FOCUS ON CAD / CAM
FETCO ® laser cutting highlights
■ ROI in under six months on both JETCAM and Aquila software from material savings alone.
■ Chose to invest in software rather than purchase new laser or loading / unloading systems.
■ JETCAM software integrates tightly with Aquila DMM MES.
■ Material use decreased by over 20 % through dynamic nesting.
Programming the Bystronic laser cutting system.
changes required staff to use forklifts to remove and store the existing material and then retrieve the new material, resulting in significant downtime.
Ultra Performance Nesting
FETCO ® considered adding a sheet-loading tower / unloading system to the new fibre laser. Instead, it decided to move to dynamic nesting. After evaluating several options, it selected JETCAM Expert software with Ultra Performance Nesting( UPN) as part of a wider investment in the Aquila Group’ s DMM( MES) software.
“ DMM connects FETCO ® scheduling with laser cutting and automatically builds part nests in the background. FETCO ® was the first company in the U. S. to use UPN. The implementation was performed remotely in August 2024, with on-site training done by U. S. distributor, NestOne Solutions, and integration by / with Aquila DMM completed shortly afterwards,” JETCAM told ISMR.
“ The company saw significant savings, the most immediate of which was a 20 % reduction in material use,” added JETCAM.
“ Ultra Performance Nesting( UPN) was nesting the parts incredibly tightly compared to our previous software, cutting parts inside the scrap of other parts. We didn’ t realize the impact that this was having until our steel supplier visited us to ask about our business, thinking we were perhaps seeing a slow-down in orders. We had, in fact, seen double-digit growth and had even increased throughput,” outlined Michael Scheve, VP of Manufacturing, FETCO ®.
UPN also includes other laser-specific features such as multi-sheet nesting on different size materials( including remnants),
Example of a FETCO beverage system.
■ Nesting parts in material that would otherwise be scrapped.
■ First in the U. S. to use Ultra Performance Nesting( UPN).
■ One day per week laser capacity gained due to more efficient use.
■ Massive reduction in time spent moving materials on forklifts, as specific materials are nested on certain CNCs.
■ Improved revision control robustness, as nests with only the right revisions are delivered.
■ Full automation means that there is less to learn and support.
Laser-cut sheet.
ISMR May 2025 | ismr. net | 49