Equipment manufacturer boosts productivity and profits with ProNest LT

Company overview

Wuxi Yusheng is a modern machinery manufacturer in Jiangsu, China. Backed by an expert staff of researchers, the company has many years of experience and deep expertise in the dyeing and finishing industry. Wuxi Yusheng’s goal is to offer first-rate products coupled with excellent after-sales service.

Challenge: Nesting program was not a good fit for operations

To maximize efficiency and throughput, Wuxi Yusheng had installed a computer numeric control (CNC) cutting table and nesting software, opting for a nesting program that has been commonly used in China in recent years. Unfortunately, it soon became clear that the nesting program was not a good fit for their operation. The Wuxi Yusheng team needed to look for a better option.

Programmer Gu Leyi explained, “The software that we purchased was not user-friendly and we had problems familiarizing ourselves with the interface. At the same time, it posed many limitations to our work, which made us realize that the software wasn’t the best fit for our operation.”

Solution: ProNest LT nesting software removes limitations

Based on recommendations from a trusted supplier of mechanized cutting systems, Wuxi Yusheng decided to acquire ProNest^® LT, a full-featured, intermediate-level nesting software from Hypertherm.

ProNest LT nesting software

ProNest LT is a powerful CAD/CAM part nesting software designed for light industrial, mechanized cutting in production environments. It delivers professional-grade cut quality at an affordable price and is delivered in an easy-to-learn package that comes with unlimited technical support.

ProNest LT provides a single software solution for all conventional plasma, waterjet, and oxyfuel cutting machines, with high-yield nesting that reduces material costs and increases profitability. It helps fabricators and manufacturers increase material savings, boost productivity, lower operating costs, and improve part quality by offering the highest level of cutting expertise.

It is incredibly easy to learn and use, with intuitive screens and a wide variety of helpful features. Optimized nesting strategies enable operators to nest jobs more quickly and efficiently. Operators can import CAD files, artwork, and signs, or create their designs using powerful built-in tools.

ProNest LT’s faster, fully automated interface reduces programming time from hours to minutes, while specialized cutting techniques can reduce total cut time by up to 50%. Hypertherm’s built-in expertise ensures the best possible cutting parameters are applied for each job’s unique needs, resulting in sharper corners, cleaner edges, and improved hole quality. ProNest LT also has cutting-edge features such as advanced part design and development, CAD/CAM import and conversion, interactive manual nesting, detailed reporting, and simplified costing.

Hypertherm offers unlimited access to software training, ensuring all ProNest LT operators are fully versed in the software’s features. Software updates are free, providing all operators access to the most current version of the software.

Common Line Cutting

With Common Line Cutting, adjacent parts share the common edges for cutting. Kerf compensation is applied automatically and can be set as crossing or non-crossing, depending on the cut process used. Safety cuts can also be applied to help avoid potential tip-up situations. In addition, operators can common line dissimilar part profiles across the entire nest, and they can nest parts in common with the plate edge for even greater material utilization. Common Line Cutting also allows users to fully customize the tool path on all parts.

Common Line Cutting increases efficiency. Fewer pierces and reduced cutting distances maximize productivity and consumable life, and eliminating the separation between parts increases material savings and reduces scrap.

Chain and Bridge Cutting

Chain Cutting links multiple part profiles into one continuous cut. The chain can be created manually after parts have been nested, or automatically as an array of parts. Chain Cutting can significantly increase cutting efficiency. It reduces the number of pierces by cutting multiple parts with a single pierce, increasing consumable life in plasma cutting and eliminating the pre-heat cycle in oxyfuel. The reduction in the Z-axis, or up/down motion, can add up to significant production time savings.

Bridge Cutting creates a thin web of material between parts, which helps prevent tip-ups on small parts. Bridge cutting forms a single exterior profile, which can stabilize parts during separation from the plate. This makes parts less prone to the effects of thermal movement, resulting in improved geometric accuracy. In addition, by keeping the head down while cutting, bridging reduces piercing and increases consumable life.

Business impact: ProNest LT decreases cutting time and pierce cycles

Feedback from the Wuxi Yusheng operators was immediate and positive.  

“Hypertherm’s CAM solution has a user-friendly interface that’s similar to popular business software that operators are familiar with, so it took much less time for them to get acquainted with ProNest LT,” remarked Gu. “In addition, Hypertherm technicians provided training to ensure that the transition was a smooth one.”

Unlike the earlier software, ProNest LT was able to automatically nest parts without sacrificing material utilization. The parts to be cut were automatically arranged to minimize waste, with little need for manual intervention. In addition, ProNest LT’s Common Line Cutting and Chain and Bridge Cutting modules were able to automatically or interactively arrange profiles to decrease cutting time and reduce pierce cycles.

The operators also appreciate the ability to easily edit cut paths, something that was nearly impossible with their previous software. With ProNest LT, they can easily save and export nesting job files for future editing and subsequent orders. With their previous software, they were forced to redraw similar shapes from scratch due to the complexity of saving files.

Having become thoroughly adept in the use of ProNest LT, Wuxi Yusheng is now sharing its expertise with other manufacturers in the region.

Learn how ProNest nesting software can help your business increase material utilization, decrease consumable costs, and improve productivity. Click the button below, fill out the form, and a Hypertherm product expert will contact you.