ProNest part nesting software

Benefits

Material cost savings

Powerful, high-yield nesting reduces your material costs and increases profitability.

Ease of use

Incredibly easy to learn and use, with intuitive screens, and a wide variety of helpful features.

Breakthrough technologies

ProNest is the only software that provides full support for Hypertherm’s SureCut™ technologies including True Hole^®, Rapid Part™, and PlateSaver™, which are delivered automatically without operator intervention, and True Bevel™ which greatly reduces bevel set up time.

Increased productivity

Faster, fully automated interface can reduce your programing time from hours to minutes, while specialized cutting techniques can reduce total cut time by up to 50%.

Beyond nesting

More than just a nesting software, ProNest includes powerful features to help manage your entire cutting operation. You’ll be able to quote jobs, manage work orders, and monitor machine status, all in one place.

Unlimited technical support

Unlimited access to technical support, training, and software updates is included with your purchase.

Material cost savings

Powerful, high-yield nesting reduces your material costs and increases profitability.

Ease of use

Incredibly easy to learn and use, with intuitive screens, and a wide variety of helpful features.

Breakthrough technologies

ProNest is the only software that provides full support for Hypertherm’s SureCut™ technologies including True Hole^®, Rapid Part™, and PlateSaver™, which are delivered automatically without operator intervention, and True Bevel™ which greatly reduces bevel set up time.

Increased productivity

Faster, fully automated interface can reduce your programing time from hours to minutes, while specialized cutting techniques can reduce total cut time by up to 50%.

Beyond nesting

More than just a nesting software, ProNest includes powerful features to help manage your entire cutting operation. You’ll be able to quote jobs, manage work orders, and monitor machine status, all in one place.

Unlimited technical support

Unlimited access to technical support, training, and software updates is included with your purchase.

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
Import OMX or ORD
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)
Visualize slats on the nest
Plate list
Part library
Assembly database
Grain constraint
Safe zones for plate clamping applications
Multi-head cutting

SureCut™ technology

Choice of output

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

Built-in process expertise

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
Nest around material defects for waterjet
Waterjet quality

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

Detailed reporting

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

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
Import OMX or ORD
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)
Visualize slats on the nest
Plate list
Part library
Assembly database
Grain constraint
Safe zones for plate clamping applications
Multi-head cutting

SureCut™ technology

Choice of output

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

Built-in process expertise

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
Nest around material defects for waterjet
Waterjet quality

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

Detailed reporting

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

Optional 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

Enterprise modules

Data Sync
Plate Inventory
Work Order Processing
Production Manager^New!

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

Improve efficiency and productivity by integrating ProNest with your ERP/MRP system. What were once manual and redundant tasks can now be queued, tracked, and combined more easily. And inventory will be better managed for faster turnover and reduced waste. All of which adds to your profitability.

System requirements

CPU	1.4 GHz processor or faster (3 GHz recommended)
Memory	8 GB RAM (16 GB recommended)
Display	VGA display with at least 256 colors and a resolution of 1024 x 768
Disk space	6 GB available disk space
Microsoft^®Windows^®operating system	Windows 11, Windows 10 (64-bit OS only)
Spreadsheet program	Microsoft Excel^® 2010 or later is recommended for editing ProNest settings spreadsheets.
Browser	Supported browsers for the ProNest Server web app: Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge, Opera, etc.), Firefox, Safari Note: Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge Legacy are not supported.