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Anyone here using a dyamic nesting system for wood (plywood, osb, etc.)?

The Dude

Hot Rolled
Joined
Oct 19, 2010
Location
Portland, OR
I didn't want to write a long question if there's not anyone using nesting. I can provide more detail if someone has experience dealing with small parts or scrap on tables without a vacuum hold (for the sheet/parts) or where micro-tabbing isn't used. We have an issue mainly with small scrap pieces getting pulled up into the dust vacuum. Hopefully want to hear some solutions outside of a vacuum table (this is for multi-sheet cutting) and ideally not micro-tabbing (I know this could likely completely cure the issue).

Thanks,
The Dude
 
By multi sheet cutting, do you mean you are stacking sheets and cutting through multiples or you are just doing nesting on a bunch of different sheets?

I nest my parts but I have a vac table. Even with vacuum you still can make your life easier by correct sequencing of cutting parts in the nest.

One thing you could do without vac is to pilot a hole in the middle of the scrap pcs that you can use to screw into the spoil board before you start cutting the parts out. This way you will not put one in the cutpath. Adds a step, but not sure what else you can do without vac.

Not sure if that helps,
Jason
 
By multi sheet cutting, do you mean you are stacking sheets and cutting through multiples or you are just doing nesting on a bunch of different sheets?

I nest my parts but I have a vac table. Even with vacuum you still can make your life easier by correct sequencing of cutting parts in the nest.

One thing you could do without vac is to pilot a hole in the middle of the scrap pcs that you can use to screw into the spoil board before you start cutting the parts out. This way you will not put one in the cutpath. Adds a step, but not sure what else you can do without vac.

Not sure if that helps,
Jason

Thanks Jason, it is "multi-layers". I'm hoping to get it more towards single layers with vacuum but that's going to be rolling a big ball uphill that might roll back on me.

I'm curious about the pilot hole. Currently use a 1/2" plunger bit for routing and there's a side drill that's almost always 5/16" (manual tool changing). The top base layer is 1/4" mdf (same spoil board typically used on vacuum bases as I understand). Does plunging the router into the scrap piece somehow hold it down, even without vacuum? Or are you suggesting they use a fastener in the pilot hole (i.e. drill the pilot holes, put the fastener in and then router out the parts)? In either case, my main concern would be that a dynamic nesting software package couldn't recognize this and it would have to be programmed manually (i.e. sheet by sheet, with visual assessment). That's probably the #1 issue here, it just looks like these software programs can't recognize small scrap (especially outside perimeter, between parts) and process them in some manner.

Just FYI, I posted a parallel question on the CAD/CAM forum, asking about how people with lasers or maybe plasma deal with potential "tilt-up" parts that could damage a laser cutting head or torch. I'm assuming that most people would hang out on one forum more than the other.

Thanks,
The Dude
 
To start with, if you have the volume of parts that are the same, multi layer is the way to go if you can control it all. The way they are doing it the last 10+ years is to use roller hold downs. This clamps the sheets down on each side of the cutter as you go. Pretty slick.

As for the pilot, I was thinking to have the machine drill the holes in the spots where you needed to hold the scrap down and then the operator would put a screw in it. I don't know of any software that would do that for you without some custom stuff. I have to end up nesting all my parts manually anyway so dropping a few drill points in the program would be pretty quick.

One thing you may be able to do is where you have small pcs that may kick up, pocket them out vs cutting the perimeter. If you turn it into chips it won't get in the way. You may be able to program something to do it to anything less than a certain size.

Do you mind telling us what machine you have?
 








 
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