Nesting Laser Cut Parts Maximizes Efficiency and Cost Savings
Nearly 90% of Baillie Fab’s customers utilize our laser cutting services, so we’re always looking for solutions that will:
Maximize part yield
Prevent material waste
Minimize costs
At our Pennsylvania metal fabrication shop, nesting is one of our go-to solutions for ensuring optimized laser cutting services for a wide range of sheet metal parts.
What Is Nesting?
Nesting is a method of arranging parts on sheet metal to achieve maximum part yield.
We use specialized software to intelligently define multiple parts’ parameters within pre-established requirements such as grain direction, rotation limitations, and border requirements.
Laser cutting is already a tremendously fast, efficient metal-cutting solution, and nesting amplifies those advantages while providing the potential for cost savings.
Nesting Is a Good Solution When…
If you’re interested in applying nesting to your laser cutting job, let us know! Our Pennsylvania metal fabrication shop will evaluate your order to determine whether nesting is feasible and beneficial for your parts.
In most cases, nesting is possible when…
Your job can be combined with another customer’s job
Dedicated laser cutting shops commonly combine customer jobs onto a single sheet to accommodate high volumes. They’ll cut only aluminum parts one day, only stainless steel parts the next day, and nothing but brass parts the day after, with several customer jobs sharing each sheet of material.
Because Baillie Fabricating & Welding specializes in full-service, lower-volume projects, we don’t always have multiple aluminum jobs awaiting laser cutting, for example. As a result, we typically perform laser cutting services on a per-job basis, meaning we cut each customer’s parts from a separate sheet of material.
When we do see an opportunity to combine customer jobs, however, we make the most of it! By filling a sheet with nested parts from multiple jobs, we’re able to reduce material waste and provide you with a lower price per part.
You’re flexible about part quantity
Even when we can’t combine your laser cutting services with someone else’s, we may still be able to leverage nesting to your benefit.
If, for instance, you’ve ordered 150 sheet metal parts, but your material could yield 200 parts, you may find that the price difference between 150 and 200 parts is negligible.
By obtaining as many parts as possible from your sheet metal, we ensure nothing is wasted—including your budget.
You’re using a common, in-stock material
Requesting a high-demand, in-stock material increases the odds that we can nest your parts on the same sheet as another customer’s parts.
Baillie Fab bulk-buys the most common sheet metal materials to stock in our Pennsylvania metal fabrication shop—and our customers benefit from the associated cost savings. Mild steel flat parts, for example, will cost less than galvanized flat parts because we maintain a stock of mild steel sheets in our facility.
You’re open to material swaps
Some parts absolutely must be laser cut from an exotic or uncommon material, and we’re happy to oblige. But if an alternative material is feasible, we’ll suggest a nesting-friendly material swap.
The same concept applies to sheet dimensions as well. If your parts will perform equally well with ¼” (0.250”) or ⅛” (0.125”) sheet metal, we’ll assess your job for the chance to combine it with another customer’s project or cut more parts at a lower per-part price.
Your design fits within a standard sheet size
Your parts’ size and design also determine whether nesting is a viable cost-saving solution. If your part includes flanges or folds that extend beyond the standard sheet size, we may not have a choice but to obtain larger-than-usual material sheets and/or laser cut just one part per sheet. This approach can dramatically impact costs and lead times.
For help maximizing your material yield and keeping your costs low, proactively ask the Baillie Fab team for design guidance. We can recommend minor modifications that won’t diminish your part’s performance but will enable nesting.
Ask the Baillie Fab Team about Nesting Options for Your Parts
Laser cutting is already known for yielding more parts for less money thanks to the laser’s incredibly small 0.0005” diameter. Add nesting to the process, and the potential for savings soars.
Our collaborative approach means we’re always on hand to help you achieve the best design, material, process, and price for your parts.
Work with our Pennsylvania metal fabrication shop to obtain full-service solutions, including CAD design, welding, laser cutting, CNC machining, and a full range of sheet metal fabrication services.
Get a quote, and we’ll give you great value!
