Frequently Asked Questions about Powernest nesting software library

Powernest is a true-shape automatic nesting library that optimizes the placement of complex 2D shapes on raw materials. It is designed for software developers, machine manufacturers, and OEMs who want to integrate high-performance nesting into their own applications.

It is not an end-user tool — it is a component that must be embedded inside a CAM, ERP, CAD/CAM, or industrial software system.

Powernest is ideal for:

• Machine builders (laser, waterjet, knife, foam, CNC, etc.)
• Software publishers (CAD/CAM, ERP, MES)
• Industrial software integrators
• R&D departments in manufacturing technologies
• OEMs who need advanced nesting without developing it in-house

Powernest is:

• A library/API → it requests a IT/developer team to implement it into a software alongside with Alma team.
• Invisible to end-users→ it’s the nesting core of an existed cam software.
• The nesting engine inside another software

End-user alternatives include:

• Almacam (industrial CAD/CAM with nesting engine + post-processors)
• Nest&Cut (SaaS web-based 2D nesting and cutting)

Powernest is used in many sectors including:

• Sheet metal fabrication
• Shipbuilding
• Packaging and printing
• Canva
• Die-making
• Foam and rubber cutting
• Woodworking
• Plastics and composites
• Stone, glass, cork
• Furniture and automotive component manufacturing

Powernest supports:

• Laser cutting
• Plasma
• Oxyfuel / flame
• Waterjet
• Knife and oscillating knife
• CNC routing and milling
• Sawing
• Contour cutting (foam, plastics, rubber)

Yes — Powernest handles:

• Non-rectangular sheets and offcuts
• Grain direction
• Material patterns (grid, lines, motifs)
• Priority groups
• Defects and quality zones
• Custom safety margins per part
• Recess nesting
• Common cutting

All features can be activated or configured via API.

Powernest is built on 45 years of mathematical and industrial research and offers:

• Best-in-class true-shape optimization
• Recess nesting (nesting parts inside cavities of other parts)
• Global optimization across multiple sheets
• Irregular sheet and off-cut management
• Fully automatic or interactive modes
• Support for hundreds of thousands of parts
• APIs that allow full customization and automation

Many customers (Bystronic, SENER, BCSI, Fecken-Kirfel…) consider it the most reliable and efficient nesting engine available.

No exact algorithm can guarantee perfect optimality — the problem is mathematically NP-hard.

However, Powernest:

• Approaches optimality extremely closely
• Achieves results comparable to or better than expert manual nesting
• Does it in a fraction of the time
• Continues improving through ongoing R&D

Real-world tests show savings such as:

• 5% material savings vs manual nesting
• 0.5% extra savings vs other competitors
• Up to 20% material savings for BCSI customers (with Powernest2)

Depending on configuration and hardware, Powernest can:

• Nest thousands of parts automatically in seconds
• Perform global multi-sheet optimization
• Run in parallel (DLL version is multithreaded)
• Scale infinitely in cloud version (WS)

Yes, when integrated into the customer’s software.

Powernest supports:

• Fully automatic mode (black-box)
• Semi-automatic mode
• Manual refinement (moving parts, adjusting areas)
• Hybrid workflows (start manual → finish automatic)

Two options:

1. Powernest Lib (DLL)

• C DLL
• Works offline
• 32/64 bit
• Multithreaded
• Lifetime license with maintenance

1. Powernest WS (Web Service)

• SaaS REST API
• Scalable, cloud-based
• Always up to date
• Lower entry cost
• Unlimited computing power

Both versions come with:

• Full documentation
• Example code
• Direct access to Alma engineers for support

Any language capable of calling C functions or REST APIs, including:

• C / C++
• C#
• Python
• Java
• Go
• Rust
• Web technologies (via REST API)

Yes — integration assistance is an essential part of the offer.
Customers receive:

• Direct contact with nesting experts
• Technical support
• Best practices
• Help with integration strategies
• Performance tuning

Case studies confirm:

FECKEN-KIRFEL, SENER, and BCSI all praise Alma’s fast, reliable, and personalized support.

Two options:

Free test:

Powernest Demo — a cloud-based demo for quick performance evaluation for free for one month.

Professional test:

Contact Alma for:

• Benchmarks
• Specific scenarios
• Complex datasets
• Material savings studies
• Free test licence

Results show:

• Near-perfect alignment with the best manual experts
• But completed in seconds instead of hours
• Consistent performance regardless of operator skill

Customers report:

• 100% production efficiency gains (BCSI)
• Massive reductions in scrap rates (SENER)
• Better material usage for foam & plastics (Fecken-Kirfel)

For DLL:

• Lifetime license
• Maintenance & updates contract
• Per-seat or floating licenses available

For Web Service:

• SaaS pricing
• Consumption-based
• 24/7 availability
• Always up to date

Custom models for OEMs and enterprise clients.

Yes — widely used by large customers like SENER to:

• Deploy globally
• Share resources
• Reduce costs

Yes. Powernest’s API is extremely flexible.

Examples:

• FECKEN-KIRFEL created a custom “PickByView” identification plug-in
• BCSI integrated automatic rubber part calculation and advanced rotation logic
• SENER embedded Powernest into a massive CAD/CAM system serving 150+ shipyards

The API supports:

• Workflow customization
• Data preparation
• Integration with labeling systems
• Order and part tracking
• Hybrid automatic/manual modes

Yes — Powernest was designed for industrial production.

It can manage:

• Hundreds of thousands of parts
• Global multi-sheet optimization
• Large plate surfaces (shipbuilding)
• Complex part geometries

Use Almacam, which includes:

• Nesting and cutting optimization
• Toolpathing
• Post-processing
• Production management
• Machine connectivity

Use Nest&Cut : our cloud-based end-user solution for 2D nesting.

Powernest is known for extreme stability.

Customers confirm:

• No crashes reported in 20+ years (BCSI)
• Robust performance under massive workloads
• Dependable calculations in shipyards, foam factories, packaging plants, etc.

• Regular R&D updates for both DLL and WS
• Powernest WS always runs on the latest engine, always up-to-date

Improvements come from:

• Industrial feedback
• Algorithmic research
• Machine manufacturers’ requirements

Since 1979, building on:

• University-level applied mathematics
• Algorithmic geometry research
• 45 years of collaboration with machine tool manufacturers

Because nesting algorithms are extremely complex.
Building them requires:

• More than 10 years of R&D
• Algorithmic geometry expertise
• Continuous tuning for industrial processes
• Knowledge of manufacturing workflows
• Real-world feedback from thousands of customers

Powernest gives you:

• 45 years of R&D instantly
• Proven industrial performance
• Ready-made API
• Lower cost
• Faster time to market