Geometric NestingWorks – Advanced Nesting Solution for SOLIDWORKS Users

Geometric NestingWorks is a powerful nesting solution developed specifically for SOLIDWORKS users, designed to help manufacturers optimize material usage and reduce waste during the fabrication process. With intelligent algorithms and seamless integration, NestingWorks provides engineers and designers with a tool that takes the complexity out of part arrangement and nesting optimization.

What Is Geometric NestingWorks?

Geometric NestingWorks is a fully integrated nesting add-in for SOLIDWORKS, developed by Geometric Ltd. It allows users to automatically arrange parts or shapes efficiently within a defined material sheet or plate, minimizing waste and maximizing productivity. It’s especially useful in industries such as sheet metal fabrication, aerospace, automotive, and furniture design, where optimizing material layout directly impacts production cost and time.

Unlike standalone nesting software, NestingWorks works natively within the SOLIDWORKS environment, meaning you don’t have to export or convert files to other formats. The add-in understands SOLIDWORKS part geometry, including 3D models and sheet metal components, which ensures accuracy and preserves design intent.

Key Features and Capabilities

1. Fully Integrated with SOLIDWORKS

NestingWorks functions directly inside SOLIDWORKS, maintaining full associativity with the original 3D model. This means that any change you make to your SOLIDWORKS design is automatically updated in the nested layout. There’s no need for manual data transfer or rework, which saves time and eliminates potential errors.

2. Intelligent Nesting Algorithm

The software uses an advanced nesting algorithm that automatically determines the most efficient arrangement of parts. It considers material dimensions, part orientation, and grain direction (for anisotropic materials such as wood or composites) to generate an optimal layout with minimal waste.

3. Multi-Sheet and Multi-Part Nesting

NestingWorks can handle multiple parts and materials at once. Whether you’re nesting parts of different thicknesses, materials, or sizes, the software intelligently organizes them across multiple sheets or plates, ensuring each one is used efficiently.

4. Sheet Metal Support

For manufacturers working with sheet metal, NestingWorks is an invaluable tool. It recognizes flat patterns directly from SOLIDWORKS sheet metal parts, eliminating the need for flattening them manually. The nested results are ready for CNC cutting, laser cutting, or waterjet operations.

5. Grain Direction Control

When working with materials such as wood, composites, or metals with directional properties, controlling grain direction is essential. NestingWorks lets users set and maintain the proper grain orientation for each part to ensure structural integrity and consistent appearance.

6. Material Library and Customization

Users can create and manage material libraries to define sheet sizes, thicknesses, and quantities. The software automatically selects the appropriate material sheets for each nesting job, simplifying workflow management.

7. Reporting and Documentation

After generating the nesting layout, NestingWorks provides detailed reports including material utilization percentage, number of sheets used, and cutting paths. These reports can be exported for documentation, costing, and production tracking.

Benefits of Using Geometric NestingWorks

1. Material Savings

By optimizing part placement, NestingWorks can reduce material waste by a significant margin. Over time, this translates into substantial cost savings, especially for companies dealing with expensive materials like aluminum, stainless steel, or composites.

2. Time Efficiency

Automating the nesting process means engineers spend less time manually arranging parts. The intelligent algorithm produces optimal results in seconds, freeing up time for design and analysis.

3. Improved Accuracy

Because NestingWorks works within SOLIDWORKS, it retains exact geometric fidelity. There are no conversion errors or data losses when transferring between software, ensuring precision from design to production.

4. Seamless Workflow

NestingWorks complements SOLIDWORKS perfectly. The entire process—from design to nested layout—is performed within one interface, creating a smooth and efficient workflow that integrates easily with downstream manufacturing systems.

Applications Across Industries

• Sheet Metal Fabrication: Automatically nest flat patterns from sheet metal parts for cutting.

• Woodworking and Furniture Design: Optimize plywood or MDF sheets with correct grain orientation.

• Aerospace and Automotive: Manage high-precision material layouts for lightweight metal and composite components.

• Signage and Architecture: Efficiently arrange parts for laser-cut panels and decorative elements.

Whether you’re manufacturing small mechanical components or large structural panels, NestingWorks can handle the scale and complexity of your projects.

Why Choose NestingWorks?

The strength of Geometric NestingWorks lies in its integration, intelligence, and efficiency. Traditional nesting solutions often require exporting files and manual data handling, which introduces inefficiencies and errors. NestingWorks eliminates that barrier entirely, giving users a tool that’s easy to use, accurate, and deeply embedded within the SOLIDWORKS workflow.

Its ability to automatically adapt to design updates ensures that your nested layouts are always up to date. This dynamic link between design and manufacturing is what makes NestingWorks a vital part of any modern CAD/CAM ecosystem.

Conclusion

Geometric NestingWorks is more than just a nesting tool—it’s a complete productivity enhancer for manufacturers and designers using SOLIDWORKS. By automating layout optimization, minimizing waste, and improving process accuracy, it enables organizations to save time, reduce costs, and achieve better resource efficiency.

For businesses where precision and material utilization are critical, NestingWorks stands out as an indispensable extension of the SOLIDWORKS environment, empowering users to take their design-to-production workflow to the next level.