Nesting direction

[Greg Facer]

Thanks everyone for the help on using the tool's values for depth cuts, etc. (I think I will use different tool libraries for different materials)

 

On my own, I have just figured out most of what I need to in the job setup sheet.

 

Now, the last major trick I'm trying to get good at is nesting (I have MC9 router BTW). I'm trying to get it to nest 100 rectangular pieces (w. some holes), by moving zig-zag across the X axis and up the Y axis. Actually, I'm trying to nest the toolpaths of 100 pieces.

 

But, the nesting a) only seems to want to nest first to fill up the y direction and doesn't want to zig and zig to minimize the cutting time.

 

Yes, cut next closest kinda works, but wanders all over the sheet. I don't see any way to nudge MC into a specific direction.

 

The direction is the most important thing I need to find, as the default forces me to know how big a sheet I need beforehand, or waste material.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Greg Facer,

plasticworks.ca

[Hardmill]

Try uploading a sample to the FTP and see

if maybe someone can take a look.

 

PEACE

[Guest]

Try transform toolpaths

[Greg Facer]

Hi Hardmill, Marc

 

Transform toolpaths does what I need, which was basically how I used to handle it in my old version of MC. However, it is not nesting, so that solution defeats the purpose. IF anyone knows a trick to getting nesting to zig-zag, please let me know....I'll probably do manual positions of just the database order for now.

 

I could post a file to the FTP, but it really is just nesting an 4.4" x 2.45" rectangle in a 48" X by 40"Y sheet (this is the max of my small router table). Ideally it would fill up the 48 first and then move up the 40", allowing me to figure out what length x 48" to cut off a sheet and get my pieces out of.

 

Hmmm, one of my other ideas was to reverse the sheets X and Y values, and then transform the results of the nesting back to my actual sheet orientation...but that showed that it isn't that MC is favoring the Y direction in nesting, it is just that's the best way to cut for yeild.

 

There is irony here, because once I cut a 48" x length X off a full sheet, the scrap from the piece is garbage. So, MC is maximizing my yield from the specified size, but isn't helping me determine the best sheet size to specify! Hmmm, I think I need a little VBA or excel sheet to work out the rough sheet size, then nest to that....I think that will solve the problem.

 

Thanks! Greg

[George_Gerhard]

Greg

if you nest toolpath, you can actually choose the order of how the parts get machined

 

rgds

George

[Greg Facer]

Hi Guys,

 

Back again, unfortunately.

 

This time, I'm trying to nest a 10" x 13" toolpath (plus 1/8" bit, and has some holes/cut outs) to get 10 pieces from a 35" x 48" sheet size.

 

I know this works, I can (and will have to it seems) do the layout by hand, but thought it would be a good quick test of MC9 rectangular nesting. BTW the proper way to do it, if 48 is X and 35 ix Y is to have 2 rows of 10Y13X 3 each and 1 row of 13Y10X of 4.

 

MC9 will not do that, insisting on only cutting 9 pieces! But, if I set the sheets to "add additional sheets as needed", the next sheet, only partly filled, starts with the piece rotated 90 degrees, which is what I want for 1 row of the first sheet!

 

For the obvious questions: Yes, I had 90 degs in the "rotate by" box. I also tried nesting the geometry. (and yes, I had room)

 

I'll try to get the file up on FTP: ftp://www.ppcadcam.com/Mastercam_forum/MC9_files/nest.mc9

 

Thanks for any ideas. Greg Facer

Plasticworks.ca

[Lee.]

Greg, somehow I can't see your file, but if you would like to e-mail it to me, i'll take a look.

 

Lee.

[Greg Facer]

From what Lee said, and what I tryed, it seems my link doesn't work. However, the FTP site link at the top of this page does, then it is in the MC9 folder as nest.mc9.

 

Going back to read the FTP instructions....

Greg Facer, plasticworks.ca

[Lee.]

Greg,

 

I did it. Check out the e-mail I sent you and let me know if everything is cosha.

 

Lee. The nestologist.

[Greg Facer]

Hi Lee,

 

I'm going to download and install the march service pack, as I see you have it and I haven't installed it. Thanks for the help,

 

Greg,

plasticworks.ca

[les]

things you could try are

rotate part 45*

try true shape nesting

give it a grain direction

 

chimo les

[Lee.]

Greg, did you get my latest e-mail??

[Greg Facer]

Hi Lee,

 

I did get your email, and I thank you for you help. However, making 6 of one shape in the vertical and 4 of another in the horizontal is not what I had in mind as a fix. Yes, it saves time if I know before hand that I can fit things a certain way but MC won't do it.

 

....but MC should! This is a very simple operation! It is one that you can tell easily that there is a more optimum solution. But, othertimes that is more difficult, and I expect a high-end package like MC to not drop a simply nesting exercise.

 

But, Lee's suggestion seems like the best answer until the nesting works properly. I tried nesting the toolpath and a rotated copy (I had to delete the nesting sestion though, the rotated copy was picking up other junk when trying to import), win a min of 10 each. Voila, that did get the 10 yield I knew was there.

 

Les, sorry for not putting this above, but I only have rectangular nesting...and grain would not have helped, as I can't get the 10 out if grain was important (plexiglass, so it isn't).

 

But, to the MC staff, the nesting still needs work, and having a way to force the majority of the parts to nest in one direction would be a welcome addition....I have a $100 nesting program that does that.....although oddly enough it also choked on my 10 x 13 piece.

 

BTW, Lee, are you using anything beyond the standard install for nesting. The screenshot you sent was unlike any I've seen on my version, but I don't know if that is because it mine is Router vs your Mill or something else.

 

Anyways, have a good weekend everyone!

 

Greg Facer,

plasticworks.ca

[Lee.]

Greg, I am using a standard install for MC. It is MR0304.

 

One thing you may have noticed, is I have some customised toolbar buttons. Thats all I can think.

 

Lee.

 

Glad to be of some help.

[Greg Facer]

Hi Lee,

 

It is the results screen that seems to be different. Your results seem to be in a dialogue box as part of the nesting dialogue boxes. In Router, it only uses the drawing area to plot out the results.

 

And yes, I noticed the gradient toolbar buttons too. Nice.

 

Greg

plasticworks.ca

[les]

hi greg,

 

the 10 by 13 worked for me { got 10 } I don't have ftp so

 

my part was 10x by 13y orgin center of part

sheet was 48x by 35y

tool was .125 upcut sprial

part to part was .126

nested toolpaths, fill all sheets

min quat 11 step angle 90

 

my habit is to make part orgin the center insted of a corner {seems to help somehow}

 

hope this helps in some way

 

chimo les

 

router pro v9.1

 

I got it to fail by nesting to tool dia plus distance between parts .125 = not enough room for vertical top row

 

[ 06-27-2004, 04:12 PM: Message edited by: les ]

[les]

greg

 

with a .125 bit nested to center of bit go with .001 or .01 between parts.

 

with a .125 bit nested to dia of bit you can go as small as -.124 between parts

 

 

its nesting the toolpath wich can overlap by as much as .124 { aprox 95% of dia} and still cut good parts

[Greg Facer]

Les, can you explain the "make part orgin the center insted of a corner {seems to help somehow}"? I don't quite follow you.

 

BTW, I had .020 between parts on center of bit (that should have been OK)....and just tried .001, and that didn't make it work.

 

Thanks, Greg

plasticworks.ca

[Greg Facer]

Hi Les,

 

Because I posted around the holiday, I'm re-posting in the hope you can explain the above.

 

Thanks, Greg

[cadcam]

you guys need to directly log in to the FTP.

the FTP uses a user and password to log in.

 

In your link there is no Log name or password. so this will not take you to the file.