FORMING AND FABRICATING AUTOMATION
It’s ease of use really stands out. " "
Nesting Software Saving Big on Programming Time, Material T his Minnesota-based high-volume fabricator found these advantages in laser cutting operations and more, including customized filtering and reporting, to name just a few.
Among the long list of ProNest positives identified by Andy Toop, Standard Iron & Wire Works manufac- turing engineer: a simplified learning curve along with ease of programming and operation; integration of the software with the company’s enterprise resource planning system for work-order scheduling and plate inventory; increasing material utilization via auto- mated nesting; and the ability to run ProNest across all brands of machines—a huge flexibility advantage, according to Toop. “It’s ease of use really stands out,” Toop says, recalling his prior work experience working with ProNest that led to its pre-purchase trial at Standard Iron & Wire Works. “Fabricators always are trying to minimize programming time, and with just a little knowledge of how laser cutting works, they can pro- gram nesting.”
Headquartered in Monticello, MN, Standard Iron & Wire Works boasts two other Minnesota locations, Sauk Centre and Alexandria, as well as facilities in Grand Island, NE; Thomson, GA; and Monterrey, Mexico. Capabilities across locations include stamp- ing, fabricating—laser cutting, CNC punching, press brake forming, tube bending and welding—machin- ing, assembly and finishing. Add to all of that a staff of design, applications and tooling engineers. Ten Amada laser cutting machines populate company facilities, including three at Sauk Centre, five at Grand Island, one in Thomson and one in Monterrey, with a Messer plasma cutting machine in Alexandria. Ma- terial sent for cutting runs the gamut, including mild and stainless steels as well as aluminum in a variety of thicknesses.
New nesting software employs algorithms that enable Standard Iron & Wire Works to tightly fit parts on sheets for laser cutting, leading to significant gains in material utilization.
Efficient Nesting Needed Ensuring run time and material utilization on these multi- ple-locale machines demands efficient nesting, For that, in early 2021, the company opted for ProNest CAD/CAM part-nesting software from the Hypertherm Associates Software Group to
replace previous software that management and programmers found lacking. The manufacturer currently employs the nesting software on its stable of laser cutting machines as well as the plasma unit.
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