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Alma launches Nest&Cut, web-based application for automatic nesting

The Nest&Cut web application enables any company involved in the cutting of flat materials, from anywhere in the world, to easily access the best automatic nesting algorithms for reducing raw material costs, without investing in a costly solution.

Web-based applications are now in widespread use, both at home and in businesses and the industrial sector is no exception to this underlying trend. On this basis and backed by 40 years of experience in developing cutting optimization software, Alma has developed Nest&Cut, an automatic nesting subscription-based web application for complex 2D shapes.

Alma has been a pioneer in automatic nesting software since 1979, and is the only software publisher to commercialize both CAD/CAM application software incorporating its nesting algorithms, and these same algorithms in the form of software libraries. After developing a cloud-based version of Powernest (1), Alma’s automatic nesting library, and by releasing a web-based demonstrator 2 years ago, Alma has now reached a new milestone in the webification of its offering.

A universal nesting application just a click away

Nest&Cut provides online access to high performance automatic nesting functions for complex 2D shapes, for all kinds of flat material: sheet metal, wood, textile, composite, stone, foam, etc.

In a few clicks a user sends DXF geometric formats, prepares the data (quantities of parts, material formats), and then starts automatic nesting in the cloud. A few seconds later, Nest&Cut delivers the optimized nesting layouts in DXF format with the cutting order of the parts, ready for the cutting software or the machine’s numerical control. All the placement data is listed in a PDF document.

Nest&Cut is for cutting sub-contractors or for manufacturers who do not own a high-performance nesting software, but who are looking to improve their material yield on a recurring or occasional basis, and also do not want to invest in an on premise CAD/CAM software (acquisition and maintenance costs are too high, they have insufficient human resources, learning takes too long, etc.)

Nest&Cut can also be used to accurately estimate material consumption and associated costs. For e.g. an order giver who wants to evaluate the number of material formats required by a sub-contractor to execute their order.

The application is available via a monthly subscription without long-term commitment. To make it possible for users to test the efficiency of Nest&Cut and to encourage them to purchase a subscription, Alma is offering a 30-day free trial.

Watch Nest&Cut video

Exclusive online nesting functions

Nest&Cut is a completely automated application, very simple to use. It does not require any training. It gives access to the performance levels of one of the top nesting software products on the market, without having to invest in an expensive programming software, and virtually without mobilizing any human resources.

The quality of DXF geometries is a recurring problem in CAM. Fastidious and extremely time-consuming operations are required to be able to use these geometries for cutting. One of Nest&Cut’s specific features is that it includes advanced functions for automatic cleaning of DXF geometry to avoid these problems.

The application also offers another exclusive function: the possibility to read and improve DXF nesting layouts that were created using another system. Based on numerous tests, this function improves material yield by up to 20% thanks to the performance of the Nest&Cut algorithms.

Nest&Cut is a “responsive” application, accessible from any device connected to the internet. There is nothing to install or configure. Application enhancements are integrated transparently for the user, who has no maintenance or upgrade charges to pay.

New horizons for Alma

As a web application accessible right around the world and applicable to many cutting processes, Nest&Cut enables Alma to reach new markets or markets that until now were hardly penetrated, in terms of both geography and industrial sectors.

This makes Nest&Cut a logical complement to the Alma offering. What’s more, Nest&Cut users will easily be able to access the Almacam software at a later stage, if their needs evolve (new machines, growth in production, etc.) and benefit from more specialized functions.

Nest&Cut is available in English, French and Brazilian Portuguese. The application will quickly be localized in other languages too as it is deployed.

This first version of Nest&Cut is just the beginning of Alma’s SaaS offering, which will quickly grow with new functionalities and new modules accessible online using the same method.

(1) Powernest is designed for other CAD/CAM or ERP software publishers who need to integrate powerful nesting functions into their solutions. The Powernest library is available in DLL format or in Saas mode.

January 2019