Autodesk fusion for nesting and fabrication

Nesting software

Optimize material usage and minimize waste to achieve cost savings and maximize productivity with the advanced nesting and fabrication capabilities in Autodesk Fusion that can revolutionize your manufacturing process.

Nesting in Autodesk Fusion

What is nesting and fabrication?

Nesting is the process of arranging different parts or shapes on a piece of material in a way that uses as much of the material as possible and leaves little waste. This is especially useful in industries that involve cutting materials like metal, wood, or fabric, helping save on costs and reduce waste.

Fabrication is the process of making things by cutting, shaping, and putting together different raw materials, usually metal or plastic. It involves techniques like welding, machining, and forming to build finished parts or structures. You'll find fabrication in action in places like construction sites, car manufacturing, aerospace, and many other manufacturing industries where precise and sturdy products are needed.

Nesting software in Fusion

What is nesting software?

Nesting software refers to the process of arranging and optimizing 2D or 3D shapes on a flat sheet of material to maximize utilization and minimize waste. It is particularly useful in industries such as woodworking, sheet metal fabricationCNC programmingCNC machining, and cutting operations. Nesting software analyzes the shapes to be cut and intelligently arranges them on the material sheet, ensuring the highest material efficiency possible.

Nesting in Autodesk Fusion.

The importance of nesting in manufacturing

By optimizing the layout of parts on a sheet of material, manufacturers can reduce scrap, lower production costs, and enhance overall efficiency. Effective nesting also contributes to sustainability efforts by decreasing the amount of discarded material and promoting the conservation of resources. Nesting software can also improve production speed and accuracy, leading to higher-quality products and increased competitiveness in the market. 

Benefits of nesting software

Maximize material utilization

Nesting software intelligently arranges parts within a material sheet, optimizing their placement to minimize waste and maximize material usage. This leads to cost savings by reducing the amount of material required for production.

Improve efficiency

Nesting software streamlines the nesting process, saving time and improving overall production efficiency. By automating the arrangement of parts, it eliminates the need for manual placement, resulting in faster nesting operations and increased productivity.

Optimize cutting paths

Nesting software analyzes the geometry of parts and generates optimized cutting paths. By arranging parts in an efficient manner, it reduces the distance the cutting tool needs to travel, minimizing cutting time and improving machine utilization.

Enhance quality and accuracy

Nesting software ensures the precise placement of parts on the material sheet, reducing the risk of errors and improving part quality and accuracy. This is especially important for industries where precision is critical, such as aerospace or automotive manufacturing.

Types of nesting

Autodesk nesting tools and software can optimize a variety of nesting types, streamlining your projects.

automatic-nesting-fusion-360

Automatic nesting

Autodesk Fusion amplifies the benefits and efficiency of automatic nesting while delivering nuanced control and customization options for projects.

intelligent-nesting-fusion-360

Intelligent nesting

Optimize material usage and reduce programming time by using Autodesk Fusion nesting software for intelligent nesting projects to produce complex layouts with speed and accuracy.

manual-nesting-fusion-360

Manual nesting

Autodesk Fusion nesting software allows you to automate manual nesting to reduce cost and time. It optimizes multi-sheet and multi-material nests to prepare them for CNC machine cutting.

Autodesk software for nesting

Expand your advanced manufacturing capabilities.


Unlock additional capabilities for 3 to 5-axis CNC machining, sheet-based nesting and fabrication, and metals-based additive manufacturing.


Features of nesting software

fusion 360 design

Automatic nesting algorithms

Nesting in Fusion employs advanced algorithms that automatically arrange parts within the material sheet, optimizing material usage and minimizing waste. These algorithms take into account factors such as part geometry, material type, and nesting constraints.

fusion 360 cam

Intelligent part placement

With automated nesting, you can save time by eliminating the manual effort required to arrange parts on a sheet. Fusion analyzes the geometry and automatically generates the most efficient layout, freeing up your valuable time for other critical tasks.

fusion 360 simulation

Support for various material types

Nesting in Fusion supports a wide range of material types, including metals, plastics, composites, and more. It adapts to the specific characteristics of each material, allowing for accurate and efficient nesting regardless of the material being used.

g code simulator

Integration with design and manufacturing workflows

Direct integration enables a smooth transition from the design phase to the nesting process, ensuring data continuity and eliminating the need for manual data transfer.

Nesting in Fusion 360

Interactive nesting previews

Fusion provides interactive nesting previews, allowing users to visualize the placement of parts on the material sheet in real-time. This feature helps users make informed decisions and optimize the nest for maximum efficiency.

Autodesk Fusion for Manufacturing

Autodesk Fusion for Manufacturing is an integrated CAD/CAM platform that combines parametric modeling, DFM, drawings and cloud-based collaboration with:

  • Sheet-metal fabrication: Associative nesting generates 2D layouts of sheet-metal parts for efficient CNC cutting, enhancing productivity. Automated CAM programming reduces errors, speeds up production, and improves quality. Advanced nesting algorithms optimize material usage, making the process cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
  • CNC machining: Achieve exceptional accuracy and repeatability with CAM programming for 2- to 5-axis machines, ensuring precise control. Advanced toolpaths reduce machining time and material waste, enhancing efficiency. Integrated CAD/CAM ensures design updates are automatically transferred to CAM programming, maintaining consistency and improving workflow efficiency.
  • 3D printing: Seamless integration with 3D printers allows efficient print management and a streamlined workflow. Associative design tools automate creating complex geometries and support structures, simplifying the design process. Material optimization enables using various materials, ensuring the best fit and enhancing product quality.

How to use the nesting software in Autodesk Fusion


To start using nesting software in Fusion, follow these simple steps:

  1. Design your parts or import existing designs into Fusion's CAD environment.
  2. Prepare your sheet material and define the cutting parameters.
  3. Access the nesting workspace in Fusion and import your parts.
  4. Configure the nesting settings based on your priorities, such as material utilization or cutting time.
  5. Let Fusion automatically generate the optimized layout.
  6. Review the generated layout and make any necessary adjustments.
  7. Export the nesting results to the CAM environment for further toolpath generation and cutting.

“Previously we were using a different program for nesting to make the cut lists, but that’s still susceptible to human error,” Ganas says. “You type one number wrong and now you have 200 sheets that are 1/16 of an inch off. Fusion has eliminated those kinds of errors. Now we know it’s 100% correct, and that’s a game-changer.”

– Richard Ganas, CEO, GANAS MFG

Common applications of nesting

Nesting software finds applications in various industries and manufacturing processes. Some common examples include:

Automotive


Nesting software plays a crucial role in optimizing the placement of components for cutting or machining in automotive and aerospace industries, maximizing material utilization, and reducing production costs.

Furniture


In the woodworking industry, nesting software ensures efficient use of wood panels, reducing material waste and improving yield.

CNC Machining


Nesting software is a valuable asset in the realm of CNC machining. By optimizing material usage and generating efficient toolpaths, nesting software greatly enhances the CNC machining process. It helps minimize waste, reduce setup times, and improve overall productivity.

Sheet Metal Fabrication


Nesting software helps optimize the layout of sheet metal components, minimizing waste and maximizing the utilization of expensive materials.

3D Printing


By optimizing the placement of 3D printed objects within the print bed, nesting software maximizes print volume, reduces support material usage, and shortens print times.

Laser Cutting


By arranging parts intelligently, nesting software reduces material waste, minimizes production time, and enhances the overall efficiency of laser cutting operations.

Nesting software resources

Learn more about nesting software with the following resources from Autodesk.

Learn more about how nests are linked to the design and material settings when making changes and recalculating the nest.

 

Learn how to nest parts in Fusion using either the nesting or arrange tools.

Save time, reduce errors, and optimize material utilization with nesting in Fusion.

Learn how to effectively use features, with guided tutorials, of nesting software in Autodesk Fusion.

Learn how to create customizable, printable labels for easier part tracking using nesting in Autodesk Fusion.

Learn about the three methods Fusion offers for 3D nesting: Bounding Box, Monte Carlo, and True Shape.

Unlock endless possibilities with nesting software in Fusion


Embrace the power of nesting software in Fusion, and propel your manufacturing workflow to new heights.

Nesting software frequently asked questions (FAQs)

How does nesting in Fusion work?

Nesting in Fusion intelligently arranges parts within a sheet based on predefined parameters and constraints. It utilizes advanced algorithms to optimize material usage and enhance manufacturing efficiency.

Can nesting software be used with different materials?

Yes, nesting software is compatible with a wide range of materials, including metals, wood, plastics, and composites. It adapts to the specific requirements of each material type to ensure optimal nesting results.

What is CAD/CAM nesting?

CAD/CAM nesting is the process of efficiently arranging parts to be cut from raw materials, such as sheet metal or fabric, using CAD and CAM software. It maximizes material usage and minimizes waste by automatically optimizing the layout based on part geometry and material constraints.

Does nesting software support sheet metal or wood cutting?

Yes, nesting software supports both sheet metal and wood cutting. It's used in industries like metal fabrication, woodworking, and furniture manufacturing to optimize material usage, reduce waste, and improve cutting efficiency for materials such as steel, aluminum, plywood, MDF, and more.

Is nesting software suitable for laser cutting or CNC machining?

Yes, nesting software is suitable for both laser cutting and CNC machining. It helps generate optimized cutting paths and layouts for machines, for the efficient use of materials and reducing machining time. 

What is 2D nesting?

2D nesting is nesting done on flat materials to create 2D parts and shapes. Examples include sheet metal fabrication and carbon manufacturing.

What is common cutting?

Common line cutting is when designs for one or more parts share the same edge, reducing material waste. It may speed cutting times of nested sheets and reduce heat-related distortions.

What is fly cutting?

A fly cutter is a single-point rotary cutting tool that moves across the surface of flat materials. Fly cutting uses this tool to make a shallow cut or to level a material's surface.

What is bump nesting?

Bump nesting is the act of manually dropping shapes or part designs onto the sheet layout. It can be used in conjunction with automatic nesting to fill in spaces left after automatic nesting.

What’s the difference between manual and automated nesting?

The main difference between manual and automated nesting is in how parts are arranged on the material sheet:

  • Manual nesting involves a user manually placing and rotating parts within a layout. It gives more control but is time-consuming, less efficient, and prone to human error.

  • Automated nesting uses algorithms to quickly and intelligently arrange parts for optimal material usage. It saves time, reduces waste, and is ideal for complex or high-volume production.

Is there a free trial for Autodesk nesting software?

Yes, the nesting functionality in Autodesk Fusion is available free for 30-days. Subscribe to Fusion for Manufacturing to continue using it once the 30-day trial ends. 

See more FAQ