Abstract: A method of forming a part from a workpiece mountable on a porous spoil-board on the worktable of a CNC machine having means for applying a negative pressure on the underside of the workpiece, providing a pressure differential across the mounted workpiece, and a cutting tool displaceable along x, y and z axes, including programming the controller of the machine to generate a cutting pattern, computing the area of the part, comparing the computed area value of the part with a predetermined area value and positioning the cutting tool along the Z-axis to provide less than a through cut of the workpiece where the computed area value is less than the predetermined area value and providing a through cut when a computed area value exceeds the predetermined area value, mounting the workpiece on the worktable, actuating the negative pressure applying means and operating the machine to execute such program.

Abstract: A method for dynamically determining the sales price of a product composed of a number of components produced from at least one workpiece of selected dimensions, including indicating the specifications of such product, determining the number and configurations of the components of such product, determining the minimum number of such workpieces required to provide the determined number of such components by efficiently nesting such components on a minimum number of such workpieces and computing the sales price of such product partially based on the determined minimum number of such workpieces required to most efficiently yield such components.

Abstract: A method of forming a part from a workpiece mountable on a porous spoil-board on the worktable of a CNC machine having means for applying a negative pressure on the underside of the workpiece, providing a pressure differential across the mounted workpiece, and a cutting tool displaceable along x, y and z axes, including programming the controller of the machine to generate a cutting pattern, computing the area of the part, comparing the computed area value of the part with a predetermined area value and positioning the cutting tool along the Z-axis to provide less than a through cut of the workpiece where the computed area value is less than the predetermined area value and providing a through cut when a computed area value exceeds the predetermined area value, mounting the workpiece on the worktable, actuating the negative pressure applying means and operating the machine to execute such program.