Adam Cirkic, CEO of Tangenta (Croatia) ~ CNC Nesting Software

If you do any amount of CNC plasma, routing, waterjet or even laser cutting – you want to get automatic nesting software to greatly reduce the amount of scrap you produce while at the same time, cutting efficiently as time as money. The more you can cut on one sheet, the more you save!

You can find-out more about Tangenta by visiting them online at tangenta.hr.

Where did your interest in CAD/CNC come from? How did you learn about these machines and their related design software?

I worked as CNC plasma cutter machinist in HVAC 2 years. This HVAC company used ventilation ductwork software but nesting goes manually. I programmed plugin (custom radius elbow) that improved fitting fabrication in that company, also I was good in manually nesting.

Can you tell me how Tangenta got started and what is your vision for the company overall?

I ‘m founder of Tangenta Ltd. (2009) as 8 year experienced database programmer and metal fabricator. After CNC HVAC experience I decided to start with something new and more interesting – CAD/CAM software. Tangenta main vision is industry related CAD/CAM software or plugins.

For those unfamiliar with nesting software, why is it needed and how much of a savings in material and time can they provide a company?

When company grows up and has larger projects to do, projects with deadlines, no one can be satisfied with manually nesting. When company handle over 15 sheets daily it is very frustrating for CNC operator to handle it.It is more obviously when company is fitting fabricator or other product supplier.

There are different kind of automatic nesting software on the market. Basic automatic nesting can handle only rectangular shapes.Some other can nest simple (regular polygons). Advanced automatic nesting software successfully nest all kind of geometric shapes and provide ‘in holes’ nesting.

Top true shape automatic nesting software provide all kind of geometric shapes nesting, ‘in holes’ nesting, multi sheet nesting, multi sheet (different sheet sizes) nesting, scrap database management and scrap multi nesting.

Manual nesting has advantage when CNC operator has small number of parts and enough time. For larger manufacturing automatic nesting has advantage.

Automatic nesting with strong algorithm can do faster and better nesting than CNC operator/machinist. Our tests shows that automatic nesting can be 2-3 times faster then manual and material saving can be 10-15% better than manual. It can be more if automatic nesting software support scrap nesting.

If somebody develop chemical ship with duplex steel, which is a very expensive material, he can easy calculate how 10-15% (after each nesting session) reduce material costs.

Ironically, I’ve been using PartWorks (CNC Router Vectric Software) for over two years and only last week discovered automatic nesting… WOW! That’s amazing stuff after doing it manually but it still has its quirks requiring me to manually review each “sheet” for optimal settings for things like tiling and tool paths. How is DG Nest + and Pro different than other nesting software solutions out there?

‘DG Nest Pro’ is full manually and full true shape automatic nesting software. For professional users ‘DG Nest Pro’ collaborate with ‘SheetCam’, popular CAM software, through DGNestPro/SheetCam plugin.

Before user load dxf files directly via DGNestPro and start nesting, he rather choose SheetCam to create cut paths and other CAM settings, then he can export SheetCam dxf to DGNestPro for nesting.

All parts will be nested considering that cut paths, leadins/outs and loops will not be overlapped. SheetCam support dxf format and 180 other post processors.

What are some of the most common problems with automatic nesting and how does your software solve them? Can you give some examples?

In most cases they has poor algorithm inside which are not multit-head oriented. They can’t do parallel multi-nesting on more sheets in the same time.

They can’t do nesting in different sheet sizes at the same time. Most of them do not support scrap sheet nesting.They generate universal G-code which
not customized for every CNC controller.

Software price can be crucial problem, we offer advanced true shape nesting for less than $1400! For the same functionality competitors offer their software above $1500 and in some cases above $2500.

I really enjoyed reviewing your blog – lots of awesome nesting pictures and it seems like you support ShopBot Tools as well along with TorchMate and Thermwood to name a few others. Does your software need to be optimized for the CNC machine type (plasma vs laser vs router) or is nesting basically the same regardless of cutting technology?

Our SheetCam CAM partner software support plasma, laser, water jet cutters and 180 post processors (machine controllers types). Tangenta Ltd. provide advanced true shape automatic nesting. This two modules DGNestPro and SheetCam make unbeatable combination.

This is a full list of supported post processors:

AB tube cutter
Allen Bradley 8400
AllenBradley
AllenBradley2
Amada laser
Amada laser2
ANCA laser
ANCA2000
Anilam
Anilam2
Biesse Rover XNC
Biesse Rover
Biesse
Bosch CC100 router
Bosch CC100
BOSS5
Bridgeport 32dx
Bridgeport V2XT
Burny25 inc
Burny5 inc with plate marker
Camsoft plasma
Centroid
CutMaster_v3-1
Delta Tau waterjet
Denford PCNC
DeskCNC plasma
Dialog4
DXF
Dyna DM2100
Dyna DM2400
Dyna6KTHC
Dynapath conversational
Dynatorch no feed
Dynatorch router
Dynatorch
EasyCNC
EaziCNC plasma with THC
EaziCNC plasma
EMC -Laser post-plasma mod
EMC lathe
EMC plasma – laser
EMC plasma
EMC
Esab vision 1000
Esab vision 3pos
Esab vision 500
Esab vision
ESSI noarcs
ESSI
Excellon
Ez-Scribe5
EZ-Trac
Fagor 8025M MotionMaster Router
Fagor Router PAUL-FINAL-Z
Fagor Router
Fagor
Falcon
Farley Rapier
Flashcut plasma no Z
Flashcut plasma
FlashCut
Flow omax ord
Flow
Generic plasma with optional scriber
Gerber Sabre
HAAS TM-2P inc arcs
HAAS VF3 inc arcs
HAAS VF3
Heidenhain TNC150 conversational
Heidenhain TNC150
Heidenhain TNC530 conversational
Heidenhain
HPGL 3D
HPGL no arcs
HPGL
Hurco Ultimax
Hypertherm edge
Hypertherm Microedge
Innerlogic
Isel RG5996
Isel
IselV2
jetstream
Kinetic Touchcut
Klymit
Linde CM350
LinuxCNC THC
Mach tube cutter
Mach3 2 heads
Mach3 2D
Mach3 flame with THC – G31
Mach3 G42 experimental
Mach3 plasma no Z
Mach3 plasma pauses
Mach3 plasma Rutex
Mach3 plasma
Mach3 tangential 180
Mach3 tangential with 3 heads
Mach3 tangential
Mach3 THC with scriber
Mach3 XCZ
Mach3
MAHO MH 600
Mazak L32B
Microstep
Minimum G-code abs arcs
Minimum G-code no arcs
Minimum G-code non-modal
Minimum G-code
Mitsubishi laser
Motoman
MP1000-THC
Multicam
MyTMill
NC studio
NUM laser
NUM laser3
NUM plasma
OSAI plasma
pCut
Picopath inc
Plasma THC300 – G31 – corner slowdown
Plasma THC300 – G31 – lift for delay
Plasma THC300 – G31
Plasma THC300 forceheight
Plasma THC300 start marker
Plasma THC300 with scriber
Plasma THC300
Plasma with plate marker
PlasmaCam
Prototrak Edge
Quickstep plasma v2
Quickstep plasma
Quickstep
Roemtech
Roland CAMM3
RoutOut
Sentrol2 Plasma
Shopbot plasma
Shopbot reversed Z
Shopbot
Siemens laser
START
StartDrill
SteelTailor inc arcs
SteelTailor
TeknoThc 160V2
Thermwood 2 heads
Torchmate plasma THC
Torchmate plasma V2
Torchmate plasma
Tormach Inch RG-G
Trumpf L250
Trumpf TNG
TurboCNC non modal
TurboCNC V4 with G83
TurboCNC V4
TurboCNC
USB-CNC
USBCNC
WinCNC FL
WinCNC Plasma THC
WinCNC Plasma V3
WinCNC
Wingnc
Woodstep Ima
Xilog fixed exp
Zinser CNC920
Zinser

Where do you see the biggest growth potential in the nesting industry? What direction is it going in the future?

It is hard question for me, I’m not industry analyst but consider on 2D metal, glass, wood, textile sheet based industry nothing will replace classical manufacturing in future. That means that market is still open for nesting type software in future.

What are some of the more cool projects you’ve seen your software used to help build?

Ship building and ocean-liners.

You can find-out more about Tangenta by visiting them online at tangenta.hr.