Ⅰ. Introduction

In actual processing, you will encounter the following scenarios:

① Certain specific models of pipe cutting machines have seven-axis pulling and automatic avoidance functions, which can achieve zero scrap cutting. However, due to the mechanical structure, the parts placed at the end of the pipe must be longer than a certain length. At this point, there are no longer parts that meet the requirements to be placed at the tail. Therefore, after nesting, multiple short parts at the tail need to be combined into one long part.

② When certain machines want to perform a material-picking operation, the cut parts are required to be longer than a certain length.

When encountering the above scenarios, you can use the 'Merge Parts' function, which allows short parts on the pipe to be merged into longer parts.

Ⅱ. Instructions for Use

[Merging Parts] is divided into [Automatic Part Merging] and [Manual Part Merging], and can be freely chosen according to your needs.

1. Automatically merge parts

After clicking [Auto Merge Parts], set the parameters, and then click 'OK' to automatically merge the parts in the layout results.

① Scope of Effect

You can choose either the current layout or all layouts.

If you select 'Current Layout,' it will only apply to the currently selected layout result; if you select 'All Layouts,' it will apply to all layout results.

② Do not change the cut line layer

After merging the parts, the cut line in the middle of the part will become a pseudo cut line. This attribute in the cutting software is characterized by not triggering the material picking operation.

Check: The toolpath remains a green cutting path, cutting the layer.

Uncheck: The toolpath changes to an engraving layer, and the cutting path is not interrupted (Note: The engraving layer is the default setting for 'Technique Assign' and cannot be changed). The specific display is shown in the figure below:

③ Join tail length

Checking <Join tail length> means that parts in the layout result that fall within this value range at the end need to be merged.

The length value that should be set usually depends on the machine model. It is recommended to consult the machine tool technician for confirmation.

④Min part length

When <Min part length> is checked, parts will be merged along the entire pipe so that the length of each part meets the set parameter value.

The required length value usually depends on the system PLC. It is recommended to consult the machine tool technician for confirmation.

③ After making your selections, click "Execute Merge" on the upper function bar to complete the manual merging of parts. (Or right-click and select Execute Merge)

TIPS:

If you check [Do not change the cut line layer], the same cutting process as the cut line will still be used. In the cutting software, the cut line layer process is applied. However, after merging parts, the cut line attribute becomes a non-cut line attribute, so the material picking action will not be executed.

If you need to treat the merged parts as one long part, you need to add micro-links to the pseudo cut lines. For specific operations, please refer to the tutorial: Add micro joints after merging parts.

3.Cancel automatic/manual join parts

After merging parts, if you want to cancel the merge result, there are two methods:

（1）Right-click on an empty area near the pipe and select "Undo Automatic/Manual Merge of Parts," which will revert to the state before merging.

（2）Press Ctrl + Z on the keyboard.

1. Can the merged parts be cleared?

Currently, merged parts cannot be cleared. You can achieve the desired result by either using the undo operation in section 2.3 of this tutorial or by deleting the parts and re-arranging them.

2.Why, after the tail merge, were the last few parts all merged?

Tail merge length refers to the length measured from the last part in the nested layout, counting backward from the end.

When rendering is enabled, the base color of combined parts turns the same orange as the pipes.

When rendering is disabled, the base color of the parts and the nesting results is not displayed. If the option 'Do not change the cut line layer' is not checked, it appears as if nothing has changed.

After confirming that the function parameters are set correctly, the methods to determine whether the merge was successful are:

(1) Turn on rendering and check if the base color of the part is orange;

(2) Select the toolpath and check in the lower left corner if it has the cut line property;

(3) Check the colors in the parts bar above the nesting results; black indicates the parts obtained from merging.