SVG Nesting

SVG nesting – arrange parts optimally on sheet

This tool optimises the placement of SVG parts on a sheet, plate or defined cutting area. The goal is improved material utilisation for laser, plasma and CNC processing.

Processing runs entirely locally in the browser using the open-source SVGNest library. The SVG file is not uploaded to the server.

What is SVG nesting used for?

Nesting, also called packing, is an important step in efficient manufacturing from sheet material.

Typical use cases:

• Laser cutting of sheet metal and plastics
• Plasma cutting
• CNC milling and CNC cutting
• Optimising material utilisation
• Preparing nesting layouts
• Reducing scrap and material costs

How does the SVG nesting tool work?

1. Upload an SVG file with closed contours
2. Select the sheet outline or cutting area
3. Configure spacing between parts
4. Set rotation options and optimisation parameters
5. Start nesting and calculate placement
6. Review the result and download the optimised SVG file

The tool continuously searches for better layouts. Once a suitable result is reached, the calculation can be stopped and the optimised file saved.

Requirements for the SVG file

For reliable results, the SVG file should contain clean, closed contours.

• Parts as closed paths or contours
• no embedded images
• no text as editable font objects
• avoid overlapping outlines where possible
• unambiguous outer contours of parts
• defined sheet/plate contour as the bin

Typical benefits

• better material utilisation
• less scrap
• fast preparation of nesting layouts
• direct use in the browser
• no installation required
• local processing without server upload

Current limitations

• Current maximum file size is 20 MB per SVG file
• calculation may take longer on low-powered devices
• SVG and web worker support is required in the browser
• Curves are linearly approximated for the calculation
• complex or messy SVG files may produce worse results