topic Re: Exporting multiple dxf to import in nesting in Inventor Forum

Exporting multiple dxf to import in nesting

omkarnarkar17 — Sun, 04 Oct 2020 06:30:32 GMT

We have a dxf file for sheet metal parts. it has separate parts flat patterns in it. We usually do it either in AutoCAD or Inventor to generate flat patterns. Usually we end up with multiple parts in a single DWG/DXF. as shown below:

Now we have been trying to use Inventor nesting to generate nests to use in turret punch. It works perfect as for our purpose and nesting is also great. However only drawback is Inventor nesting needs separate parts(flats) as separate source(DXF) files. So I need to save each flat pattern as separate DXF files and then import them.

I searched on forums and other places and I found Inventor nesting does not allow to have multiple flats in single dxf. (It treats whole thing as single part) Please correct me if I am wrong.

Now I was trying to find a way to automatically split the DXF file I shown above in to 4 separate DXF files as a single process. I found other tool: Jetcam DXF Splitter which can do this but we are not in to budgeting another software at this time.

We do have TruNest Multitool & I also read that Trunest can does this splitting job.

however we are not too proficient in it. Can anyone guide on how we can do this splitting job in Trunest? Or is there any other alternative option to do this splitting job?

PS. We know we can do whole nesting in trunest but it is rather very thorough and little complicated where Inventor Nesting gets job done in literally 5 clicks if done properly.

Products & versions we have: Inventor 2021 Pro & Inventor Nesting , Trunest 2020, AutoCAD 2021

OS: Win 10 & 7

Re: Exporting multiple dxf to import in nesting

javiar — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 23:14:49 GMT

Hi @omkarnarkar17 ,

That is correct - multi-part DXF's are not supported in Inventor Nesting. Each file should only contain one part, i.e. there should only be a single closed outer profile.

Yes, TruNest can certainly support this workflow. To import multi-part DXF and extract individual parts, you can use Part Import > Automat (or Automat and Compress). While TruNest includes some default translation settings, these often need custom tweaks initially to ensure they work well for your documents.

AutomatTranslation Spec

TruNest is indeed a beast and does require the initial setup and training. What solution is best suited for your application depends a lot on your production volume requirements; number of different machines you need to program for; automation and advanced optimization needs; whether or not you need ERP integration; Remnant Tracking; and more...Let me know if you have additional questions or need some assistance with TruNest and we can discuss offline.

Regards,

Re: Exporting multiple dxf to import in nesting

omkarnarkar17 — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 05:32:13 GMT

Hello Ravi! Thank you very much for your response.

You are correct. Trunest is indeed a beast in our fabrication processing. However it is very thorough and it will take us some time to adapt and adjust to it. I will definitely connect further when we go into the training phase for it.

As seen from your/my screenshots, we are able to import and automat the parts. For time being, can you advise if we would be able to export the separated parts as separate dxf/dwg files directly from Trunest? If yes, how can we do that?

Thanks in advance.