Waterjet cutting
Waterjet nesting software, online and free
Nestpact is browser-based nesting software for waterjet cutting. Upload your parts as a DXF, set the kerf and the spacing you need, and it lays everything out to minimise waste — whether you are cutting steel, stone, glass, composite or foam.
Waterjet cuts almost any material and almost any thickness, which is exactly why nesting pays off: the stock is often expensive and the cut is slow, so fitting more parts per sheet and per setup directly lowers both material and machine-time cost.
It works in both millimetres and inches, so metric stock and US 4ft x 8ft (4x8) sheets are handled the same way. Browser-based, with a free plan.
- Material-agnostic nesting — metal, stone, glass, composite, foam
- Kerf and lead-in aware spacing for clean pierces and taper allowance
- True-shape packing so irregular profiles interlock tightly
- Multi-sheet overflow with quantity tracking
- Manual touch-up with live collision checking
- Export an optimized DXF or waterjet G-code with lead-in/out
Why nesting pays off most on waterjet
Waterjet is slow and the abrasive and pump time are not free, so cost per part is sensitive to two things: how much stock each part consumes and how efficiently the machine moves between cuts. Good nesting improves the first directly and helps the second by keeping parts compact.
On thick or premium stock — tool steel, titanium, granite, thick acrylic — a few extra parts per sheet is a large saving. Nestpact’s true-shape optimizer interlocks parts instead of boxing each one, which is where most of that gain comes from.
Abrasive waterjet kerf (approximate)
Abrasive waterjet kerf is set mainly by the mixing-tube (focusing-tube) bore, and the jet tapers slightly through the cut. The table below is a starting reference for setting kerf in Nestpact; pure-water cutting of soft goods runs much finer (around 0.1–0.3 mm).
| Mixing-tube bore | Approx. kerf | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.76 mm (0.030 in) | 0.9 mm | Fine detail, thin stock |
| 0.89 mm (0.035 in) | 1.1 mm | General-purpose |
| 1.02 mm (0.040 in) | 1.3 mm | Faster cutting, thicker stock |
| 1.14 mm (0.045 in) | 1.5 mm | High flow, heavy plate |
Kerf widens as the tube wears and tapers with thickness and speed. Add a little margin for worn consumables.
Pierce points and lead-ins
Waterjet needs room for a pierce and a lead-in so the jet reaches full cut quality before it meets the part outline. Nestpact’s edge offset and part gap reserve that room in the layout, and the G-code generator adds configurable lead-in/out so the pierce sits off the finished edge.
Set the kerf to match your mixing tube and abrasive, and the spacing in the nest matches the material the jet actually removes.
Any material, one workflow
Because waterjet is not limited to metal, Nestpact treats material as a sheet of a given size with a kerf and offset — so the same upload, set, nest, download flow works for a stainless plate, a slab of stone or a sheet of composite. Download a DXF for your CAM or generate G-code directly.
Recommended starting settings
A sensible starting point for abrasive waterjet with a general-purpose mixing tube. Adjust kerf to your tube bore and wear.
Leaves room for the lead-in pierce and taper between adjacent cuts.
Pierces on solid stock, clear of the slat-grid edge and any fixturing.
Slow cut speed makes the extra packing density from finer rotation well worth it.
On expensive, slow-cut stock a harder search pays for itself in saved material.
Frequently asked questions
Is the waterjet nesting free?
Yes. Nestpact has a free plan that includes waterjet nesting, multi-sheet layouts and DXF export. Nothing to install — try a nest first, then create a free account to keep nesting.
Does it leave room for the pierce and lead-in?
Yes. Set an edge offset and part-to-part gap and the layout reserves space for the pierce; the G-code generator then adds configurable lead-in/out so the pierce sits off the finished edge.
Can I nest non-metal materials?
Yes. Waterjet cuts stone, glass, composite, foam and more. Nestpact treats the material as a sheet with a kerf and offset, so the same workflow applies to any waterjet stock.
What kerf should I enter?
Abrasive waterjet kerf is typically 0.8–1.5 mm depending on the mixing-tube bore (see the table above). Pure-water cutting of soft goods is finer, around 0.1–0.3 mm.