Knowledge

What is sheet metal nesting?

Nesting plans where multiple parts are placed on one or more sheets. The goal is a feasible layout that respects geometry and production rules.

How a layout is made

A system considers contours, part quantities, sheet boundaries, margins, spacing and allowed rotations. A job may require several sheets. Optimization is a combinatorial problem, so tools usually search for a good result within a defined time rather than prove a mathematical optimum.

Bounding boxes and actual contours

A bounding-box method represents a part by its rectangular envelope and may leave unused gaps. True-Shape placement checks how contours fit together. Holes and concave shapes need additional validation. The method name alone does not guarantee a safe or optimal result.

Checks before production

Validate contours, spacing and sheet boundaries, then account for kerf, part stability and cut order. Nesting plans placement; it does not by itself produce a complete CAM toolpath.

LamiNest Cut scope

The current LamiNest Cut MVP is limited and based on bounding envelopes. The True-Shape solver is experimental and target-level optimization has not been achieved. See the LamiNest nesting page.