcam Insignia/Cabinetmaker. Do we even need one and if so, which one? Looking @ Drummond, Ardis, etc.

Thanks in advance.

[paco]

What about 'Nesting' tool?!


4328

[kivimagi]

Does anyone know of another nesting tool? Maybe something stand alone?

Regards,

[Ryan Patterson]

I have used this http://www.cutmaster2d.com/ . Will expot to dxf.

[woodduck]

Cutlist Plus is a good one. It does labels, banding and costing as well.

http://cutlistplus.com/

[chris_booth]

Ed,

I looked into this a bit on the net and found the following: the topic of nesting can be split into "rectangular nesting" and "free-form nesting". Both these search terms on google give makers of nesting software with descriptions of their products.

It may be possible to get some basic stand-alone rectangular-nesting software which accepts .dxf input (of non-rectangular shapes) as a starting point for it to make its recommendation of sheet optimization.

But (perhaps not surprisingly given the complexity of the work required to write the software)there are no free or even cheap "free-form nesting" softwares.

I concluded the cost of what I would have been interested in - "free-form nesting" software - was not justified by what I would have saved in material.

[dirk]

Ed
With the combo your looking at KCDW, Insignia and
Cabinetmaker you'll have what you need. I saw a short demo of this combination at the Ohio camp. Cabinetmaker links the parts created in KCDW and uses the cam and nesting features of Insignia to make a nice system.
Dirk

[sawkerf]

Dirk is right. The nesting feature in Artcam is the sheet optimizer. Kip.