Two-orientation true nest = STRICT alternation, two P9997 macros (Jordan 2026-08-31 — ruling)

kerfmaster pin list · Nesting

rulingA decision by Aristide or Jordan. True because it was decided; it can be superseded, but it cannot be stale.

Content last changed 2026-09-01 — computed from the item itself, not typed.

Ruling (Jordan, 2026-08-31) on the 3683209C2 nest. Extends the nest-shop-ergonomics line (all-one-orientation or consistent 180 pairing; lone flips are defects) to its full form: on a same-part (true) nest the pattern must be REGULAR, because what gets arrayed is a toolpath — a regular sublattice per orientation collapses the program to one P9997 macro per orientation (def-true-nesting; P9997 nests in Y, nest-part-sequence). Editing the nest then means editing two macro calls, not 196 blocks.

• Alternation axis: every other part in the fill order = odd ROWS within each column at 180, columns identical; the 0s sit at Y pitch 2x, the 180s likewise one row up.
• Macro-mode consequence (nest-part-sequence ruling): this pattern IS macro-compatible; a custom re-sequence would drop P9996/P9997 and expand part-by-part.
• Pierce room: with alternated leads (0s pierce right, 180s left), adjacent columns share a lead+standoff channel at interleaved heights; the sheet-edge channel matches so the first column's 180s pierce on-sheet.
• Mini-nest refinement (same day): the pair is found like math — the common denominator: the smallest 0+180 pair consuming the least material, MEASURED on true outlines (order + X phase-shift swept, never assumed), then copied in Y and then X. Orientation matters to the economics: the lead+standoff pierce channel is paid once per column, so the part's LONG axis runs along X and the channel amortizes over part length. Build 161 (190 = 5x38 exact, supersedes 160).
• Column-flip variant (same day, MetaCam Edit Array screenshot): maximize one column in Y; flip ONE part and place it so its lead-in shares the upright column's lead channel; copy the left column offset in X by exactly the space that flipped part needs; duplicate the flipped part in Y (the flipped column); duplicate the full column pair in X. Two array elements = two macros, same two-sublattice shape. His three objectives — material, breakout consistency for the human, shortest one-value-editable G-code — are the standing criteria every true nest is judged on. Gap: alt_flip does not yet compute the shared-lead tuck offset; it belongs to the same true-outline slide-to-contact machinery as the mini-nest pair measurement.