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Hi all. I'm learning how to use Mastercam for a Wire EDM, and I'm trying to learn how to use the nesting toolpaths function efficiently. I guess my question is this:

Is there a way to nest your toolpaths so that all of the thread points start outside of the stock? In other words, is there a way I can avoid putting in pre-drilled holes when using this feature? I would like to be able to nest toolpaths in a way that the Wire EDM threads at a(n) point/origin outside of the stock and is able to guide/maneuver around all the different nested toolpath geometry. I'm trying to avoid predrilled holes as much as possible to maintain the integrity of the stock infrastructure.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks.

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You should make an enhancement request for CNC Software. I've used Nesting a lot, but never with Wire EDM. From what I know of how it functions, it is always looking to keep the entire path "inside" the boundary. The nesting algorithm was designed for "stock utilization", and it is trying to "fit" your tool paths inside of the stock.

I don't think you'll get much interest from CNC Software in making this improvement. Not that it wouldn't be useful for Wire EDM Users, but that is maybe 5% of the Mastercam market. Unless you get a majority of Wire EDM Users asking for CNC Software to make this change, the request likely won't get much attention. I don't say that to be negative, I'm just trying to give you a broader picture of how they choose to allocate their resources.

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Yes, since the Nesting will give you the best utilization of the Material, assuming you are doing "true shape" nesting, and not "rectangular". The rectangular nesting option is much quicker, but doesn't use the material as efficiently.

There is an option for "common edge", where you can basically force the nest to put two parts next to each other, where the distance between both parts is essentially the width of your cutter. That would allow you to pass the wire between the parts "once", while simultaneously cutting on both sides. This would only be useful if you could get away with making a single wire pass, and didn't require any cleanup. We can get away with that when cutting wood, foam, ect., not sure if it would work for what you do.

Once the material is nested to your satisfaction, then you could proceed with creating your paths, and making sure the Thread/Cut points are outside the boundary. The disadvantage to this would be if any part revisions happen, or your material size changes, then you need to re-nest and re-chain the operations.

You might be able to "force" nesting to bend to your will, if you are willing to be a little less efficient with your nesting. When using Rectangular Nesting (of the Tool Paths), I believe you can set an "angle" for how much the part can rotate. It could be possible to program a part where your "lead in" motion is on the "left" side, for example, and now you want to Nest the path into your stock. If you set the rotation to 90 or 270 degrees, it would force the tool path to be rotated. If you use a Sheet Size that is intentionally "larger" than your real stock, you'd get the Thread/Cut to occur outside the real material boundary. 

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