ProNest 2019

ProNest^® is an industry-leading CAD/CAM part nesting software designed for advanced mechanized cutting. It provides a single solution for all your profile cutting needs – including plasma, laser, waterjet, and oxyfuel. ProNest helps fabricators and manufacturers increase material savings, boost productivity, lower operating costs, and improve part quality by offering the highest level of cutting expertise.

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Software information

Benefits

The Hypertherm difference

Brought to you by the cutting experts with 50 years of experience and more than 160 cutting technology related patents to their name.

Breakthrough technologies

ProNest is the only software that provides full support for Hypertherm’s SureCut™ technologies including True Hole^®, Rapid Part™, and True Bevel.™

Single software solution

Consolidate your programming to a single software application that supports virtually any cutting machine brand or model.

Increased productivity

Meet and exceed your deadlines with a more powerful programming solution.

Lower costs

Decrease material utilization through powerful, high yield nesting.

Ease of use

Spend less time programming and more time cutting.

The Hypertherm difference

Brought to you by the cutting experts with 50 years of experience and more than 160 cutting technology related patents to their name.

Breakthrough technologies

ProNest is the only software that provides full support for Hypertherm’s SureCut™ technologies including True Hole^®, Rapid Part™, and True Bevel.™

Single software solution

Consolidate your programming to a single software application that supports virtually any cutting machine brand or model.

Increased productivity

Meet and exceed your deadlines with a more powerful programming solution.

Lower costs

Decrease material utilization through powerful, high yield nesting.

Ease of use

Spend less time programming and more time cutting.

Supported applications

Cut process support

Plasma – conventional air/oxygen (ex. Powermax^®, MAXPRO^®)
Plasma – high definition (ex. XPR™, HyPerformance^®)
Laser
Oxyfuel
Waterjet

Machine applications

Bevel machine*
Drill machine*
Plate machine (e.g., Peddinghaus)*
Reposition machine (e.g., combination punch)*

* Requires optional module

Cut process support

Plasma – conventional air/oxygen (ex. Powermax^®, MAXPRO^®)
Plasma – high definition (ex. XPR™, HyPerformance^®)
Laser
Oxyfuel
Waterjet

Machine applications

Bevel machine*
Drill machine*
Plate machine (e.g., Peddinghaus)*
Reposition machine (e.g., combination punch)*

* Requires optional module

Standard features

Comprehensive machine support

All major brands/manufacturers/models

Advanced part design and development

Integrated 2D CAD program to create and edit CAD files
Variable Shape Parts library to develop common parts from templates

CAD/CAM import and conversion

Import CAD files (industry-standard file formats)
Import PDF
Raster to vector converts static images to CAD
Import Bill of Materials properties from CAD files
Automatic CAD file correction and error notification
Automatic spline/ellipse smoothing and reduction
Separate multiple parts from a single CAD file
Automatic mapping of CAD layers to processes (cut, mark, etc.)
Automatic update of nest for part revisions
Automatic part corner radiusing for optimized laser cycle time and part quality

Fast, easy job setup

Material database (with grade and gauge)
Customer database
Custom remnant creation (define irregular shapes for nesting)
Plate list
Part library
Assembly database
Grain constraint
Safe zones for plate clamping applications
Multi-head cutting

SureCut™ technology and built-in process expertise

True Hole^® technology capable
Rapid Part™ technology capable
True Bevel™ technology capable
Advanced process support and job setup on the CNC
Material type, thickness, grade and class-based process parameters:
- Separations for part, plate, and pierce spacing
- Kerf compensation and feedrate
- Quality and dynamic feedrate calculator for waterjet
- Lead-in/out style optimized for part geometry and quality
- Cutting techniques
- Pre-pierce and edge pierce
- Moving pierce techniques for waterjet
- Disable automatic height control based on part geometry
- Pre-heat timing for oxyfuel
Cut sequencing (automatic or manual)
Vaporize protective film layer prior to laser cutting
Automatic tabbing/micro-joints
Fly cutting

Interactive manual nesting

Jobs can contain sheets for different material types, thicknesses, and classes
Color parts according to part property
Group parts into clusters for nesting
Drag, drop, bump, and auto-bump parts on the nest
Move, mirror, and drag to rotate parts
Prohibit/permit nesting inside of a part
Part interference detection
Edit lead-in/out position and properties within the nest
Animated cutting sequence simulation
Control cut direction and cut sequencing on part-by-part basis
Plate cropping

Detailed reporting

Management and shop reports
Export reports directly to PDF, Excel Spreadsheet, CSV, or webpage

Simplified costing and quoting

User-defined machine and labor production costing
Automatic calculation of part production costs and part/nest utilization
Quoting tool including itemized part costs, secondary processes, markups, and discounts

Choice of output

OneClick™ feature runs all of your most common job tasks automatically
Post-processor with advanced NC output
DXF output

Comprehensive machine support

All major brands/manufacturers/models

Advanced part design and development

Integrated 2D CAD program to create and edit CAD files
Variable Shape Parts library to develop common parts from templates

CAD/CAM import and conversion

Import CAD files (industry-standard file formats)
Import PDF
Raster to vector converts static images to CAD
Import Bill of Materials properties from CAD files
Automatic CAD file correction and error notification
Automatic spline/ellipse smoothing and reduction
Separate multiple parts from a single CAD file
Automatic mapping of CAD layers to processes (cut, mark, etc.)
Automatic update of nest for part revisions
Automatic part corner radiusing for optimized laser cycle time and part quality

Fast, easy job setup

Material database (with grade and gauge)
Customer database
Custom remnant creation (define irregular shapes for nesting)
Plate list
Part library
Assembly database
Grain constraint
Safe zones for plate clamping applications
Multi-head cutting

SureCut™ technology and built-in process expertise

True Hole^® technology capable
Rapid Part™ technology capable
True Bevel™ technology capable
Advanced process support and job setup on the CNC
Material type, thickness, grade and class-based process parameters:
- Separations for part, plate, and pierce spacing
- Kerf compensation and feedrate
- Quality and dynamic feedrate calculator for waterjet
- Lead-in/out style optimized for part geometry and quality
- Cutting techniques
- Pre-pierce and edge pierce
- Moving pierce techniques for waterjet
- Disable automatic height control based on part geometry
- Pre-heat timing for oxyfuel
Cut sequencing (automatic or manual)
Vaporize protective film layer prior to laser cutting
Automatic tabbing/micro-joints
Fly cutting

Interactive manual nesting

Jobs can contain sheets for different material types, thicknesses, and classes
Color parts according to part property
Group parts into clusters for nesting
Drag, drop, bump, and auto-bump parts on the nest
Move, mirror, and drag to rotate parts
Prohibit/permit nesting inside of a part
Part interference detection
Edit lead-in/out position and properties within the nest
Animated cutting sequence simulation
Control cut direction and cut sequencing on part-by-part basis
Plate cropping

Detailed reporting

Management and shop reports
Export reports directly to PDF, Excel Spreadsheet, CSV, or webpage

Simplified costing and quoting

User-defined machine and labor production costing
Automatic calculation of part production costs and part/nest utilization
Quoting tool including itemized part costs, secondary processes, markups, and discounts

Choice of output

OneClick™ feature runs all of your most common job tasks automatically
Post-processor with advanced NC output
DXF output

Modules

The following modules can add powerful capabilities to your software.

Productivity modules

Automatic Nesting
Nesting System Optimization
Common Line Cutting
Collison Avoidance
Chain and Bridge Cutting
Skeleton Cut-up

Enterprises modules

Data Sync
Plate Inventory
Work Order Processing

3D process modules

Pipe and Fittings
SOLIDWORKS® Software Interface
Inventor® Software Interface
Creo™ Parametric (formerly Pro/E) Software Interface

Machine interface modules

Reposition Machine Interface
Bevel Machine Interface
Drill Machine Interface
Plate Machine Interface

Industry 4.0 automation

ProNest not only drives your machines, it can also drive your entire cutting and fabricating operation, moving quickly from initial quote to finished job.

Quoting, costing, and reporting tools are all included as standard features.

And if you want to fully digitize your operation, ProNest can connect to your existing ERP/MRP software through its Data Sync optional module, providing real time data exchange on parts, plates, work orders, and more.

System requirements

	ProNest 32-bit	ProNest 64-bit
CPU	1.3 GHz processor or faster (3 GHz recommended)
Memory	4 GB RAM (8 GB recommended)	8 GB RAM (16 GB recommended)
Display	VGA display with at least 256 colors and a resolution of 1024 x 768
Disk space	2 GB available disk space
Microsoft^®Windows^®operating system	32-bit or 64-bit OS Windows 10 Windows 8 or 8.1 Windows 7 (SP1)	64-bit OS only Windows 10 Windows 8 or 8.1 Windows 7 (SP1)
Spreadsheet program	Microsoft Excel^® 2007 or later is recommended for editing ProNest settings spreadsheets.