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Automatic nesting
Menu access : Tools | Nesting | Automatic nesting
Description :
The nesting module is a feature that allows to position a set of part into a set of support on an optimal way by respecting the positioning constraints.
This first function said as "automatic" consists in defining the “part template” and the “support template” and let the system compute the automatically the resulting nesting.
Definitions :
With this feature, "part" can be one of the following TopSolid element : shape, planar curve or hatched area. Each part to position is called “part template” and define beside its geometry, a group of properties useful for the nesting process. Here are some of these properties:
A number of part to position.
The placement priority of the part.
Orientation constraints of the part according to its main coordinate system.
Symmetry constraints
…
A "support" is a parallelepiped defined by its dimensions parameters (length, width and high) just as facultative attributes (reference, designation, matter, price …). Each support definition is called “support template” and define beside its geometry a group of properties useful for the nesting process. Here are some of these properties:
A number of available supports,
The use priority of the support,
The margins to respect when nesting the parts,
…
A “Nesting description” is a set of parts templates associated with a set of supports templates. A Nesting description contains properties useful for the nesting process. Here are some of these properties:
A nesting method or "strategy",
A minimal distance between parts,
Information that allows to identify the nesting process results.
A “nesting” is the result generated by a “Nesting description”. A nesting is an element that contains a support (stemming from the template) and a set of parts positioned onto this support. A nesting is usually generated into a different document from the one that contains the nesting description.
General philosophy :
The Nesting description can be created into a new document or into the assembly document.
Choose if you want to position curves or shapes through the corresponding drop down list.
Select the positioning face for each part to position. At this step, you can also define the quantity you need for each part. Click on CONTINUE to end the selection. If the function has been started from the assembly document or from a new document (never saved), TopSolid will ask you to specify a name and location where to save the resulting file.
The nesting description dialog box then appear. It contains 3 tabs. See the "Available options" chapter for details about the dialog box.
When validating the dialog box, the nesting description is created into the assembly document and the nestings are generated.
Available option(s):
The button FILES
LIST allows
to select several part files to add them in the list of part to nest.
A exploration dialog box appear in which you can select a list of file (use the [Ctrl] key to select several file in the list).
Each file must contain only one part in the ASSEMBLY (it is the part define in the MAIN ASSEMBLY that will be used). The part must be laid flat on the absolute coordinate system of the file..
The option Object
to nest= allows to choose if you want to nest curves or shapes.
The option Filter
by = allows
to define the criterion of the part selection filtering. Once the first
part selected, the next parts could be selected only if the fit with the
filter criterion.
For example, if the chosen filter is "Material + Thickness", the next parts could only be selected if they have the same material and thickness as the first selected part.
Options
from the "nesting description" dialog box:
In the “Part” tab, you can define the following parameter for each part:
Number of part to position,
Color of the part on
the support
,
Positioning priority,
Positioning constraints
of the
part on the support (angle and symmetry).
In the “Supports” tab, you can define the supports to use:
The button Add standard allows to add a standard support into the list of support to use in this nesting.
The button Add... allows to add a support that you define manually.
You can define the quantity and the priority for each support.
You can give external offset for each support.
In the "Nesting" tab, you can define the general parameter of the nesting:
Nesting strategy,
Gaps between parts,
Names and location of the resulting files.
Specific point(s):
The icon before the panel reference indicates that it is not compatible with the properties of the part to place. The icon before the matter indicates that the matter of the panel is different from the matter of the parts.
The icon "
"
means that there is a compatibility problem between the element and the
rubric indicated by this symbol:
In front of the reference of the support: indicates that the support does not fit with the parts properties.
In front of the material: indicates support material does not fit with the parts material.
In front of the thickness: indicates that the support thickness is different from the parts thickness.
In the assembly document, the “nesting
description” can be edited in the symbolic tree by editing the “NESTING
SET”
From the construction tree, you can modify or deleted the “nesting description”, add and extract part from the nesting.
When modifying the “nesting description”
you can notice that a new tab "Result
files" has appeared. It contains the list of the documents
generated by the nesting process.
Into each generated document, a nesting type element has been created.
This element describes the generated nesting. It is possible to edit it
by selecting the support or one of the positioned parts.
It is then possible to modify locally the nesting by keeping the part already positioned or to modify the whole nesting through the two options on top of the dialog box : "Complete nesting" and "Recompute nesting".
It is easy to create a draft from
a nesting just as it bill of material.
