The work flow in automated cutting involves the following stages:

• Nesting. Arranging patterns to fit the least amount of fabric in the correct orientation.
• Setting the optimum tool and the optimum speed for these patterns.
• Sending the job to the plotter.

Good nesting software is very important.

Fabric savings through reduced waste can pay for your entire cutting system!

Nesting software allows the operator to move panels on a computer screen within the bounds of "queue" which is the same width as the fabric. Panels can be rotated, duplicated, flipped, arrayed, split etc. while remaining in the correct orientation to the threadline or grain of the fabric.

Depending on the type of fabric being used, a buffer or nesting gap must be allowed between panels, and sometimes between the panels and the edge of the fabric.

The operator can nest with the mouse or the keyboard, automatically or semi-automatically. The more expensive the fabric, the longer you can afford to improve your nest and reduce waste.

Nested queues can always be saved for future use, but the nature of most woven materials is that each batch varies in width and the flatness and straightness of the fabric. This means you may often need to optimise a saved nest before re-cutting, and nesting software should allow for this.

Many garment based programs have excellent nesting routines, but don't always have the features necessary for working with industrial textiles.  Most garment software is intended for high ply cutting on relatively low cost fabric. Most low or single ply software is intended for use on higher cost fabric where individual nesting of patterns based on varying fabric width, loose fabric edges etc.

Aeronaut develops Tangent specifically for working with industrial textiles. Tangent is a very powerful program with a very full feature list for dealing with all types of patterns.

With Tangent, the colours used in a pattern normally signify the type of tools to be used and their speeds etc. Unlike with most metalwork CNC machines, there is not normally much setup involved with fabric cutting.

Once the queue is nested and the fabric in position on the cutting table, the job is sent to the cutter. There are a heap of ways each job can be cut. Normally the operator selects to do one path at a time… The markings are normally done first for the entire table, frame or queue of patterns.

This is followed by any punch or drill marks. Next the smaller internal details are cut while the patterns are still held firmly on the table with vacuum. Finally the outside of the panels are cut, and optionally the fabric is cut free of the roll at the end of the table ready for the next run.

During this process, there are many times an operator might want to intervene… to change a tool, to change a blade, to replace a marker pen etc. So the machine control software must be able to start and stop a job, pause and move the cutter on the table, and restart at any point.  

Good software works for you and Aeronaut have developed Tangent to be the most powerful and the easiest software to use.