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CutOptim

Sheet metal
fabrication optimizer

Rectangular blanks, bars and profiles in the app — plus true-shape nesting of irregular parts through the Engine API, for laser, plasma and waterjet.

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Why does sheet-metal cutting waste so much plate?

Plate and sheet are expensive, and irregular parts are wasteful: placing each part by its bounding box throws away the notch-air between shapes, and cutting bars and profiles in list order wastes a published 15–30% of the stock. Both cost real money on every job.

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How CutOptim cuts the waste

For rectangular blanks and for bars, tubes and profiles, the app optimizes the layout today (2D panels and 1D linear). For irregular parts — brackets, gussets, flanges, gaskets — the Engine API adds true-shape nesting: it interlocks the real outlines into each other’s pockets, with per-sheet exclusion zones for a defect or a clamp area.

Industry at a glance

0.1–0.3 mm
CNC laser kerf width
Machine specifications
1.5–4 mm
Plasma kerf width
Machine specifications
10–20%
Sheet metal scrap rate (industry avg)
Manufacturing industry data
€800–2,500 per tonne
Steel sheet price range
European market (2024)
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Rectangular + linear in the app

2D plate blanks and 1D bar, tube and profile cutting in one project — optimize what you cut on a shear or saw today.

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True-shape nesting (API)

Irregular polygon parts nested into each other’s pockets over POST /v1/optimize/nest — for laser, plasma and waterjet.

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Nest around defects

Per-sheet exclusion zones keep parts off a plate defect, a clamp footprint or a pre-printed area.

📊 Real example: true-shape nesting

A fabricator nests a representative job of 272 irregular parts onto 3000×1500 mm plate. Placing each part by its bounding box packs loosely; true-shape nesting interlocks the outlines into each other’s concave pockets.

Before
By bounding box9 sheets
MethodRectangular packing
Notch-airWasted
After
True-shape nest (API)6 sheets
MethodPOST /v1/optimize/nest
Notch-airReclaimed
✓2D plate blank optimization (app)
✓1D bar & profile cutting (app)
✓True-shape nesting (Engine API)
✓Per-sheet exclusion zones
✓Continuous & discrete rotation
✓Deterministic, reproducible layouts
Engine API

True-shape nesting — the Engine API

Nesting irregular sheet-metal parts onto plate is a true-shape problem, and the CutOptim Engine API solves it over HTTP at POST /v1/optimize/nest. Send each part as a polygon outline and the plate sizes as JSON; get back the nested layout, the placement of every part and the plate count — for laser, plasma or waterjet. On a representative 272-part job the nest used 6 plates where the same parts by bounding box need 9.

  • ✓True-shape nesting of arbitrary polygons (with holes), not just rectangles.
  • ✓Per-sheet exclusion zones nest around a plate defect, a clamp footprint or a pre-printed area.
  • ✓The honest metric is plate count on the same parts — 6 vs 9 by bounding box on a representative 272-part job — not a density percentage.
  • ✓Deterministic and free to validate: POST /v1/validate/nest checks a job with no key and no quota.
Engine API reference →See the Engine API
POST /v1/optimize/nest
POST /v1/optimize/nest
{
  "parts": [
    { "name": "gusset",
      "polygon": [[0,0],[400,0],[0,400]],
      "qty": 16, "allowedRotations": [0,90,180,270] },
    { "name": "bracket",
      "polygon": [[0,0],[350,0],[350,120],[120,120],[120,350],[0,350]],
      "qty": 10, "allowedRotations": "continuous" }
  ],
  "stock": [{ "w": 3000, "h": 1500, "qty": 12 }],
  "options": { "minSeparation": 2 }
}

Frequently asked questions

Is there an API for nesting sheet-metal parts?+
Yes. True-shape nesting of irregular polygons is the CutOptim Engine API’s fourth mode, POST /v1/optimize/nest. Send each part as a polygon outline (with optional holes) plus the plate sizes and get back the nested layout, the placement of every copy and the plate count — for laser, plasma or waterjet. Per-sheet exclusion zones for defects or clamp areas come with it.
Does the CutOptim app do true-shape nesting?+
Not yet. The app optimizes rectangular plate blanks (2D) and bars, tubes and profiles (1D) today. True-shape nesting of irregular parts runs on the Engine API (POST /v1/optimize/nest); a true-shape mode inside the app is on the roadmap.
How much plate does true-shape nesting save?+
It depends on the part mix, so we do not quote a blanket percentage. The honest, cross-comparable metric is plate count on the same parts: on a representative 272-part job the true-shape nest used 6 plates where the same parts placed by bounding box need 9. A density percentage is not comparable to a rectangular packer’s yield, because a bounding box counts notch-air as solid.
Can it nest around a plate defect or a clamp area?+
Yes. Each plate can carry exclusion zones (stock[].exclusions) — polygons the engine keeps every part off. A quality-0 zone is a hard no-go region, so you can nest around a defect, a clamp footprint or a pre-printed area.
Which cutting methods does it suit?+
Any process that cuts free contours: laser, plasma and waterjet. Rotation can be continuous or a discrete list, and options.minSeparation sets the clearance for the beam or torch width. For straight cutting of bars and profiles, use the 1D endpoint; for rectangular plate blanks, the 2D endpoint.

Related

CalculatorLinear Cutting Calculator - Optimize 1D Bar & Pipe CutsCalculatorBoard Cutting Calculator - Optimize Sheet & Panel Layouts
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Optimize your sheet-metal cutting

Rectangular and linear cutting free in the app; true-shape nesting on the Engine API.

▶ Start optimizing