Marking, etching, scribing – there are many terms to describe the process of outputting part names, important geometric information, or bend lines. We’ll focus here on the low-power “scribing” process, as we’ll describe it from here-on in; rather than the powder marking type process which ProNest can also cater to quite nicely. In either case, it needn’t be difficult to setup, process, or program.
The first thing that differentiates ProNest scribing from other products in the same category is just how simple and automatic the process is. While other products require discrete programming and processing for scribing operations, ProNest does not. In fact, it’s so slick you might forget there is any scribing in your job at all!
To set up scribing in ProNest, you only need to do one simple thing (and this is sometimes already done for you!), just map your CAD layers to your scribing process. It’s that easy. When doing this, use ProNest’s easy to navigate Settings menu and under Importing parts, assign layer aliases to your scribe cut process. An alias is simply a layer name used in the CAD file that ProNest can then recognize as the scribe layer. Multiple aliases can be used – should drawings come from multiple companies or departments with different naming practices. These can be separated using commas, so if you have a customer using layer ‘2’ and another using ‘Scribe’ you can easily reflect this in the settings.
Sequencing is taken care of automatically, with a simple check box controlling whether scribing is processed first (Punch/Scribe first).
At this point you may be wondering – that’s great but how do I add part names to my parts in ProNest? Well, at Hypertherm we love making the life of our ProNest users easier; a great example of which is how intuitive we make scribing part naming on parts. When editing a part using the Advanced Edit feature, click the A icon then click anywhere on the part.
You will see the text defaults to the part name, but under the Text drop down in the Properties window you can choose from a range of common text properties, such as Date, Customer, Revision, etc. Perhaps it’s obvious, but you can also over-ride this text if necessary.
Once happy with your text and its position on the part, just return to nesting, and nest your parts! It’s that easy.
ProNest from Hypertherm. Intuitive and easy to use, without sacrificing the powerful features we all need.
