Alma, a cutting optimization software specialist

Cutting optimization: the expertise of a specialized software developer

Depending on the industrial issue addressed, cutting optimization software can have various functions and help you:

To optimize the positionning of elementary parts in raw materials (sheet metal, wood panel, block of foam or graphite etc.) thanks to the automatic nesting, in order to save material and reduce losses or offcuts.
To optimize the trajectories of the cutting machine to minimize tool paths and reduce cycle times, or take into account the specific constraints of the cutting process (for example to avoid thermal part distortions when cutting sheet metal with plasma).
To generate tool trajectories or machine programs to obtain optimal cutting quality.

With each of these functions are associated state-of-the-art algorithmic, mathematical and computing skills. For 40 years, Alma has been capitalizing unique experience in the field of cutting optimization software development and edition.

In 1979, thanks to academic and design research, Alma created the first automatic nesting software for parts of any shape in the field of material sheet cutting. The company has become the specialist in optimization software for all industrial cutting applications. Thanks to its applicative software, customized solutions and software components, Alma offers a highly productive cutting optimization solution to all processing companies and cutting machine manufacturers, whatever their needs.

Cutting optimization of all materials and parts

Whatever the materials cut, Alma offers a software solution to optimize your raw material productivity or pilot your cutting machines:

Flat cutting of materials in sheets or plates: sheet metal (steel, aluminum), wood panel, plastic panel, textile width, composite plate etc.
Tri-dimensional cutting of formed metallic parts.
Tri-dimensional cutting of folded metallic parts.
Tube cutting (linear or tri-dimensional).
Bar and profile cutting (linear or tri-dimensional).
Cutting of parallelepiped materials: foam, polystyrene, polyurethane, stone, marble, wood etc.

Cutting optimization for all cutting processes and technologies

Alma has developed optimization software for all cutting technologies and assimilated:

Flat cutting following contours and fluid jet cutting of parts of any shape (laser, plasma, water jet cutting, oxycutting etc.).
Punching-nibbling.
Flat cutting following contours with a cutter or a vibrating blade.
Milling or routing of tender materials (wood, plastic, aluminum etc.).
Multi-layer cutting following contours in 2D or 2.5D (for example routing of wood or aluminum panels).
3D cutting for 3 to N axes on machines or robots (laser, plasma, water jet, routing).
Cutting with hot wire or blade of parallelepiped blocks.
Linear cutting (for example sawing of bars and profiles).
Edge-to-edge rectangular cutting (for example sheet-metal shearing, wood-panel cutting for woodwork).

Software for all cutting optimization issues

Software components

Alma supplies its software components for cutting optimization to industrial software developers or machine-tools manufacturers that develop their own software products: automatic nesting libraries for 2D complex-shape parts, 3D cutting of parallelepipeds, rectangular or linear cutting.

Application software

Thanks to the Almacam’s products range that offers highly automated work applications based on exclusive optimization and simulation tools (nesting, tool paths), Alma answers all the cutting optimization and cutting-machine piloting needs of industrial end users: 2D cutting following contours, punching-nibbling, 3D cutting on 5-axis machines or robots, tube cutting, 3D nesting, etc.

Customized applications

Alma entirely masters its components together with the development of its application software. The company can thus propose its cutting technology and experience to cutting machine manufacturers and develop customized cutting optimization solutions.