A fully automated nesting and piloting system for progressive dies

Nowadays, sheet metal products are some of the most frequently found parts in industry. Progressive dies have a special role in various methods of sheet metal production. The design process however, requires a considerable amount of time and expertise. Two important activities during a progressive die design are “Nesting” and “Piloting”. In this paper, a software is introduced which automates the nesting of different parts according to minimum scrap strategy. The software is also capable of choosing the most suitable existing holes or designing auxiliary holes on the scrap part of the strip for piloting purposes.