Vecspine packs your vector parts onto standard material sheets and offsets cut lines by half the kerf width. Export a single nested DXF in true millimetres. No wasted material, no undersized parts, no subscription.
Coordinates are converted from screen pixels to true millimetres, paths are offset for tool width, and parts are packed tightly to save expensive material.
Packs parts bottom-left onto your chosen sheet size, sorting by height to minimize wasted material while maintaining a user-defined gap.
Offsets closed cut paths outward by half the kerf width (using Clipper miter/round joins) so the finished part measures exactly to your design.
Converts SVG user units (px @ 96 DPI) to exact millimetres before nesting, ensuring your DXF opens in CAD at 1:1 physical scale.
Closed boundaries receive the full outward kerf offset. Open paths (score lines, engraving tracks) pass through untouched.
Writes clean, lightweight LWPOLYLINE entities on a dedicated CUT layer — universally compatible with VCarve, LightBurn, and AutoCAD.
Drops consecutive traced points closer than 0.05 mm before offsetting, preventing the Clipper engine from choking on dense vector noise.
Pick your stock size from the dialog. The engine calculates usable area (minus margins) and stops packing when the sheet is full.
Trace a raster or import vector artwork. Vecspine extracts all cut paths and converts coordinates from pixels to millimetres.
Open the Nesting dialog. Enter your tool's kerf width, pick a standard sheet size, and set the gap between parts.
Vecspine offsets the paths, packs them onto the sheet, and writes a single clean DXF file ready for your CAM software.
Kerf varies by material, thickness, and machine power. Always cut a test square and measure it, but these are safe starting points.
| Tool / Process | Typical Kerf | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CO2 Laser (Wood / Acrylic) | 0.1 – 0.2 mm | Varies with focus and cut speed |
| Fiber Laser (Metal) | 0.1 – 0.15 mm | Tighter kerf, high precision |
| CNC Router (1/8" bit) | 3.17 mm | Kerf equals tool diameter |
| Plasma Cutter | 1.5 – 3.0 mm | Highly dependent on amperage |
| Waterjet | 0.8 – 1.2 mm | Includes abrasive stream width |
Kerf is the material removed by the cutting tool (laser beam, router bit, plasma arc). Vecspine offsets closed cut paths outward by half the kerf width so the finished part measures exactly to your design dimensions.
Vecspine uses a shelf-nesting algorithm to pack parts bottom-left onto your chosen sheet size, minimizing wasted material while maintaining a user-defined gap between parts.
The engine includes standard presets: 600×400 mm, 1200×800 mm, 4×8 ft (2440×1220 mm), and A2 (594×420 mm).
Yes. Open paths (like score lines or engraving paths) pass through without kerf offset, while closed cut boundaries receive the full outward kerf compensation.
Yes. Path flattening, kerf offset, nesting and DXF export all run locally. Nothing is uploaded, ever.
Shelf nesting, kerf compensation, true mm DXF — offline, in one click.
