Aspire - Nesting Software

Been playing with the new version of Aspire tonight, loads in it for wood carvers and sign makers but I was interested in looking at the nesting software.

For anyone that doesn't know nesting is quite hard to do and it's only when you get serious software it become possible because of licensing the algorithms that allow this, all the good stuff is patented.

One job I do in quantities are some gears made from Tufnol which is a cloth and resin material similar to Bakelite. They are made from this material as a 'fuse' in the gear train, any jamming and they strip, protects the machine and is good for business :whistle:

I cut these out of 12mm thick sheet on the router before they go on the gear hobber in quantities of 24 as that sheet fit the router easily with a bit to spare.
The blanks are coded from a CAD file generated to touch blanks and save as much material as possible so I was interested in seeing how Aspire would nest these as I though it would be physically impossible to get more than 24 out of the sheet.
Let Aspire have it's head and it fitted 22 in the same size, not as good as manual but it nested them different to what I had done, because there is some spare sheet i increased the sheet by 10mm and redid it, still 22 but another pattern. Gave it another 10mm to play with and it squeezed 28 onto the sheet for only an increase of 20mm which i can spare and fit on.

http://www.stevenson-engineers.co.uk/files/gears.jpg

So full marks to Aspire for getting me 4 extra gear out of a cut sheet but that's 60 gears out of a full sheet extra.
Given the price of this stuff at just over £560 a sheet that's a big saving.

.

John could you not get this job done faster using a holesaw ? i'v never used Tufnol but i have been using holesaws to cut well holes lol in ali and its quite a quick way to do it ?

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Originally Posted by Lee Roberts

John could you not get this job done faster using a holesaw ? i'v never used Tufnol but i have been using holesaws to cut well holes lol in ali and its quite a quick way to do it ?

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Ever tried a Forstner bit?

I was having a terrible time cutting a 40mm hole thru 30mm ally, contant clogging and getting very very hot despite coolant and the slowest speed on the pillar drill. Then this mad idea comes in my head "use the force Luke" sorry, "try a Forstner Jeff, try a Forstner" It cut like butter,and left a milled finish in the hole and this was a cheap £15 quid TiN coated set from Costco, Mastergrip I think. Being HSS they won't last as long as carbide but they are easy to sharpen.

Jeff. (we need a top tips forum)

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Originally Posted by John S

Been playing with the new version of Aspire tonight, loads in it for wood carvers and sign makers but I was interested in looking at the nesting software.

For anyone that doesn't know nesting is quite hard to do and it's only when you get serious software it become possible because of licensing the algorithms that allow this, all the good stuff is patented.

So full marks to Aspire for getting me 4 extra gear out of a cut sheet but that's 60 gears out of a full sheet extra.
Given the price of this stuff at just over £560 a sheet that's a big saving.

.

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Hi John,

You have no idea how much I am coveting this software. If the Wife wasn't going to Canada to visit her aunt this year, I'd be in for it like a shot. I downloaded the V-Carve software last year and was impressed with how easy it was to use but don't want to download Aspire because I know it will make me sick :smile:

Jeff.

I used to do them with a hole saw. It used to go like this.

Grab sheet and drill 1/2 way thru with hole saw.
Turn over and drill from other side because the hole saw spelches the Tufnol if you go thru in one pass and wrecks the blank
Put each blank in lathe one at a time and bore centre hole to -0.00 +0.02
Mount 10 blanks on a mandrel and turn to OD.

Transfer to gear hobber.

Now it goes.

Screw cut sheet to router table.
Press go.
Go have tea
Come back and remove sheet,
Cut tabs with Stanley knife

Transfer to gear hobber

Thanks for the advise but it still means I have second ops to do, using the router with a 1/8" carbide single flute cutter means it saves me doing the ID and OD..
And I get to drink coffee whilst it's working :geek:

John
I have a similar job comming in, that is profiling a load of epoxy laminate. In the past I've used 5mm tct wood router bits and this worked OK

Could you point me to the cutter you used...I would like to make less dust if I can.

Thanks

This is the seller I have used in the past

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Trend-C001-Cra...mZ150350086092

And that is the closest I can see on current listing from him / her but it's not the ones I usually buy
They are 3.2 mm but single flute and can cut 11 mm deep.

You used router bits too. I was expecting some kind of solid carbide..when I look at 1/8" router bits I always put them back in the box thinking that'll break in about 10 seconds!

Thanks