Plasma nesting that respects the kerf and the plate.
Plasma removes more material than a laser and works on bigger, heavier plate. NestIQ lets you set kerf, spacing and margins for your table, and nests true shapes in the browser.
What makes this work hard.
Heavy plate is costly to waste
Thick steel is bought by weight. A poor layout turns money into scrap that you still paid for.
Kerf and heat need room
The gap between parts has to cover the kerf plus whatever extra spacing your process needs. Guessing causes bad parts.
Odd plate sizes
Offcut plates and non-standard sheets do not fit templates built for standard sizes.
Layouts done by hand take time
Arranging brackets, flanges and rings on the plate by eye is slow, and the result varies by who did it.
What you get on the sheet.
Kerf and spacing you control
Set kerf, part spacing and sheet margins for the job, and save nesting defaults per workspace.
Standard and custom plate sizes
Use standard sheet sizes or enter your own, and keep several plates in one project.
True-shape nesting
Parts are nested on their real outline with rotations, so brackets and rings pack together.
Hole nesting
Small parts can be placed inside the cutouts of larger parts when you turn the option on.
Material and plate masters
Save your materials and plates once per workspace and reuse them on every project.
Search modes
Choose Quick for a fast answer or Maximum saving when the plate is worth the extra search time.
Three steps from drawing to layout.
- 01
Upload your parts
Drop in DXF or SVG files, or a ZIP of many. NestIQ checks each outline and repairs near-closed contours and duplicate entities, then tells you what it fixed or skipped.
- 02
Set sheet and gaps
Pick a standard or custom sheet size, then set kerf, part spacing and sheet margins. Allow rotations, or lock grain direction if the material needs it.
- 03
Nest, check, export
Run a search mode, watch the live preview, adjust by hand if you want, then export nested DXF, SVG, PNG, JSON, G-code or PLT, and a PDF job report.
Questions from plasma cutting shops.
Can I nest on offcut plates?
Yes, you can enter a custom sheet size. NestIQ does not track remnant inventory, so you enter the plate you want to use.
Does NestIQ do common-line cutting?
No. Parts are separated by kerf and the spacing you set.
Which files do I need?
DXF or SVG outlines of your parts, or a ZIP of several. NestIQ reports anything it repaired or skipped during import.
What do I send to the plasma table?
Export the nested layout as DXF and open it in the software that drives your table, or write a generic G-code or PLT program. A PDF job report is available for the office.
Bring a drawing. Leave with a better layout.
Upload a DXF or SVG, set the sheet size and kerf, and see the first layout in your browser.