Hold parts on a tightly nested sheet#

On a close-packed sheet, tabs fail: the waste a tab holds a part to gets cut loose by the next part's cut, and both come free. Holding strips join the parts to each other across the gaps, and through each other to the sheet's edge.

1. Profile the parts first. Strips only join parts that are cut through the stock.

2. Select the sheet's parts (drag a box — labels and holes it catches are left out).

3. Under Path Tools, click Tabs.

4. Choose Joined by strips.

5. Set:

   Field	Typical
   Joins Per Part	2, or 4 for long thin parts
   Width	5 mm
   Height	2–3 mm

6. Click Place Strips.

The strips show as amber bands. Every cut through the stock lifts over them.

What you get#

• Each join runs square across one gap, and is a tab on each part it joins.
• Joins spread round each part, so it's held from different sides.
• Joins to the sheet's edge stop about 20 mm out.
• Holes cut straight through. Labels and other shallow cuts aren't lifted.

Re-place Strips replaces them all. Remove Strips, or deleting the Strips chip, takes them off. One undo puts things back either way.

More joins hold better but leave more to clean up.

Related: Add holding tabs · Nest parts on a sheet