Product Design & Manufacturing Collection Adds Autodesk Nesting Utility

Continuing the fantastic momentum generated by including Nastran and HSM in the Product Design & Manufacturing Collection, Autodesk are excited to add more incredible value to the collection with the release of Autodesk Nesting Utility.

Since February 2019, the Autodesk Nesting utility has been available as part of a technology preview. During that time, it was accessed by over 400 users providing valuable feedback and generating excitement around it’s functionality.

The Nesting Utility provides users the ability to optimize yield from flat raw material with true shape nesting and can be downloaded from the Autodesk Account page and is an add-in for Inventor 2019. The Nesting Utility was developed from a focused subset of technology found in Autodesk TruNest and related products for nesting, cutting, and composites. This technology was originally developed by Magestic Systems, from whom Autodesk acquired technology and expertise in 2014.

So, what does the Autodesk Nesting Utility offer:

• Ability to directly nest Inventor sheet metal parts and assemblies
• Read in flat pattern DXFs
• Nests on multiple sheets of same or varying dimensions
• Associativity between 3D model and generated nests
• Ability to export nest as DXF
• Toolpath and NC generation using HSM CAM workflows
• Automatic nest reports

The Nesting Utility is available to Product Design & Manufacturing Collection customers as well as students. The Nesting Utility isn’t part of the Inventor install and will need to be downloaded and installed separately.

Below are a few of the main limitations with the Nesting Utility:

• Customers wanting to use the Nesting Utility, must be using the 2019 version of Inventor.
• T-Flex – The Nesting Utility is available to Token Flex EBA customers but was not included as a standard component, and therefore not included by default in the 2019 T-Flex license files.
• Vault Integration – INEST files can be checked-in and checked-out from Vault, but related source files need to be checked-in and checked out manually if they require modification
• Currently only Sheet Metal parts with a flat pattern are supported

What else does the Nesting Utility Offer?

Automated, True-shape Nesting

• Generate multiple sheet nests in a single study, allowing for multiple material and packaging options.
• Compare the efficiency and costs associated with different nesting studies to maximize job profitability.
• Specify allowable orientations to ensure consistent grain direction on all parts when required for aesthetics or to prevent cracking in subsequent bending operations.

Inventor integration 

• Add part or assembly files that were modeled directly inside Inventor or referenced in using AnyCAD technology into your studies to be nested. Nesting Utility also supports the option to import 2D DXF profiles.
• Inventor parts and assemblies used for nesting studies remain connected to the original CAD model—if changes are made, Nesting Utility can automatically update the existing studies to reflect any edits to the geometry.
• Automatically carry over material properties from the Inventor 3D model or define materials inside the nesting environment.

Smooth workflow for cutting path generation

• Generate 3D models of your nests as Inventor parts for use in Inventor HSM to generate toolpaths, or export DXF files that can be used in your preferred toolpathing application.

Over-all Autodesk Nesting Utility is CAD-embedded sheet metal nesting software that helps optimize yield from flat raw material. Nesting Utility works right inside Autodesk Inventor software, so nesting studies can be created and then updated to reflect any changes to the design. Easily compare nesting studies to optimize efficiency and reduce costs, and export 3D models or DXF™ files of the completed nest for cutting path generation.

We hope what we’ve outlined above has answered some questions you may have had about the Autodesk Nesting Utility but if you have any further questions, make sure to contact us and request to speak with one of our Inventor Specialist today!