Nest parts tighter, reduce sheet waste, and speed up fabrication with AI built for sheet metal contractors.
Specialized Solution: Nesting & Fabrication AI
AI analyzes all parts needed for your fabrication queue and calculates optimal nesting layouts that fit more pieces per sheet — reducing scrap, speeding up CNC programming, and maximizing yield from every coil or flat sheet.
15%
reduction in sheet waste
The Problem in Sheet Metal
These are the challenges AI solves for sheet metal contractors every day.
Poor nesting turns expensive sheet stock into scrap
Manual nesting leaves gaps between parts that become costly scrap. AI nesting algorithms rotate and arrange parts to maximize material usage from every sheet, reducing waste by up to 15%.
CNC programming bottlenecks slow your shop
Programming plasma, laser, or turret punch machines for each job takes time. AI auto-generates optimized CNC toolpaths from nested layouts, keeping your machines cutting instead of waiting.
Ductwork takeoffs from MEP plans are labor-intensive
Manually measuring every duct run, fitting, and transition from mechanical plans is slow and error-prone. AI reads MEP drawings and generates complete fabrication lists automatically.
AI Solutions for Sheet Metal Contractors
Quick-win automations that pay for themselves immediately — filtered for your trade.
Instant Material Takeoffs
80% faster, 97% accurate
Estimators spend hours manually clicking through 2D PDF plans to count windows, doors, and square footage.
AI-Assisted Proposal Writing
3 hrs → 20 min per proposal
Your proposals look like basic spreadsheets, or you struggle to write professional project descriptions.
The Receipt Ripper
Recovers 2–5% project slippage
Crumpled receipts in the truck dashboard never make it to job costing.
Voice-to-Daily-Report
75–90% faster reporting
Supers write short, useless daily logs because they hate typing after a long day.
Smart Crew Scheduling
+25% daily job completion
Call-outs disrupt the whole week's schedule and cascade into delays.
AI Contract & Red Flag Scanner
63% faster contract review
Missing dangerous clauses buried in long contracts.
Frequently Asked Questions: AI for Sheet Metal
Answers to the most common questions about AI in the sheet metal trade.
How does AI nesting reduce sheet metal waste?
AI analyzes the shapes, sizes, and quantities of all parts in your fabrication queue and calculates layouts that fit the maximum number of pieces per sheet. Advanced algorithms rotate, mirror, and combine parts from different jobs to minimize gaps between cuts.
Can AI automate CNC programming for sheet metal?
Yes. Once AI generates the optimal nesting layout, it produces CNC-ready toolpath files for your plasma table, laser cutter, or turret punch. This eliminates manual CAM programming and ensures consistent cut quality across your shop.
How does AI help with ductwork fabrication takeoffs?
AI reads mechanical plan drawings and identifies all duct runs, fittings, transitions, and accessories. It generates a complete fabrication list with flat-pattern dimensions, allowing your shop to start cutting without waiting for manual takeoff work.
Does AI work for both flat sheet and coil-fed operations?
Yes. AI nesting optimizes layouts for both flat sheet stock and coil-fed production lines. For coil operations, it sequences parts to minimize coil changes and maximize continuous run lengths.
What is the ROI of AI for sheet metal shops?
Sheet metal shops using AI report 15% less material waste from better nesting, 50% faster CNC programming, and higher throughput from optimized production sequencing. Monthly savings range from $3,000 to $12,000 depending on shop volume.
See Your Sheet Metal ROI in 2 Minutes
Take the free AI ROI Diagnostic pre-filled for sheet metal contractors. Get a personalized savings report in under 2 minutes.