1. What’s New: ProNest 2019 v.13.0

2. About Hypertherm Founded in 1968 in Hanover, NH
Associate owned company with more than 1,400 associates
More engineering resources to plasma research and development than any other company in the world
More than 120 cutting patents as a result of efforts to continuously improve the cut quality, productivity, operating cost and reliability of our systems

3. About ProNest
ProNest is an industry leading CAD/CAM nesting software designed for advanced mechanized cutting. It provides a single solution for all of your laser cutting needs, as well as plasma, waterjet, and oxyfuel.

4. Workflow Part design CAD import Job set-up SureCut™ Nesting Output
ProNest takes you quickly from “CAD to Code” with everything you need to execute your jobs:
Part design & development: includes an integrated 2D CAD program and variable shape library.
CAD import & conversion: automatically prepares the part for nesting.
Job set-up: gives you control over materials, customers, plates, parts, and more.
SureCut technology: refers to ProNest’s built-in process parameters and delivers breakthrough technologies like True Hole, Rapid Part, and True Bevel.
Nesting: makes it quick and easy to achieve your best nest.
And Output: delivers the optimal NC code for virtually any machine.

5. Your cutting and fabricating ecosystem
ProNest not only drives your machines, it’s also a key component of your entire cutting and fabricating ecosystem, with everything from quoting, to work order processing, to costing, reporting, and managing inventory. ProNest even connects to ERP/MRP for real time data exchange.

6. Modular structure 1 Optional Module
In addition to the standard feature set, ProNest offers a variety of optional modules. This modular structure means that you only purchase the tools you need.
The ProNest options focus on productivity enhancement, ERP/MRP integration, and 3D processing, and more.

7. SureCut™ technology True Hole Rapid Part™ True Bevel ™ ®
Because Hypertherm develops both hardware and software solutions, it is uniquely positioned to provide users with all the cutting parameters needed to be successful, right from day one. ProNest draws on years of research and development to deliver the optimal outcomes based on factory-tested and proven job parameters including leads, separations, kerf, feed rate, and cutting techniques. ProNest does more than any other software to automatically embed cut process expertise into the numeric code.

8. Achieving business goals
Increasing material savings
Boosting productivity
Lowering operating costs
Improving part quality
Ultimately, ProNest helps thousands fabricators and manufacturers around the globe achieve their business goals, including:
Increasing material savings
Boosting productivity
Lower operating costs
Or improving part quality

9. ProNest 2019 v.13.0
The Hypertherm CAD/CAM software team is pleased to announce that a new version update, ProNest 2019 v.13.0, will officially be released in April 2018.
ProNest 2019 offers significant improvements designed to make the software more efficient and easier to use. Free access to this upgrade will be available to all active Software Subscribers. Upon release, the download will be available in the Hypertherm CAM Knowledge Base.
Let’s take a look at some of the specific new features and enhancements that you should know about.

10. Pricing Pricing remains flat
50% reduction on module: Nesting System Optimization
There will be no price increase for ProNest 2019
The only change to pricing will be a 50% reduction in price for the Nesting System Optimization module, which offers greater performance over standard Automatic Nesting. Optimization works by taking all available parts, plates, and remnants into account and determining which combinations of parts, plates, and remnants that produces the highest material utilization.

11. Raster to vector
ProNest can import raster image files and convert them to vector part files that can be cut on your machine.
The following image file formats can be imported:
• PNG
• JPG, JPEG
• BMP
• GIF
New settings enable you to fine-tune the image prior to import, to get the best result. Once the image has been converted to a part, it can be nested and output.
For images that will be cut more than once, you can easily save a vector version of the part in the part library or save it as a DXF or DWG file using 2D CAD.

12. Raster to vector
Raster to vector images are brought into ProNest similarly to CAD files. Start by browsing to the desired graphics file, then use CAD import -> Raster to Vector settings to adjust how ProNest reads the image and handles the conversion.

13. Drag rotation Sample Video
Manual nesting is now much more fluid and intuitive. With existing parts on the nest, fitting in parts along the contours of other nested parts and the plate edges is much easier.
When dragging a part on the nest, the part will bump up against existing parts or plate edges and then rotate to fit. You can glide the part along edges of neighboring parts to get the best result. This makes it easy to fit parts into empty spaces on the nest, without the need to manually rotate the part to just to right angle.
Benefits include:
• Faster and easier to create tighter nests during manual nesting
• Achieve better plate utilization, especially when nesting around the contours of larger parts
Sample video link:

14. Ignore leads during nesting
In previous versions of ProNest, during manual and automatic nesting, you could either take all part leads into account or ignore leads altogether, regardless of lead size or the plate material. Taking all leads into account during nesting sometimes results in extra, unneeded space between parts.
Now, you can ignore only certain leads during nesting, based on whether they’re smaller than a user-defined percentage of the part separation.
This is useful in cases where some leads/pierces are insignificant and should not affect the spacing between parts, but others are larger and should not be ignored, in case they cause real conflicts with neighboring parts.
Benefits include:
• Better material utilization by nesting parts closer together. In some scenarios, this may be the difference between a part set requiring two plates and fitting everything on a single plate.
• Reduce instances where there are conflicts shown on the nest, but there wouldn’t actually be a problem during cutting.
• No need to enter Settings and turn the Ignore part leads setting on or off prior to nesting, based on material or lead length.
• Useful for both laser and plasma cutting.

15. Ignore leads during nesting
In settings:
In this case nesting will ignore leads when the lead is smaller than 50% of the part separation.

16. Lead styles
Any lead style is available and can be selected in all areas of ProNest, including the Edit Part List, the main window, and the Leads settings spreadsheet. Previously, custom lead styles had to be applied manually in Advanced Edit.

17. Leads macros
You can now set Leads Macro as your default Leads in Settings. Lead Macros can also be called from your Leads Spreadsheet.

18. Fly cutting
Designed for laser cutting on thin materials, fly cutting is a method of cutting the aligned edges of different interior profiles together in a straight line. Pierces are made without slowing down or stopping the cutting head.
This technique provides faster cutting with fewer slowdowns required by changes of direction. Mechanical stress on the machine is reduced as the head is not making numerous changes in cut direction (compared with cutting interiors one by one).

19. Fly cutting straight edges
Off On
Off
When fly cutting is enabled for a part, ProNest detects interior grids containing aligned edges. The interior sequence of the part is then changed so that aligned entities are cut one after the other in a line.
ProNest supports fly cutting for grids of various shapes, including square/rectangular, triangular, hexagonal, octagonal, and mixed.

20. Fast cutting arcs
For grids of aligned circles or slots, a similar fast cutting technique is used. Unlike with straight edges, these interiors are cut one by one, but pierces are still made without slowing down or stopping the cutting head.

21. Fly cutting settings
Fly cutting requires special set.up in the CFF and Custom CFF settings Supports Fly Cutting.

22. Skeleton Cut-Up: integrate sequence with parts
A new setting allows skeleton lines and exterior part profiles to be cut together in groups. All skeleton lines intersecting the exterior profile will be cut first, followed by the exterior profile. The sequence will then move on to the next group of skeleton lines and parts.
Selecting this setting can reduce part defects due to plate movement and lessen the chance of collisions with tipped-up parts.

23. Skeleton Cut-Up settings
Turn on or off in settings.

24. Design2Fab integration
Roundtrip Design2Fab integration has been added to ProNest, enabling you to leave a ProNest job, add fittings in Design2Fab and return to the ProNest job with the patterns added to the part list, ready for nesting and NC output.

25. Production manager Programmer or Production manager Machine operator
Production manager is a lesser known module in ProNest that is quickly becoming a more powerful tool for companies looking to digitize their operation, and move towards factory 4.0 type automation.
Production manager connects ProNest to your cutting machines, providing a window into the machine status and job progress.

26. Production Manager
When installed, Production Manager can display nest data alongside machine data, showing you whether the job is pending, in production, or complete, plus details such as start time and stop time. This makes the shop floor data much more visible to the nesting programmer and/or production manager.

27. Production Kiosk
Production Kiosk is the counterpart to Production manager that is installed out on the shop floor allowing data to be collected and relayed back to ProNest. It shows the available nests, then when a job goes into production, it allows operators to enter time information such as start, stop, break, complete, etc.
Currently, production kiosk must be installed on a PC or tablet located at the work station, allowing the operator to enter the information manually, but in the future we hope to offer an automated kiosk that installs directly on the CNC.

28. Enhancements Production monitor Production kiosk
A new preference allows nesting on remnants before the original nest is completed
Production Manager editor is now available from the Data tab in ProNest or as a shortcut in the Windows Start menu.
The Production Manager user interface updated with newer look and feel.
Production Kiosk time data is now shown in the grid view.
Production kiosk
Kiosk production data, including machine, operator, start/stop time, and elapsed time, is now available in the ProNest database.
Multiple machines are supported.
Current nests in production can be temporarily placed on hold, in case a priority job needs to be cut.
Multiple instances of the Production Kiosk application can be run from a single PC.
Plate size and inventory information is displayed for available nests.
Redesigned user interface for better ease of use.
For those customers that have already adopted Production Monitor and Production Kiosk, there are a number of enhancements available in ProNest 2019.

29. Breadcrumbs style folder navigation
Several areas in ProNest now use a more modern breadcrumb style folder explorer, making it faster and easier to browse for folders and files.

30. Pin lead styles
When selecting leads, commonly used lead styles can now be pinned to the top of the list, for quick access.
Pinned lead styles are saved with the ProNest machine, so that machine-specific lead styles will always be readily available.

31. Other updates Assembly information Safe zones
History database performance improvements
SOLIDWORKS Interface
Work orders: re-using nests
STRUMIS
Assembly information:
If a part belongs to a ProNest assembly, the assembly name is now displayed in the Properties pane in the main window. And assembly name can now be selected when color-filling parts based on a part property. This can help you easily identify parts that belong to a particular assembly on a nest.
Safe zones:
A default safe zone scheme can now be applied for an entire machine. The default safe zones are applied to all plates, prior to nesting. For machines that have stops or clamps to hold the plate in place, you no longer have to apply a safe zone scheme each time a new nest is created or a plate is added to the plate list.
History database performance improvements:
For ProNest 2019, history data is stored in the main production database, instead of an external History database. History views are now schema-bound, resulting in several benefits:
• Faster queries that run against both production and history data. Speed improvements are particularly noticeable on larger databases with lots of history data.
• Prevention of unauthorized or accidental database changes.
• Faster installation of ProNest database.
SOLIDWORKS Interface:
For some sheet metal parts, ProNest automatically creates additional bend lines which are placed parallel to and on either side of a main bend line. Previously, these bend lines were always placed on the same layer as the main bend line during import. Now, you can have these bend lines placed on a different layer from the main bend line, in case they should be mapped to a different process or excluded altogether.
Work orders: re-using nests:
For cases where the same parts are cut repeatedly, you can now process the same nest over and over using different Work Orders for the parts in the nest. This allows nests that have good utilization and productivity to be re-used as needed.
STRUMIS:
Nesting System Optimization for STRUMIS now supports the "Must nest all parts" setting. When selected, all optimization results are discarded unless all parts can be nested.

32. Thank you www.hyperthermCAM.com