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2-stage Nesting Algorithm Software
The 2NA (2-stage Nesting Algorithm) software constructs approximate solutions to the 2D nesting problem, that is the problem of finding minimum waste arrangements of irregular shapes on regular stock sheets. The problem arises in a number of manufacturing applications, some of which are sheet metal fabrication, composite layup, water jet cutting, and tooling.
The 2NA software is structured as a C language subprogram which packs polygonal shapes within larger rectangles. The packing is carried out in four basic steps:
Rectangle nesting and part clustering form the core of 2NA's nesting strategy, while polygon simplication and polygon restoration are initialization and output processing steps, respectively. The interaction of the four steps is demonstrated in an example.