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.
