Workpiece Nesting Evaluation Around Support Bars in Flatbed Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the sheet metal processing industry, flatbed laser cutting machines face challenges with workpiece nesting due to unknown relative positions of workpiece contours to support bars, leading to reduced quality, wear, and process instability, as cutting operations over support bars can cause tilting and damage.
Innovation Solution
A method for evaluating the position of sub-spaces in a nesting plan for flatbed machine tools, which includes providing contour and position data, determining cumulative contour section lengths, and calculating a damage rate using weighted factors to minimize damage and tilting by optimizing the arrangement of workpieces relative to support bars.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If workpieces are nested to minimize raw material usage, then material utilization is improved, but the relative position of workpiece contours to support bars becomes unknown, leading to cutting operations over bars that cause wear and quality reduction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary evaluation of the nesting plan before cutting to determine the relative positions of workpiece contours to support bars. This advance assessment allows identification and correction of problematic positions that would cause cutting operations over bars, thereby preventing wear and quality issues before they occur
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the evaluated position information from the nesting plan is used to adjust and optimize workpiece arrangements. The evaluation results feed back into the nesting process to modify positions that would otherwise cause cutting operations over support bars, creating a closed-loop system that continuously improves reliability
2Productivity
If workpieces are positioned without evaluating relative positions to support bars, then nesting planning is simpler and faster, but cutting operations cause severe wear of bars and reduced part quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial evaluation by focusing specifically on the critical aspect of relative positioning between workpiece contours and support bars, rather than evaluating all possible parameters. This selective approach maintains nesting planning efficiency while sufficiently addressing the wear problem through targeted position assessment
3Adaptability or versatility
If workpieces are arranged without considering support bar positions, then nesting arrangement is more flexible, but unexpected tilting of pieces and process disturbances occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary evaluation of workpiece stability by assessing relative positions to support bars before the cutting process begins. This advance identification of unstable configurations allows for corrective repositioning, ensuring workpiece stability is maintained while preserving nesting flexibility
Data Source
AI summary
A method for evaluating a position of a selected sub-space of a nesting plan is provided. The nesting plan is provided for controlling a cutting process of a flatbed machine tool for cutting out workpieces from a material sheet and includes an overlap-free arrangement of respective sub-spaces, the respective sub-spaces corresponding to the workpieces. The method includes providing contour data specifying a cutting contour that delimits the selected sub-space in the position to be evaluated within the planning space, and providing position data indicating respective positions in the planning space of spaces to be considered in the evaluation. The spaces include a group of supported spaces and a group of support surrounding spaces. The method includes providing cutting operation data for at least one section and determining an evaluation value for the position to be evaluated of the selected sub-space using the calculated damage rate of the cutting contour.