Nesting PVC letters with less waste
PVC foam board is the everyday material for flat cut letters, logos and plaques. NestSigns packs the letters by their real shape onto your full sheets and leftover pieces, so more of each sheet ends up as letters.
Start free: 20 runs, no credit cardWhy nesting matters on PVC
PVC jobs are often many small letters in one or two thicknesses, cut on a CNC router. The sheet itself is not expensive, but a shop goes through a lot of it, and the pieces left over after a job pile up. Nesting by the real outline, and fitting small letters into the open space and holes of bigger ones, uses the sheet much better than placing each letter in its own box.
Settings shops typically use
| Setting | Typical choice | In NestSigns |
|---|---|---|
| Sheet | Usually 48 × 96 in; thicknesses such as 3 mm, 6 mm (1/4 in), 10 mm and 13 mm (1/2 in) | Add one material per thickness, with full sheets and leftover pieces |
| Bit | A single-flute (O-flute) bit, often 1/8 in for small letters and 1/4 in for big ones | Type the bit diameter; the gap follows it |
| Gap | At least the bit diameter, plus a little so the tool does not cut into the next letter | Every layout is checked and the smallest gap measured is shown |
| Rotation | Any angle is fine for plain PVC | Any angle, 0/180° only, or no rotation |
These are typical values, not rules. Use what your router, bit and material supplier recommend.
Leftovers
Each material keeps a list of full sheets and leftover pieces. When you nest a job, the smallest leftovers that can take the letters are used first, and when you mark the job done the stock is updated, including the new leftover pieces the job leaves behind.
What else it does for letter jobs
- True-shape nesting by the real letter outlines: any angle, 0/180° only, or no rotation.
- Exact spacing. Type the gap or your bit diameter; every layout is checked and shows the smallest gap measured.
- Parts inside letter holes. Small pieces go inside O, A, B and D, and holes stay with their letter.
- Leftovers first. Full sheets and leftover pieces per material, smallest leftovers used first, stock updated when the job is done.
- Oversize letters left out, divided, or divided with a 1 in joining strip, pieces labeled A1, A2…
- Every part numbered on the sheets and on the original artwork in the layout summary PDF.
Cutting on a ShopBot? See ShopBot nesting for sign letters. Toolpaths in VCarve or Aspire? See nesting letters for VCarve. For acrylic, see how to waste less acrylic on a CNC router.
Questions
Can I keep separate stock for each PVC thickness?
Yes. Make one material per thickness, for example PVC 6 mm and PVC 13 mm, each with its own sheets, leftovers and price.
Do I have to rotate PVC letters?
No. You choose: any angle, only 0 and 180°, or no rotation at all. Any angle usually fits the most letters on a sheet.
What files can I bring?
Illustrator .ai, PDF, DXF, SVG and CorelDRAW .cdr (X4 and newer).
Start free
More: All features · NestSigns for your machine and software · FAQ