Profiler 8 Tutorial Rev 10

Wintech Profiler Version 8 Tutorial
Software Installation ......................................................................................... 5

Computer ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Installation from CD ...................................................................................................................................................... 5
Installation without CD ................................................................................................................................................. 5
Tutorial Introduction ......................................................................................... 6
Starting Profiler ............................................................................................................................................................. 6
Dongle Connection........................................................................................................................................................ 6
The Main Screen ........................................................................................................................................................... 6
Conventions .................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Preferences ................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Machine Specifications ................................................................................................................................................. 8
Profiler Drawing ................................................................................................ 9
Lesson 1: Adding and Moving Points ............................................................................................................................ 9
Lesson 2: Units. ........................................................................................................................................................... 11
Lesson 3: Deleting Points. Undo and Redo ................................................................................................................. 12
Lesson 4: Drawing Practice ......................................................................................................................................... 14
Lesson 5: Nesting ........................................................................................................................................................ 16
Lesson 6: Using the Stores .......................................................................................................................................... 19
Store from File......................................................................................................................................................... 19
Store from Drawing ................................................................................................................................................. 20
Store from Profiler .................................................................................................................................................. 20
Store Viewer............................................................................................................................................................ 21
Lesson 7: Importing Drawings ..................................................................................................................................... 22
Lesson 8: Link Points ................................................................................................................................................... 24
Lesson 9: AutoNEST .................................................................................................................................................... 28
Lesson 10: Tracing ....................................................................................................................................................... 31
Lesson 11: Special – Text Conversion ......................................................................................................................... 33
Lesson 12: Special - Pipe Insulation ............................................................................................................................ 34
Setup panel ............................................................................................................................................................. 34
Joint Type panel ...................................................................................................................................................... 34
Orientation panel .................................................................................................................................................... 35
Links panel............................................................................................................................................................... 35
Drawing panel ......................................................................................................................................................... 35
Lesson 13: Special - Pipe Shells ................................................................................................................................... 36
Block panel .............................................................................................................................................................. 36
Setup panel ............................................................................................................................................................. 36
Shells panel ............................................................................................................................................................. 37
Lesson 14: Special - Spiral Peel ................................................................................................................................... 38
Block panel .............................................................................................................................................................. 38
Setup panel ............................................................................................................................................................. 38
Corner Radius .......................................................................................................................................................... 38
Lesson 15: Special - Corrugation ................................................................................................................................. 39
Sinusoidal Corrugation ............................................................................................................................................ 39
Hexagonal Corrugation ........................................................................................................................................... 39
2 Revision 10 December 2016 Edition

Lesson 16: Special - Shapes ......................................................................................................................................... 41

Rectangle................................................................................................................................................................. 41
Ellipse ...................................................................................................................................................................... 41
Polygon.................................................................................................................................................................... 41
Circle........................................................................................................................................................................ 42
Arc ........................................................................................................................................................................... 42
Lesson 17: Smoothing ................................................................................................................................................. 42
Machine Screens ............................................................................................. 44
Lesson 18: Cutting Overview....................................................................................................................................... 44
Hotwire: .................................................................................................................................................................. 44
Fastwire: .................................................................................................................................................................. 44
Blade: ...................................................................................................................................................................... 45
Lesson 19: Material Specifications .............................................................................................................................. 46
Lesson 20: Cut One ..................................................................................................................................................... 47
Material Panel: ........................................................................................................................................................ 48
Block Panel: ............................................................................................................................................................. 48
Setup Panel: ............................................................................................................................................................ 48
Twist Type Panel (Blade Machines Only): ............................................................................................................... 48
‘Job On’ Panel (Wire Machines Only): .................................................................................................................... 49
Machine Panel:........................................................................................................................................................ 49
Control Panel:.......................................................................................................................................................... 49
Lesson 21: Cut Nest ..................................................................................................................................................... 50
Nesting Panel: ......................................................................................................................................................... 53
Lesson 22: Cutting Sheets ........................................................................................................................................... 55
Width of Cut: ........................................................................................................................................................... 55
The Thick-Thin Effect:.............................................................................................................................................. 55
Lesson 23: Cut Sheets ................................................................................................................................................. 57
Sheets Panel: ........................................................................................................................................................... 57
Lesson 24: Automatic Turntable ................................................................................................................................. 59
Lesson 25: The Job Queue .......................................................................................................................................... 61
Lesson 26: Automation ............................................................................................................................................... 63
Start Height ............................................................................................................................................................. 64
Home ....................................................................................................................................................................... 64
Load ......................................................................................................................................................................... 64
Position ................................................................................................................................................................... 64
Block Support .......................................................................................................................................................... 64
Go ............................................................................................................................................................................ 64
Park ......................................................................................................................................................................... 64
Unload ..................................................................................................................................................................... 64
Lesson 27: Compuset .................................................................................................................................................. 65
Wire Spacing Panel: ................................................................................................................................................ 66
Setup Panel: ............................................................................................................................................................ 66
December 2016 Edition Revision 10 3
Taper Cut Panel: ...................................................................................................................................................... 67

Control Panel:.......................................................................................................................................................... 67
Project Panel: .......................................................................................................................................................... 67
Lesson 28: Compuline ................................................................................................................................................. 68
Material Panel: ........................................................................................................................................................ 69
Slabs Panel: ............................................................................................................................................................. 69
Automation Panel: .................................................................................................................................................. 70
Control Panel:.......................................................................................................................................................... 70
Project Panel: .......................................................................................................................................................... 70
Lesson 29: Costings ..................................................................................................................................................... 71
Material ................................................................................................................................................................... 71
Block ........................................................................................................................................................................ 71
Costing..................................................................................................................................................................... 71
Results ..................................................................................................................................................................... 72
Selling ...................................................................................................................................................................... 72
Buttons .................................................................................................................................................................... 72
Lesson 30: Reports ...................................................................................................................................................... 73
Lesson 31: Diagnostics ................................................................................................................................................ 75
Handset: .................................................................................................................................................................. 75
Machine Events: ...................................................................................................................................................... 75
IO: ............................................................................................................................................................................ 76
Diagnostics: ............................................................................................................................................................. 77
Lesson 32: Progress Screen ......................................................................................................................................... 78
Lesson 33: Technician Mode ....................................................................................................................................... 80
Serial Comms Monitor: ........................................................................................................................................... 80
Status: ..................................................................................................................................................................... 81
Settings:................................................................................................................................................................... 81
Progress Screen: ...................................................................................................................................................... 82
Appendix A – Shortcut Keys ............................................................................ 83
Appendix B - Wintech Download Site ............................................................. 84
Appendix C - Updating Wintech Software/Firmware ..................................... 88
Profiler......................................................................................................................................................................... 88
Profiler Registration .................................................................................................................................................... 90
Indexer ........................................................................................................................................................................ 91
Appendix D – Report Fields ............................................................................. 93

Software Installation
Computer
The Wintech Profiler Software has been designed and tested to run under the Windows Operating System. The
minimum specification for the computer controlling the Wintech Contour Cutter is:
 Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7, Home or Professional, 32 or 64 bit. Windows 7 Professional 64
bit is recommended.
 1 Ghz Pentium processor.
 2Gb of memory.
 100 GB hard disk with at least 100Mb free space.
 VGA display with 16-bit colour and screen area of 1024 * 768 pixels. An LCD screen is recommended.
 1 off RS232 serial port (for communication to the Indexer – not required if running ‘stand-alone’).
 4 USB ports:
o Keyboard.
o Mouse.
o HASP (software protection dongle).
o USB Memory stick.
 Ethernet port with broadband Internet connection – recommended for support.
Installation from CD
The Profiler software is supplied on a CD.
The installer must have administrator privileges for the PC.
 Load the CD.
 Allow the CD to auto run.
 If it does not auto run ‘open’ the CD to view the files and double click on ‘install.exe’.
 Follow the on screen instructions.
Installation without CD
If a CD drive is not available the software can be downloaded from http://mail.wintecheng.com.au/wintechdl and
installed directly or indirectly via a USB Memory stick. See Appendix B.
 Copy the downloaded file to the desktop.
 Double click on the file to open the zip.

 Double click on ‘install.exe’ inside the zipped file.
 Follow the on screen instructions.

Tutorial Introduction
This Tutorial exercise will teach you the basic functions of the Wintech Profiler. You should practise each section
until you are satisfied that you understand it before proceeding to the next section.
If you have not used a computer before, you should attend a short course on using your computer at your local
dealer before proceeding with this Tutorial.
Starting Profiler
The Profiler 8 icon (left) will appear on your desktop after installing the Profiler program.
Double click the icon to start a new drawing or to open the Profiler Program.
Alternatively double click on a drawing file (right) to open an existing drawing.
Dongle Connection
A machine / drawing Dongle must be attached to your PC to benefit from some functions in this
tutorial.
A detailed explanation can be found in the Profiler Software Manual.
The Main Screen

When you start the Profiler program the following screen will be displayed. The default setting for Profiler when
opening is in ‘Drawing Mode’, notice the pencil button and Add Point button will both appear pushed in.

Conventions
Throughout this tutorial the following conventions are used:
Click – A single click with the LEFT mouse button.
Double Click – Two closely spaced clicks with the LEFT mouse button.
Shift Click – A single click with the LEFT mouse button whilst pressing the SHIFT key on the keyboard.
Right Click – A single click with the RIGHT mouse button.
Drag – Press the LEFT mouse button and hold it down whilst moving the cursor until the end of the operation.
Hover – Move the screen cursor over an object and leave it there for a short time.
Ctrl-N, Alt-N, Shift-N – Press the ‘N’ key (or other designated key) on the keyboard whilst holding down the
CTRL, ALT or SHIFT key.
File/Specifications/Machine – on the Main Menu (or popup menu) select the Menu item ‘File’ and the
submenu ‘Specifications’ and its submenu ‘Machine’.
(100, 95) – point location X (horizontal position) = 100, Y (vertical position) = 95
Preferences
Personal preferences for the Profiler are set from this screen. They are unique to each computer user.
To open the preferences dialog:
 On the main menu select Edit / Preferences.
 Or, right click on the Drawing Board then select ‘Preferences’ from the pop-up menu.
For this tutorial set the preferences as shown:
For full explanations of preference settings see the Profiler Software Manual.
Exit Preferences. Then, exit Profiler and immediately restart Profiler for these preferences to take effect.

Machine Specifications
To open the Machine Specification dialog:
 On the main menu select Edit / Specifications / Machine.
 Or, click ‘F3’ on the keyboard.
WARNING
If this tutorial is being run on the machine computer make a backup of the Machine Specifications
(File / Specifications / Backup) to the desktop before changing any settings. After doing the tutorial
the settings can be restored.
Set Machine Specifications to:

 Machine tab: Horizontal Fastwire or Horizontal Oscillating Blade (as appropriate for YOUR installation).
 Firmware tab: Serial Port = DEMO
 Option Tab: Deselect ALL options.
During this tutorial the Machine Specifications will be changed to illustrate different features of the Profiler software.

Profiler Drawing
Lesson 1: Adding and Moving Points
Use the mouse to move the cursor over the Drawing Board; it changes to the ‘add point’ cursor:
Press and release the left mouse button (left click) once anywhere on the Drawing Board and it will leave a point.
This will be the starting point of your shape.
NOTE: Any point that is added to the drawing is immediately ‘selected’ and all other objects are ‘de-selected’.
Selected items are coloured blue.
Move the cursor to a new position, left click the mouse button again and a second point is added:
NOTE: The second point is now selected (blue) and the first point is de-selected and is coloured green. The points are
joined by a line which, being the first line, is coloured green.
Move the cursor to a new position but this time hold the left button down and move the mouse about. This new
point will be dragged to wherever the cursor is and the connecting line from the new point to the last point is
dragged with it. When you release the mouse button, a third point will be at that location:
NOTE: the third point is now selected (blue) and the connecting line – the LAST line is red.
Now continue to click, hold and release to build up a shape by adding one point to another.
NOTE: the intermediate lines and points are coloured black.

Now click on the ‘move’ button on the Tool Bar:
NOTE: The cursor now has the Move icon upper right when it is moved over the Drawing Board.

Left click the ‘move cursor’ on a line. The line and the points at its ends will turn blue showing that they have been
selected. Continue to hold the mouse button down while you move the cursor. The line is moved and the points all
remain connected.
NOTE: the end point is now coloured red.

Now click on the ‘select’ button on the Tool Bar:
Click on a point, or line, of your drawing and it will be selected (turns blue). Now, hold down the SHIFT key and click
on another point in the drawing. The new point will be selected AND ALL POINTS BETWEEN.
Click on the ‘move’ button on the Tool Bar again then click and hold the left mouse button with the cursor on the
selected line. Move the cursor over the Drawing Board and note that the entire selected region is moved.
Select a point or line and use the keyboard arrow keys to move it around the Drawing Board.
Move the cursor over an empty portion of the Drawing Board and click the mouse. All selections are cleared.
Finally, clear the Drawing Board by:
 Clicking on the ‘New Drawing’ icon on the Tool Bar, or
 Selecting File/New on the Main Menu, or
 Pressing ‘ctrl-N’ on the keyboard.
A dialog box will ask whether you want to save the current drawing
– click on NO.
NOTE: most of the Main Menu functions have shortcut keys, like
ctrl-N. A list of these shortcuts is in Appendix A of this tutorial.

Lesson 2: Units.
Units are collections of contiguous points (points that are adjacent to each other on the cutline). When View/Show
Units is on the collection of points is dealt with as a single item for selection purposes – this makes it easy to move
shapes around the drawing board or select them for deletion.
Clear the Drawing Board.
Check that View/Show Units on the Main Menu is selected (it’s selected if there’s a tick against it):
Place about 15 points on the drawing board.

Select 4 points from the centre of the line:
Click on Selected/Make Unit on the Main Menu. The new unit will still be selected and visually nothing will have
changed. Click on Selected/Select None from the Main Menu or just click on the Drawing Board away from the line:
The selected points are now coloured brown which denotes that these points form a unit.
Change to Move Mode and click on the unit:
Note that the entire unit is selected.

Move the unit using the mouse and the keyboard arrow keys.
Release the unit by clicking Transform/Unmake Unit on the Main Menu.
There is no limit to the number of units that can be defined in a drawing. Also, units can include existing units, but
units cannot include units that already include units.
Units CANNOT start or end within existing units.
With the existing drawing define two, or more, units:

Select a region that includes both the units and make that into a unit:
Select the new unit and unmake it (Transform/Unmake Unit).

Turn off ‘Show Units’ (ctrl-U).
Select a region that starts or ends inside one, or both, of the remaining units:
Try to make the selection into a new unit:
A dialog appears letting you know that the unit cannot be made.
Now, unmake the existing units (Main Menu/Transform/Unmake All Units).
Try to make the selection into a new unit. This time a new unit is made.
Lesson 3: Deleting Points. Undo and Redo

Place about 10 points on the drawing board.
Select one of the points and press the DEL key on the keyboard:
DEL
Note that the selected point has been deleted and selection passes to the previous point.

Click on the ‘delete’ button on the Tool Bar:
Click the delete cursor on one of the points in the drawing:
Note that the clicked point has been deleted and there is no point selected.
Select Edit/Undo (or ctrl-Z) from the Main Menu:
UNDO
Note that the deleted point has been restored. The last 10 drawing operations can be undone in this fashion.
Select Edit/Redo (or ctrl-Y) from the Main Menu:
REDO
Note that the restored point has been removed again. All undone operations can be redone until there are no more
redos or another drawing operation is performed.
To delete a larger segment of the drawing first select the segment then either press the DEL key:
DEL
Or, select the delete cursor and click on the selected segment:
DEL

Lesson 4: Drawing Practice

Right Click on the Drawing Board to display the Drawing Popup Menu.
Select ‘Snap’ and set it to 10mm.
NOTE: Snap constrains the placing of points to locations on an invisible
grid referenced to the crossing point of the horizontal and vertical
datum lines, point (0, 0). The current snap setting is displayed on the
status bar.
Click on the Drawing Board to add a point and without releasing the
mouse button drag the point around the drawing. Note that the point
location displayed on the Status Bar is constrained to moving on the
10mm ‘snap grid’. Place the point at (0, 0) – the point where the two
datum lines cross.
Add points at (160, 0), (160, 100), (90, 100), (90, 60), (0, 60) and (0, 0).
Whilst moving the points to position, hold the SHIFT key down. NOTE:
this forces the point to be placed orthogonally (at right angles) to the
previous point.
To make the drawing easier to work on use the zoom functions on the Tool Bar:
 Fit – Fit the drawing to the Drawing Board.

 Area – Use the mouse to draw a marquee around the area of interest. Zoom this area to fill the Drawing
Board.
 In – Zoom in by 10%.
 Out – Zoom out by 10%.
Zoom fit followed by 3 zoom out’s gives a good result.
Select the ‘Radius’ tool from the Tool Bar:
At the dialog box enter 70mm.

Then click the point at (160, 0).
Use the rotate functions on the Tool Bar to rotate the drawing 180o.
2 * Rotate Right
This operation could equally have been done by 2 * ‘Rotate Left’ or ‘Rotate Angle’ by 180o.
Finally, save the drawing to the desktop – it will be used later – by:
 Selecting ‘File/Save’ or ‘File/Save As’ on the Main Menu, or
 Pressing ‘ctrl-S’ on the keyboard, or
 Click on the ‘Save’ button on the Tool Bar.
Save it to the desktop and name it ‘PRACTICE’. The extension ‘.wdf’ will be added automatically.
Return the snap setting to 1.0mm.
Clear the drawing board.

Lesson 5: Nesting
Unless the objects are very large it is normally required to cut multiple objects from a single block of foam. To do so
the objects need to be arranged within the block so as to get the best yield from the foam. This process is called
‘nesting’.
The Profiler software includes nesting ability to help with this process.
Load ‘PRACTICE.wdf’ that was saved at the end of the previous lesson by:
 Selecting ‘File/Open’ on the Main Menu, or
 Pressing ‘ctrl-O’ on the keyboard, or
 Click on the ‘Open Drawing’ button on the Tool Bar.
The drawing will open in the ‘Drawing’ screen.
Click on the ‘Nest’ page tab:
Green Lines (shapes 1, 2, 3 & 5): shape can’t be selected.
Black Lines (shapes 4 & 6): shape can be selected.
Magenta Lines: Link lines.
NOTE: shapes 1 & 2 represent shapes on ODD numbered
rows (numbered from the top row). Shapes 3 & 4 represent
shapes on EVEN numbered rows. Shapes 5 & 6 are copies of
the shapes 1 & 2 (see layout below).
NOTE: Link lines are automatically inserted to connect the
shapes together. They connect the last point of the first
shape to the first point of the next. These lines show the
route that the cutting will take between shapes. Care must
be taken to ensure these lines do not ‘cut across’ the shapes.
Note that the Status Bar has new fields on it:
Rows: number of rows nested in the block.

Columns: number of columns nested in the
block.
Shapes: total number of shapes nested in
the block (rows * columns).
Bottom/Right offcut: portion of foam with
no shapes nested in it.
Minimum Yield: Area of shapes cut from
the block / area of the block.
Maximum Yield: Area of shapes cut from
the block / (area of the block – area of
offcuts).
NOTE: the block size here is 1000 * 1500mm which is the default block size set in preferences at the start of this
tutorial. The block size can be changed at any time by right clicking on the Drawing Board (in any mode) and
selecting ‘Block Size’.

Two new buttons have appeared on the Tool Bar:
Reverse Flip
These buttons are used to manipulate the shapes on the CENTRE row.
Click on the ‘Reverse’ button:
Reverse
Note that the shapes on the centre row have reversed (mirrored round the vertical axis).
Press the ‘Reverse’ button again to return the nesting to how it was.
Click on the ‘Flip’ button:
Flip
Note that the shapes on the centre row have ‘flipped’ (mirrored round the horizontal axis).
Press the ‘Flip’ button again to return the nesting to how it was.
Press the ‘/’ key on the keyboard:
‘/’
Note that all the shapes rotate 10o clockwise for each press of the ‘/’ key. Switch back to the Drawing View using the
page tabs and note that the drawing itself has rotated. Return to the nest view.
Press the ‘\’ key on the keyboard to return the shapes to how they were orientated.
Click on shape ‘4’ to select it (click anywhere on the black line). The shape will turn blue when selected.
Use the keyboard arrow keys or the mouse to drag shapes 3 & 4 to ‘nest’ between shapes 1 & 2:
Select shape 6 and move shapes 5 & 6 up to just below shapes 3 & 4:
Note that the Status Bar now shows an increase in the number of shapes and a corresponding improved yield from
the block:
Switch to the Layout View using the page tabs and see how the shapes have nested in the whole block:
Switch back to Drawing View and save the drawing – all your nesting information is saved with the drawing.

Lesson 6: Using the Stores

The Profiler has 24 ‘Stores’ used for the temporary holding of drawing objects.
Shapes can be added to a store from:
 A disk file
 The Drawing Board
 Profiler screens

Minimise the ‘Machine Control Panel’ by clicking on the ‘Minimise’ button
in the top left of that panel. This gives additional space for displaying the
stores.
Click on ‘store 2’ and note that the blue border surrounding ‘store 1’
moves to surround ‘store 2’. The blue border denotes the ‘Active Store’.
The ‘Active Store’ is the store from which/to which drawing objects are
copied.
Click on the ‘scroll down’ button and note that the top store in the stores
panel is now ‘store 2’. This can be repeated until the bottom store in the
stores panel is ‘store 24’.
Click on the ‘scroll up’ button until ‘store 1’ is the top store in the stores
panel.
Store from File

Right click in ‘store 1’ and from the popup menu select ‘Load from File’. In the dialog box that pops up navigate to
the ‘Sample Drawing’ folder at c:/Program Files/Wintech Profiler/Drawings. From there double click on ‘Eagle.wdf’ to
load this drawing into the store.
Right click on the Drawing Board and select ‘Store Paste’. This will change the cursor to the ‘Store Past’ cursor. Click
on the Drawing Board where the first point of store shape is to be placed:
First Point
Store Paste Points Off Select None
The inserted shape is not very clear because ‘Show Points’ is turned on. Turn ‘Show Points’ off by clicking on
‘View/Show Points’ in the Main Menu.
When ‘Show Points’ is turned off note that the inserted shape is blue – it is selected. Because it is selected the shape
can easily be moved around the Drawing Board using arrow keys or mouse.
Cancel the selection by clicking on ‘Selected/Select None’ on the Main Menu. Note that the shape is now coloured
brown this denotes that it is a unit. Any shape pasted from the stores is automatically added as a unit.

Store from Drawing

Paste a second ‘eagle’ from the stores and place it alongside the first:
Click on ‘Store 2’ to make it the Active Store.

Select all the drawing – Selected/Select All.
Right click on the Drawing Board and select ‘Copy to Store’. The selected portion of the drawing (in this case all the
drawing) is copied to the current Active Store (in this case ‘Store 2’).
Store from Profiler

Click on ‘Store 3’ to make it the Active Store.
Select ‘Shapes’ from the Tool Bar (or Special/Shapes from the Main Menu):
Select the ‘Circle’ tab and leave all values at default.

Click on ‘Store’. The circle is added to ‘store 3’:

Store Viewer
Hover the cursor over ‘store 1’. Some basic information
about the contents of the store will be shown (in this
case ‘910 Points: Eagle.wdf’).
Double click on ‘store 1’ or right click on it and ‘Open

Stores Window’ to see a more detailed view of the
stores content:
The Tool Bar has the same drawing manipulation functions as are available in Drawing View:
In addition there are the ‘Trace’ functions:
And:
Click on the ‘Forward’ trace:
The shape outline is traced in red. This shows the actual path that the machine will follow to cut the shape. This is
EXTREMELY important to know for accurate and repeatable cutting. This will be covered in a later lesson.
The trace functions work like a standard video recorder – forward and fast forward, stop, pause, reverse and fast
reverse.
For now just close the store window.

Lesson 7: Importing Drawings

Drawings exported from other CAD systems in DXF or DWG format cannot be loaded directly into the Profiler. These
drawings must be imported.
Profiler can import DXF and DWG formats - AutoCAD 2.5; AutoCAD 2.6; AutoCAD 9; AutoCAD 10; AutoCAD 11;
AutoCAD 13; AutoCAD 14; AutoCAD 2000; AutoCAD 2003; AutoCAD 2007;
Imported drawings will usually contain more than just the cut path information that is required most of which can be
removed in the ‘Import Drawing’ screen.
From the Main Menu select File/Import Drawing. In the dialog box that pops up navigate to the ‘Sample Drawing’
folder at c:/Program Files/Wintech Profiler. From there double click on ‘Camel.dxf’ to import this drawing:
Typically drawings created on a CAD system have multiple ‘layers’. These layers contain different types of
information; for example the drawing itself, dimensions and the drawing sheet. There can be hundreds of layers and
they can have any name. Most drawings contain a layer ‘0’ which has the drawing on it. Camel.dxf only has two
layers - ‘0’ and ‘Border’.
To remove an entire layer just deselect the layer in the ‘Layers’ box.
Another common addition to the drawings is text. Profiler does not import CAD text.

Right click on the import drawing and select ‘Remove Text’:
If the drawing contains ‘none graphical entities’, such as pictures, these can be removed by the ‘clean’ tool in the
popup menu. Unwanted graphical entities can be selected with the ‘select’ tool and then deleted by pressing the
keyboard DEL key.
When the drawing has been tidied look at the ‘file’ information:
DXF and DWG files do not contain information about scale. Change the ‘units of original file’ to make ‘converted
width’ and ‘converted height’ to be approximately what is required. This scaling can be done in the Profiler but
resolution of the drawing can be lost particularly when scaling up – it’s better to get it ‘about right’ before importing.
Camel.dxf was originally scaled in centimetres so set that as the original units.
This modified drawing can be saved back to its original file by clicking on the SAVE button – this overwrites the
original.
For now just click on OK to send the imported drawing to the Profiler:
DXF and DWG files do not contain information about which drawing entities connect to which. When the drawing is
imported Profiler tries to connect the entities together logically but it might be necessary to trace round the
imported shape to correct it. This is covered in a later lesson.
Lesson 8: Link Points

Imported drawings do not contain any information about how to move between objects or how to cut the objects
themselves. This information must be added manually after the shapes contained in the drawing have been
imported.
From the Main Menu select File/Import Drawing. In the dialog box that pops up navigate to the ‘Sample Drawing’
folder at c:/Program Files/Wintech Profiler. From there double click on ‘Shapes.dxf’ to import this drawing:
Import the drawing using millimetres (original units) and 1.0 (other scale factor).
The drawing appears on the Drawing Board:
Note that the objects are all there BUT the lines between the objects go through the objects. This needs to be
corrected.
Cut the drawing to stores (right click and select ‘Cut to Store’).

Select View/Link Points (ctrl-L) from the Main Menu:
Note that the ‘drawing’ is now ‘behind’ the empty Drawing Board.
Select ‘Link Points’ from the Tool Bar.
Click the cursor on the first point of the drawing (top left), then the top point:
Note that when you click over a point an actual point is added to the drawing.
Continue clicking round the object until you get back to the top:
From the toolbar select ‘Add Point’ and add 3 new points where shown.

Select ‘Link Points’ again.

Link to the nearest point on the circle then to the next two points moving clockwise. NOTE: the polygon was drawn
in a clockwise direction so the circle should be drawn in the same direction.
When the Profiler can detect which direction the object is being linked in a new control ‘Link Next’ appears on the
Tool Bar:
Click on the ‘Link Next’ button 10 times:
The next 10 points are added to the drawing.

Click on the ‘Link Undo’ button a couple of times and note that the last two links are removed.
To complete the drawing of the circle click on the point where the circle was started whilst holding down the SHIFT
key. All the intervening points are added to the drawing:

Switch back to ‘Add Points’ and add the link lines from the circle to the rectangle.
Link Points around the rectangle in a clockwise direction and finish by adding exit lines to the drawing:
Link Points
Off
Finally, turn off ‘Link Points’ by clicking on Select View/Link Points (ctrl-L) from the Main Menu.
Copy the drawing into Store 1 (Store 1: click to make active; main menu: select/select none; right click: Copy to
Store).
Open the store viewer for store 1 (double click on Store 1).
Run ‘trace forward’ to confirm that the objects are all cut in a clockwise direction.
NOTE: the direction of cutting around an object is important. This will be covered in a later lesson.

Lesson 9: AutoNEST
Only available with the AutoNEST option.
The nesting built into Profiler allows the nesting of single shapes. AutoNEST allows multiple different objects to be
efficiently nested.
The different shapes to be used in the nest must first be placed in the stores. All objects MUST BE
CLOSED (the start point and the end point of the line defining the shape must be identical).
Profiler requires that the end points are within 0.1mm of each other to class them as identical.

Select ‘Shapes’ from the Tool Bar (or Special/Shapes from the Main Menu):
Create a 200mm radius circle and put it in ‘Store 1’.
Create a 150mm, inside, 3-sided polygon and put it in ‘Store 2’.
Create a 200mm, inside, 6-sided polygon and put it in ‘Store 3’.
Create a 200mm wide, 50mm high arc and put it in ‘Store 4’.
Select Special/AutoNEST from the Main Menu.
Look at the ‘Parts’ panel:
Note that ‘Store 1’, ‘Store 2’ and ‘Store 3’ are shown in bold type – these stores contain objects that can be used for
nesting. ‘Store 4’ is not shown in bold and CANNOT be used – this shape is NOT CLOSED!

Set up the spacing:

A: 5.0mm (top of the block and the top of the highest object).
B: 5.0mm (bottom of the block and the bottom of the lowest object).
C: 5.0mm (left of the block and the edge of the leftmost object).
D: 5.0mm (right of the block and the edge of the rightmost object).
E: 5.0mm (space between objects).
NOTE: A spacing of 5.0mm is usually adequate. If the spacing is too small the cutting wire or blade
will jump across to the already cut path instead of following the required path – it follows the ‘path
of least resistance’.
H: 1000mm (height of block).
L: 2000mm (length of block).
Set ‘orientation’ to auto. NOTE: normally leave at ‘auto’ unless there is some reason that it should be nested
otherwise.
Set ‘start’ to top. NOTE: always nest blocks that are to be horizontally wire cut (hotwire or Fastwire) from the top. As
material is removed during the cut the block collapses making subsequent higher cuts out of position.
Set ‘Minimum’ for store 1 (the circle) to 4.
Set ‘Minimum’ for store 2 (the triangle) to 4.
Set ‘Minimum’ for store 3 (the hexagon) to 4.
Click on ‘Nest’ to start the nesting process.
After a few seconds the nesting is complete and shows in the display area:
AutoNEST has nested the objects as specified.

Change the ‘Fill’ value for store 2 to 1000. NOTE: AutoNEST will fill any available space, after nesting the ‘minimum’
quantities, with the parts specified in ‘fill’ up to the number specified.
Click on ‘Nest’.
The nest now looks like:
The empty spaces have been filled with the triangles.

Change the ‘minimum’ for stores 1 and 3 to ‘0’.

The block has been filled with the triangles.

Change the ‘minimum’ for stores 1 and 3 to ‘10’.
The hexagons have been nested and the block filled with triangles. The circles are missing!
At the bottom of the ‘Parts’ panel it shows that the number of ‘Blocks Used’ is 2. AutoNEST will nest as many parts as
you want and will nest them efficiently into as many blocks as are needed.
The drawings for the blocks are at the ‘Drawing Location’ also shown at the bottom of the ‘Parts’ panel.
The drawings are named Wintech 1_x.dxf, Wintech 2_x.dxf ……. Wintech n_x.dxf.
The ‘_x’ represents the number of times that that specific drawing is to be cut. So, Wintech 2_3.dxf means that this
drawing needs to be cut 3 times.
The drawings are stored in dxf format and must be imported into Profiler and the objects within it manually linked
before cutting. See previous lesson.
To finish click on the ‘OK’ button to use the nesting or ‘Exit’ to return to the drawing board.
If ‘OK’ is clicked the LAST nesting of the series is imported to the drawing board.

Lesson 10: Tracing

Images can be imported into Profiler as a background of the Drawing Board and traced around. Supported formats
are jpg, jpeg, bmp, ico, emf, wmf, tif and gif.
Select View/Load Background Image from the Main Menu:
Click on ‘Select’ and select ‘Wintech Logo.jpg’ from the c:/Program Files/Wintech Profiler/Tutorial directory.
The image on the left (source) is the original image. The image on the right is the image as it will be imported as the
background. The initial size of the image is such that it will be the maximum possible size on the Drawing Board. The
dimensions of both images are shown below the image.
For this image:
 Remove the colour.
 Rotate by 270 degrees (rotation is clockwise).
 Lighten the image slightly.
 Scale the width to 1000mm.

Click on ‘OK’.
The image appears as a background on the Drawing Board.
Zoom the image so that it fills the Drawing Board. Note use ‘Zoom Area’ or the shortcut keys since ‘Zoom Fit’ ignores
the background image:
Select ‘Add Point’ from the Tool Bar and click at the top of the ‘W’ – this is the first point. Click on each corner of the
‘W’ – in order moving clockwise:
Add a link line above the ‘W’ to above the top left of the ‘I’ then trace round the ‘I’ again in a clockwise direction.
Repeat for each letter:
Turn off the background image from View/Background Image from the Main Menu, tidy up the drawing as required:
To finish off the drawing make it exactly 1000 mm long using ‘resize’ from the Tool Bar.
When resizing this drawing select ‘lock aspect’ in the rescale dialog. This scales the height in the same ratio as the
length so that the drawing looks the same – except a different size.
Click on ‘OK’.
Turn off the background image (main menu: view/background image).

Lesson 11: Special – Text Conversion

Imports the outline of any True type font loaded on the client machine.
Select Special/Text Conversion from the Main Menu:
Type ‘Wing’ into the ‘Enter Text’ box.

Select the Font to be Arial Regular.
Leave the ‘Fixed Height’ checkbox unchecked.
NOTE: ‘Fixed Height’ scales all characters the same (nominally ‘A’ is 1000mm). They can be scaled in Profiler later.
Set the Maximum height to 200mm.
NOTE: the ‘Maximum Height’ is from the top of the highest character to the bottom of the lowest – in this case the
bottom of the loop on the ‘g’. Use this if you want to cut the characters to fit a particular piece of foam.
Click on the ‘Store’ button.

Click on the Active Store (blue border around it) to get a more detailed view:
Note that, as with importing, the lines between the characters cuts across other characters. This drawing needs to be
traced onto the Drawing Board using ‘Link Points’.
Close the detail screen.
Select View/Link Points (ctrl-L) from the Main Menu and use ‘Link Points’ to make this into a drawing.
Copy the drawing to Store 1 and check it by running ‘trace forward’ in the Store Viewer.

Lesson 12: Special - Pipe Insulation

Cutting pipe insulation is a very common requirement. This ‘Special’ tool makes it easy.
Select Special/Pipe Insulation from the Main Menu:
Setup panel
 ‘Inside Diameter’ is the actual pipe diameter – set to 100.0mm.
 ‘Outside Diameter’ is the diameter of the pipe plus the insulation – set to 200.0mm.
 ‘Pieces/360’ is the number of insulation segments required to wrap the circumference of the pipe – set to 2.
 ‘Cut Width’ is the width of the cut made by the wire or blade – set to 1.0mm.
 ‘Pause on Corners’ instructs the profile cutter to pause on each of the corners:
Leave it unchecked. The use of Pause Points will be covered later in this tutorial.
Joint Type panel

Selects what type of pipe joint is required:
Select ‘Arc Overlap’.

The actual dimensions of the overlap for the overlapped or tongue joint can be specified if required. Set this to
automatic.

‘Chamfer Inner Corners’ applies a chamfer to the outer corner of the inner joint:
Leave it unchecked.
Orientation panel
Selects which orientation the pipe insulation is to be cut in:
‘Vertical’ usually gives the best nesting. Select ‘Vertical’.
Links panel
Allows adding of links for easy nesting:
Select ‘Outer’ link with a ‘Clearance’ of 3.0mm (distance away from the pipe insulation to place the link line).
Drawing panel
Allows the pipe section drawing to be reversed or flipped. Leave both unchecked.
Click on the ‘Store’ button to save the Pipe Insulation to the Active Store.
Click on ‘Exit’ to close ‘Pipe Insulation’.

Lesson 13: Special - Pipe Shells

For the efficient drawing of multi-layered pipe insulation:

Select Special/Pipe Shells from the Main Menu:
Block panel
Enter the details of the foam block into the ‘Block’ panel. Set 1000mm (H), 1500mm (L) and 1000mm (W).
Select the direction of cutting – horizontal or vertical. This determines whether length and height (horizontal) or
length and width (vertical) are used to nest the pipe shells in to. Select horizontal.
Setup panel
 ‘Start Edge Waste’ is how far in from the edge of the block to start cutting. Set to 10.0mm.
 ‘Space Between’ is the minimum spacing between the pipe shells. Set to 6.0mm.
Note: if the spacing between the shells is too small the cutting wire/blade will move over into the already cut
line as it gets close. It follows the ‘path of least resistance’. At the edges of the block there is a link line
passing half way between the shells – this is the point where there may be a problem.
 ‘Cut Width’ is the width of the cut made by the wire or blade – set to 1.0mm.
 ‘Remove from’ determines which side of the INNER arcs the material is to be removed from during cutting:
o Inner – removed from the inner side of the shell. The outside diameter will be as specified, the inner
diameter will be increased by 2 * cut width.

o Both – removed equally from inner and outer diameters. The inner diameter will be increased by the
cut width and the outer diameter will be reduced by the same amount.
o Outer – removed from the outer side of the shell. The inside diameter will be as specified, the outer
diameter will be decreased by 2 * cut width.
The innermost and outermost arcs have the material removed such as to leave them at the correct diameter.
Set to ‘Both’.
 ‘Pause on Corners’ instructs the profile cutter to pause on each of the corners. Leave unchecked.
Shells panel
Enter the details of the required shells.
Set shells of 50, 150, 250 and 350mm. This corresponds to putting 3 layers of 50mm thick insulation on a 50mm
diameter pipe.
Note that the wall thickness of the insulation is automatically calculated and displayed to the right of the shell
diameters.
The Status Bar shows the number of complete shell sets and the yield from the block.
Click on the ‘Store’ button to save the pipe section to the Active Store.
Click on ‘Exit’ to close ‘Pipe Shells’.

Lesson 14: Special - Spiral Peel

This option is ONLY available for blade based machines.
A spiral peel is used to produce a continuous sheet from a block of flexible foam.
Select Special/Spiral Peel from the Main Menu:
Block panel
Enter the details of the foam block into the ‘Block’ panel. Set 1000mm (H), 1500mm (L) and 1000mm (W).
Select the direction of cutting – horizontal or vertical. This determines whether length and height (horizontal) or
length and width (vertical) are used to produce the spiral peel. Select horizontal.
Setup panel
 ‘Sheet Thickness’ is the required thickness of the sheet.
Set to 20.0mm.
 ‘Core Radius’ is the radius of the innermost peel:
Set to 150mm.
Note that the thinner the cut sheet the tighter this
internal radius can be set without causing distortion of
the sheet when unrolled.
Corner Radius
If ‘auto’ is selected the radius of the corners decrease linearly towards the core radius at the centre so as to keep the
sheet thickness constant. Select ‘Auto’.
If ‘auto’ is not selected a constant radius is applied to each corner. This increases the yield from the block but the
peel is not as even as with ‘auto’. Depending on what the peel is being used for this may be acceptable.
The Status Bar shows the length of the peel and the yield from the block.
Click on the ‘Store’ button to save the Spiral Peel to the Active Store.
Click on ‘Exit’ to close ‘Spiral Peel’.
Lesson 15: Special - Corrugation

For the efficient drawing of sinusoidal and rectangular corrugations:
Sinusoidal Corrugation
Select Special/Corrugation from the Main Menu:
Select the ‘Sinusoidal’ type of corrugation.

Set the pitch (X) to 100mm and set the height (Y) to 100mm.
Click on the ‘Store’ button to save the corrugation to the Active Store.
Click on ‘Exit’ to close ‘Corrugation’.
Copy the corrugation segment to the Drawing Board (right click/Store Paste).
Paste 9 more segments on the end of the first segment (right click/Store Paste on End or click ctrl E).
There is now a 10 segment sinusoidal corrugation ready for cutting or using in other drawings.
Hexagonal Corrugation
Select Special/Corrugation again and select the ‘Hexagonal’ type of corrugation:

The Hexagonal corrugation has four ways of specifying the basic corrugation:
Asymmetric
Use when height and pitch is known and the ‘peaks and
troughs’ are different widths.
Asymmetric Slope
Use when the height, pitch and slope angle are known and
the ‘peaks and troughs’ are different widths.
Symmetrical
Use when height and pitch is known and the ‘peaks and
troughs’ are the same width.
Symmetrical Slope
Use when the height, pitch and slope angle are known and
the ‘peaks and troughs’ are the same width.
Each corrugation is for a full cycle of peak and trough (360o) but can be started from 90o increments:
The corners can be left ‘sharp’ or can have a radius applied to them:
The generated hexagonal corrugation is dealt with in the same way as the sinusoidal – save it to the Active Store
then use ‘Paste on End’ until the corrugated ‘sheet’ is the required length.
Lesson 16: Special - Shapes

The shapes screen allows drawing of some common geometric shapes:
Rectangle
Ellipse
Polygon
The polygon can be defined with between 3 and 21 equal length sides.
The polygon is dimensioned so that:
 Its points, before the corners are rounded, lie on a circle of given diameter (it sits INSIDE the circle).
 A circle of given diameter touches the centre of each of its sides (it sits OUTSIDE the circle).

Circle
The circle or arc of the circle can start from the centre or anywhere on the circumference.
Arc
Lesson 17: Smoothing

The points forming a curve can be entered manually into the Profiler. Usually this is done if the drawing is being
‘traced’ from an external drawing using a digitiser. These hand entered points, although they ‘look’ to be on a curve,
are typically unevenly spaced and slightly misplaced. The automatic curve drawing functions, see above, put
hundreds of points into curves but manually entered curves tend to have many fewer points. The curve smoothing
function helps to smooth out the curve, so giving a better cut finish, by:
 Adding more points into the curve.
 Evening up the spacing of the points.
 Pulling points towards the best curve passing NEAR the points.
The smoothing can be applied to a selected section of the drawing in which case the Profiler will smooth ALL the
selection. Or, it can be applied to the entire drawing in which case the Profiler will first scan through all the points
making up the drawing and detect curves.
Open (main menu: file/open) the drawing ‘Smoothing.wdf’ from the c:/Program Files/Wintech Profiler/Tutorial
directory.
Original drawing (Smoothing.wdf)

Select points 0 to 12 and click on the ‘smoothing’ button on the toolbar:
Note that the number of points in the curve has increased from 13 to 48. The length of the lines making up the curve
and the angle between adjacent line segments has reduced in proportion making the curve smoother.
 Undo the curve smoothing by clicking ‘ctrl-z’ (or, ‘edit/undo’ from the main menu).
 Clear all selections by clicking away from the drawing with the select cursor (or, ‘selected/select’ none from
the main menu).
 Click on the ‘smoothing’ button on the toolbar:
This time the Profiler has detected four arcs in this drawing and applied smoothing to them.
 Undo the curve smoothing by clicking ‘ctrl-z’ (or, ‘edit/undo’ from the main menu).
 Select the entire drawing by ‘selected/select all’ from the main menu.
 Click on the ‘smoothing’ button on the toolbar:
Note that ALL the points in the drawing have been smoothed.
CURVE SMOOTHING
Using ‘curve smoothing’ is NOT a substitute for a correctly drawn drawing.
The automated ‘curve finder’ will NOT always recognise a curve, or, it will incorrectly recognise a
section of the drawing as a curve.

Machine Screens
Lesson 18: Cutting Overview
The Wintech Profiler software produces a sequential series of points that the cutting head of the Wintech Profiling
Machine is instructed to move to. The cutting blade cannot be retracted for movement between points so a line is
cut between them, if multiple points are sent a single continuous cut results.
The different cutting processes each has different factors that need to be taken into account when designing the
cutpath.
Hotwire:
The Hotwire ‘cuts’ by melting the foam in its immediate vicinity:-
 The wire does not actually touch the foam so the wire is always straight.
 The wire thickness can be changed (typically use 0.25mm or 0.35mm wire). This will change the width of the
cut.
 The temperature of the wire is determined by the current passing through the wire. The higher the
temperature the more material is melted away.
 The width of cut increases the slower the wire is moving.
Fastwire:
The Fastwire ‘cuts’ by abrading the foam in the direction it is moving:-
 The wire is in contact with the material and forms an arc across the width of the block – not a straight line as
in the case of a Hotwire – whilst it is cutting.
 The ‘arc’ across the block is:
o Inversely proportional to the tension of the wire.
o Proportional to the speed of cutting and to the density and width of the foam block.
 There are different types of Fastwire abrasive wires which have different core structures and abrasive
surfaces. Each type has a different width of cut and a different arc.
 The amount of material removed is independent of the wires’ cutting speed.
 The Fastwire follows ‘the path of least resistance’ so if adjacent cut lines are too close together the wire will
‘jump’ across to the old path. Typically a minimum of 5mm must be kept between cuts.

 The Fastwire rotates around its centre and this causes it to ‘climb’ up or down in the cut perpendicular to the
direction of the cut. The rotation can be clockwise or anti-clockwise and neither its direction nor its
rotational speed can be predicted. See sheet cutting and the ‘thick/thin’ effect.
Blade:
The blade cuts by slicing through the foam. Material is not removed.
 The blade is in contact with the material and so forms an arc during cutting – but a much smaller arc than
does the Fastwire due its higher rigidity.
 The blade must be kept tangential to the direction of cutting since, unlike the Hotwire and Fastwire, it only
cuts on the leading edge.
 At corners the blade must change direction or ‘twist’. The blade cannot twist instantly to face the new
direction so for large angle changes the blade must actually stop, twist and start moving again – this is
known as ‘stop and twist’. For smaller angles, typically less than 40 degrees, the blade can be twisted in the
mm before the corner and/or the mm after the corner without stopping. There are three patterns of twisting
that can be used and which to use depends on the material being cut this will be covered later in this tutorial.
 The blade ‘steers’ whilst cutting causing it to move up or down perpendicular to the cut. Neither the
direction nor the amount of steering can be predicted. See sheet cutting and the ‘thick/thin’ effect.

Lesson 19: Material Specifications

Different foams are cut at different speeds, etc. Wintech Profiler allows an unlimited number of ‘Material
Specifications’ to be defined and then selected in the cutting screens.
Select File/Specifications/Material from the Main Menu (or just click F9):
Click on ‘New’ and enter

 Material Name: ‘Tutorial Material’.
 Description: ‘Temporary material for tutorial’.
 Cost: $500.00 /cu m.
 If the attached machine is a Fastwire in the Fastwire/Blade panel:
o Cut Width: 1.0mm.
o Cut Speed: 40mm/sec.
o Acceleration: 11.
 If the attached machine is a blade machine in the Fastwire/Blade panel:
o Cut Width: 0.0mm.
o Acceleration: 11.
 If the attached machine is a hotwire machine or has a hotwire attachment in the Hotwire panel:
o Cut Width: 1.2mm.
o Acceleration: 11.
Leave the ‘Compuline’ panel, ‘Profiling’ panel and ‘Block Support Pressure’ at their default values.
Click on ‘Save’.
Click on ‘Exit’.
Since there are an unlimited number of Material Specifications available different settings for a large range of
conditions can be saved, e.g. ‘500mm wide EN36.80’, ‘1200mm wide, X-wrap wire’ or whatever is meaningful. Each
value can be changed at the cut screens if required – see next lesson.

Lesson 20: Cut One

‘Cut One’ is used to cut a single item of the drawing on the Drawing Board.
Set preferences to ‘Draw Mode’:
Open ‘Lion.wdf’ from the ‘Sample Drawing’ folder.
Select Machine/Cut One from the Main Menu or click on the Cut One icon on the Machine Control Panel:
OR
Blade Machine Fastwire or Hotwire Machine

Note the differences between the screens for Blade Machines and ‘Wire’ Machines. The Blade Machines have ‘Twist
Type’ and the Wire Machines have ‘Cut Width’ and ‘Job on’.
Depending on the options fitted to the machine an Automation panel may appear – ignore this for the time being.

Material Panel:
From the pull down list box in the Material Panel select ‘Tutorial Material’. Note that on selection all the values in
the Material Panel change to those associated with the Tutorial Material.
Click on ‘Speed’ (currently 40.0mm/sec) and change it to 50.0mm/sec. Note that the background of the box changes
colour from white to yellow. Yellow denotes that the value is NOT the default value for this material.
Click on ‘Reset’. Note that the Speed value changes back to 40.0mm/sec and the background of the box changes
colour back to white.
Change the speed back to 50.0mm/sec., but this time click on ‘Save’. The value stays at 50.0mm/sec and the
background goes back to white. The changed value has been saved back into the Material Specification for this
material – click on F9 to open the Material Specification screen and confirm that this is the case.
Change the speed in Material Specification panel (F9) back to 40mm/sec and ‘Save’ it. Close the Material
Specification panel and note that the speed has NOT changed to the new value but the background has changed to
yellow to denote that is now different from the default value.
Close the ‘Cut One’ screen and then reopen it. The values stay the same – in fact these values stay the same for ANY
subsequent cutting operation until they are changed by the operator or Wintech Profiler is restarted.
Click on ‘Reset’.
Block Panel:
The fields in the ‘Block panel set the dimensions of the block of foam currently on the machine. This information is
used for costing and nesting calculations and when automation is being used. This will be covered in later lessons.
Note that either the ‘Height’ or ‘Width’ field background is coloured red depending on whether the vertical or
horizontal cutting axis of the machine is being used. Changing the value in the red coloured field will not change, for
example, the number of items that can be nested into the block but it is used in the costing calculations since it
changes the volume of the block – which is costed in $/m3.
Leave the fields at their default values.
Setup Panel:
The ‘Repeats’ field sets the number of times this Cut One drawing is to be sent to the machine. Normally, this is set
to ‘1’ but if 2 or more is set the repeat drawings are ‘queued’ and sent to the machine automatically ready to be cut
when the previous drawing has been cut.
Leave the ‘Repeats’ field set at ‘1’.
Twist Type Panel (Blade Machines Only):

The twist type for the current drawing is selected to give the best cutting result for this specific shape. It determines
in what way the blade twists on corners such that it remains tangential to the required cutting line. There are three
types of twist defined:
Type 0: Type 1: Type 2:

Twist After Corner Twist 50% before corner Twist 100% before corner
The different twist types will tend to give corners as shown in the diagram but they are greatly influenced by the
type of foam being cut and the type of blade being used. It’s best to cut a sample and see which is best.
Leave ‘Twist Type’ at its default value.
‘Job On’ Panel (Wire Machines Only):

When a wire cuts it does so by removing material. If the centre of the wire followed the path designed in the
drawing it would remove material on both sides of the required path. One side would be removing material from the
required object – the object would be cut too small:
The cutting wire has to be offset by half the width of the cut AWAY from the required shape. The offset is set
automatically by telling the Profiler the cut width and on which side of the cut the required shape is. For the above
diagram the job is on the RIGHT of the cut.
To determine which side the job is on for the current drawing either drop it into a store and run the trace function
(see lesson 6) or look at the start and end points of the drawing:
From the first and last line it can be seen that the lion is being cut clockwise. The Job is on the RIGHT.
Set ‘Job On RIGHT’.
Machine Panel:
The ‘Cut Height’ displays the current height of the cutting wire or blade above the table or datum. The button
caption toggles between ‘0’ and ‘true’ when it is clicked. Clicking on ‘0’ sets a new datum at the current wire position,
clicking on ‘true’ sets the display to the height above the table.
In the bottom left of the panel the currently active axis is displayed.
In the bottom right of the panel the estimated cutting time for the current shape is displayed. The time is
determined from the machine type, the speed and acceleration set in the Material Panel and also on parameters set
in the Machine Specifications.
Change the speed in the Material Panel to 5mm/sec and note that the estimated cutting time extends substantially.
Next, change the speed to 100mm/sec and note the change in estimated time – this time there is little difference
from the time for cutting at 40mm/sec. In the latter case the speed is being restricted by the nature of the drawing
which has a lot of corners at which the machine must slow, or stop.
Control Panel:
From the Control Panel the drawing is sent to the machine for cutting, or to the active store.
Leave this screen open and continue to the next lesson.

Lesson 21: Cut Nest

‘Cut Nest’ is used to cut multiple copies of the drawing on the Drawing Board.
Click on the ‘Nest Tab’.
The Profiler automatically adds ‘link lines’ between the objects in the nest. The link lines connect the end point of
the object to the start point of the next object in the nest. They take NO ACCOUNT of what lies in their path. On this
occasion the link line goes straight though the heads of the lions and if sent to the machine like that the heads WILL
be cut off.
Return to the Drawing screen and:-
 Add a new point as shown directly above the last point and slightly above the top of the lions’ head (hint:
hold down the shift key when adding the point so that it is directly above the last point).
 Select edit/snap to point from the main menu.
 Select transform/reverse from the main menu. Points are added at the END of the drawing, by reversing the
drawing the first point is now the last point so the added point is added BEFORE the first point.
 Insert a second point on top of the first point added (note that the cursor ‘snaps’ to the first point).
 Select transform/reverse from the main menu. To return the drawing to the original state.
 Deselect edit/snap to point from the main menu.
Return to the Nest screen.
The link lines are now clear of the lions.

Look at the status line along the bottom edge of the screen, which gives information about the nesting. If the block
was cut now there would be 36 lions cut from the block.

 Click on the bottom, right lion and drag it to the right.

 Click on the middle, right lion and drag the middle line up, as shown.
 Click on the bottom, right lion and drag the bottom line up, as shown.
Step 1: Step 2:
Step 3: Step 4:
The number of shapes cut from the block is now 48.
Click on the ‘Layout’ tab to see the result of the nesting:
Looking at the Status Bar there will be an Edge Offcut of 150mm and a Bottom Offcut of 88mm (values might differ
slightly). There is also a Minimum Yield of 44% and a Maximum Yield of 54%. The Minimum Yield assumes that the
offcuts are scrap and are not included in the calculation whereas the Maximum Yield assumes that the offcuts are
usable and are excluded from the calculation.
Save the drawing as Lion2.wdf (File/Save As) on the desktop.
Clear the drawing board (File/New).

Open the Lion2.wdf drawing.

Click on the Layout tab and note that the nesting is the same. The nesting information is stored with the drawing.
Select Machine/Cut Nest from the Main Menu or click on the Cut Nest icon on the Machine Control Panel:
The panels are the same as for Cut One with the addition of the Nesting panel.
Select the Tutorial Material.
In the Setup Panel select:
 ‘Job on Right’ for wire machines.
 1 Repeat.
Nesting Panel:
The Nesting Panel sets up how the automatic nest is to be done.
The nested shapes are cut from the top of the block downwards to maintain the blocks’ stability – the part of the
block that is being cut from is always solidly sitting on the table. Also, if you ‘undercut’ with a wire machine then the
upper section would drop onto the lower by the width of cut and subsequent cuts in the upper section will be out of
position.
Start position:
The block can be cut with the wire/blade starting from the blocks’ left or right, top or bottom.
If the wire/blade starts at the top then the operator must ensure that the wire/blade is at sufficient height above the
bottom limit switch (about 2mm above the table) such that the limit is not reached at the bottom extent of its cut.
To aid with this the ‘drawing height’ is shown in the status panel and the wire/blade height is displayed dynamically
in the Machine Panel.
If the wire/blade starts at the bottom then its first move is upwards by the specified block height - since cutting
always starts from the top.
A left or right start depends on preference and the layout of the machine, for example if blocks are fed in from the
left then it would be more efficient on a conveyor based machine for the cut to start on the right.
Set ‘Start’ at the top/left.
Finish position:
After the wire/blade has finished the cutting it can be left at the bottom of the block or moved to the top. Again, this
depends on preference and also on what is being cut.
Set ‘Finish’ at the top.
Start Edge Waste:

It is common to find that the ‘front’ edge of the block is not very even and that the cutting needs to be started a little
way back from this face. This initial move can be set at ‘Start Edge Waste’ and at startup the wire/blade will move by
this distance horizontally into the block.
Set ‘Start Edge Waste’ to 20mm
Cut Link Lines Faster:

Link lines are the lines cut between shapes. Since they do not form part of the finished shape the surface finish
associated with them is not important – they can be cut faster. The faster speed is that specified in the Material
Specifications ‘Fast Tool’. By setting this the nest will be cut faster.
Check ‘Cut Link Lines Faster’. Note that when this is checked the estimated cutting time, in the Machine Panel,
reduces.
Cut:
The total number of shapes that can be cut from the specified block is shown on the status bar and if ‘Cut’ is not
checked that is what will be cut. But by selecting ‘Cut’ any series of consecutive shapes can be cut. This is used, for
example, when the wire/blade breaks after only cutting some of the shapes.
If the starting shape is NOT set to ‘1’ then the nest will start from the first point of the specified shape – the ‘Start
Position’ and ‘Start Edge Waste’ will be ignored.
If the last shape set is NOT the last shape of the nest then the ‘Finish Position’ will be ignored.
Uncheck ‘Cut’.
Control Panel:
From the Control Panel the drawing is sent to the machine for cutting, or to the active store. NOTE: if in DEMO mode
the Stop and Cut/Draw buttons not enabled.
Click on ‘Store’ to send the drawing to the active store.
Click on ‘Exit’.

Lesson 22: Cutting Sheets

Cutting sheets accurately needs an understanding of the cutting process.
Width of Cut:
When the foam is cut with a Fastwire or Hotwire material is removed equal to the width of cut, typically this is
between 1.0 and 1.8mm. If the whole of the block is cut through, as in the case of sheet cutting, then the block
above the removed material will drop down by the width of cut. If the next cut is in this dropped material the cut
would be higher than it should be by the width of cut:
Cutting with a Fastwire or Hotwire should always be from the top of the block downwards.
The Thick-Thin Effect:

If the blade is not perfectly tangential to the cut or the blade is not equally chamfered on each edge of the cutting tip
then the blade will be subject to a force moving it up or down in the material – much like the wing of an aeroplane.
The direction and magnitude of this force cannot be predicted since it depends on the individual blade. The force
produces a movement of the blade away from the desired cut. If the blade is rotated by 180 degrees and passed
back through the material the force produces a movement equal but opposite to the first movement. If sheets are
being cut this will result in alternate sheets being thicker or thinner than required (see figure 1):
Figure 1 Figure 2
To overcome this problem:
 Either move the programmed cut lines by the amount of the movement the ‘Correction Factor’.
 Or, make all cuts in the same direction (left to right or right to left) in which case all the displacements are in
the same direction and equal hence leaving the sheets at the required thickness (see figure 2):
Since the magnitude and direction of displacement is not predictable the first method requires that a trial cut is
made. From the trial cut the ‘Correction Factor’ is calculated by:
(Thick sheet dimension – Thin sheet dimension) / 2
The direction of the Correction Factor also needs to be set (+ve or –ve) which should be done by doing a second trail
cut and reversing the Correction Factor if required.
The Correction Factor should not need changing again until the blade is changed at which time it should be checked
again.
The second method can be achieved by taking the blade/wire over the top of the block for the return:

The return paths are actually down the same track but shown here separated for clarity.
This method is slower than that using the Correction Factor because of the return path cutting air rather than foam.
However, the wire/blade can move much faster in air than when cutting foam and can be set to ‘cut’ at any speed up
to the maximum the machine is capable of. If the return path has to be in the foam, as in the case of a thick skinned
block, then the return speed can still be faster since the finish of the sheet does not need to be the same.
The same effect is seen when cutting with a Fastwire but this time the cause is the spinning of the wire around its
axis:
Cut direction
Axial ‘Spin’
Longitudinal ‘rotation’
The spinning wire ‘climbs’ up or down slightly against the face of the material it is cutting – the result is the same.

Lesson 23: Cut Sheets

Select Machine/Cut Sheets from the Main Menu or click on the Cut Sheets icon on the Machine Control Panel
The panels are the same as for Cut One with the addition of the Sheets panel.
Sheets Panel:
The panel is split into three sections:
Cutting Method:
 Cut Length: The required length of the sheet. This can be set to be longer or shorter than the block. Setting
the sheet longer is used when the start/end of the sheet needs to be outside the block. The advantage of
starting outside is that the sheets are cut at a constant speed since the acceleration/deceleration can be
done outside the block. If a hotwire is being used the cut width is wider in the acceleration/deceleration
period than in the constant speed since the wire is travelling at a slower speed. The disadvantage is that the
cutting wire/blade has to cut through the outer skin of untrimmed blocks which normally, particularly with
flexible foam, needs cutting at a lower speed.
 The cutting method employed depends on the type of machine, the type of foam being cut and the required
accuracy of the finished product.

o Default method:
By default the sheets are cut by alternately cutting left to right and
then right to left incrementing the cutting wire/blade down by the
sheet thickness (plus cut width if appropriate) between each cut.
This will display the ‘thick/thin’ effect which needs correcting by the
‘Correction Factor’ as detailed above.
o Use the Top:
The top surface of the block may be usable as the top side of the first
sheet, for example if the block has been trimmed before cutting. If
‘Use the Top’ is selected then the first move is down to the start of
the second sheet.
o Loop Cut (only for blade machines):
The first cut is along the top of the top sheet (unless ‘use the top’ is
selected), the second is the bottom of the bottom sheet, the third is
along the bottom of the top sheet, etc. - i.e. cutting ‘spirals’ in
towards the centre. NOTE: each sheet is cut in the same direction
along each side so eliminating the thick/thin effect.
o Centre Waste (only with ‘Loop Cut’):
With loop cut both sides of the sheet are cut in the same direction
EXCEPT for the two sheets in the centre of the spiral. These sheets
will exhibit the thick/thin effect. If the thickness of ALL the sheets
needs to be accurate then ‘Centre Waste’ adds an extra, 8mm thick,
sheet in the centre of the spiral. This would then be discarded.
o Common Return:
After each slice the wire/blade returns to the start side over the top
of the block at a height set in ‘Common Return’. All sheets are cut in
the same direction so eliminating the thick/thin effect but this is a
slower cut since no cutting is done on the return.
o Return Fast (only with Common Return):
To reduce the overall time of cutting using ‘Common Return’ the
wire/blade can return at a higher speed than the cutting speed. The
faster speed is that set by the ‘Fast Tool’ in the Material Specification.
o Finish at Top:
After all sheets have been cut the wire/blade can be instructed to
return to its original start height.
Number, Thickness Panel

 Number: The number of sheets of specified thickness to cut.
 Thickness: the thickness of the sheets to cut (Cut Width will be
added automatically).
 Fill: To fill the remained of the block with sheets of this
thickness.
 Clear: Clear the sheet definition table.
 Start: Start the sheet cutting from the left or right of the block.
 Bottom Offcut: Height of the block left after all specified sheets
have been cut.

Lesson 24: Automatic Turntable

Any of the Wintech range of Foam Cutting Machines that do not have a conveyor can be fitted with an automatic
turntable. The turntable is built into the table of the machine and is used to rotate the foam block either manually,
using the handset controls, or by a user set value.
In Machine Specifications (F3):
 Machine tab: Set ‘Machine Type’ to ‘Horizontal Fastwire’.
 Options tab:
o Set ‘Automatic Turntable’.
 Save and exit the Machine Specifications.
Open ‘Lion.wdf’ from the ‘Sample Drawing’ folder (or just draw a line on the drawing board).
Open the Cut One screen and observe that there is now an additional ‘Turntable’ panel in the Setup panel:
The turntable can be run in one of three ways:

 Manually. The turntable can be rotated clockwise or anti-clockwise using the handset. The current angle of
rotation is displayed in the ‘Turntable’ section of the Machine panel at the bottom left of the screen:
 Semi-automatic. The required rotation angle (+ve = clockwise, -ve =anti-clockwise) can be set in the
‘Turntable’ Panel and operated immediately by clicking on the ‘Turn Now’ button.
 Automatically. The turntable can be set to rotate by a preset angle after a drawing has been cut. This
operation can be automatically repeated multiple times with the same drawing.
To cut the following shape:

Drawing 1 Drawing 2
Draw a shape on the drawing board with 6 points (0, 0), (0, -20), (250, -1020), (250, -20), (0, -20), (0, 0).
 Rotation: The degrees that the turntable is to turn AFTER the cut.
 X: The number of times this cut is to be repeated.
 Speed: The required rotational speed of the turntable.
This shape requires cutting 4 times at 90 degrees between each.
Once set the drawing can be sent to the machine by pressing ‘Cut’ on the control panel.
Before starting the cut the wire/blade needs to be positioned for the start of the first cut. The wire/blade will
automatically return to this start point at the start of subsequent cuts. It will travel there in a straight line so this
needs to be considered when the drawing is done.
For this shape the start should be 250mm from the centre of the turntable, more than 1050mm from the turntable
surface and about 40mm above the foam (the first move is 50mm down ‘into’ the block). The distance from the
centre of the turntable is displayed on the turntable panel and the height above the surface is displayed in the ‘Cut
Height’ panel at the bottom left of the Cut One screen. The wire/blade can be positioned using the handset or by
using the ‘home’ feature from the soft handset (covered in a later lesson).
When the wire/blade is at its starting position the cutting mechanism (blade oscillation, hot wire power or Fastwire
rotation) can be started then the handset ‘Go’ button pressed to start the profiling.
The cutting wire will move down to cut the first face then return to the start position. The block will rotate 90o and
the next face will be cut. This process repeats 4 times with the cutting wire/blade ending at its starting point.
Next create another drawing of 7 points (0, 0), (0, -20), (-800, -20), (-800, -1020), (300, -1020), (300, 0) & (0, 0) (see
drawing 2 above) to cut the top and bottom. Without moving the wire/blade from where it finished its last cut send
and cut this new drawing.

Lesson 25: The Job Queue

The cutting machine can cut one job at a time but multiple jobs can be set up ready to send sequentially. This is what
is used when ‘repeats’ on the cut screens is set to be greater than 1.
In Preferences/Miscellaneous select ‘Show Queue’.
Save the Preferences.

Note that there is a new ‘Queue’ tab in the stores display.
Open the Lion2.wdf drawing (previously saved on the drawing board).
Open ‘Cut One’ (Machine/Cut One or F5).
In the Control Panel click on ‘Queue’:
Click on the ‘Queue’ tab in the Stores display:
The lion has not been sent to the machine – it has been queued.
Close the Cut One screen and open the Cut Nest Screen.
Again, click on ‘Queue’.

Note that the nested drawing has been queued below the Cut One drawing:
Right click on the nested drawing in the queue viewer and select ‘move to top’. The nested drawing is moved to the
top of the queue. Note the other available options on the right click menu. The queued item can be moved or
deleted.
Double click on one of the queued drawings:
The queue viewer shows a detailed view of what is at that queue location. Note that it is possible to have multiple
repeats of the drawing in a single queue.
To cut the drawing return to the cut screen and click on ‘Queue Cut’. The drawing (or the first repeat) is removed
from the queue and sent to the machine. All other drawings in the queue move up by 1.
After the drawing has finished cutting the operator can choose to send the next queued drawing (Cut Queue) or can
send the current drawing from the drawing board (Cut).
Profiler can be set to automatically load the next drawing when the previous one has finished cutting. Set ‘Queue
Auto Load’ in Preferences/Miscellaneous.
The drawing will NOT start cutting until the GO button is pressed on the handset. However, in conjunction with
Automation the jobs can be queued to load, cut, unload automatically without operator intervention. See the next
lesson.
Close the queue viewer.
Delete all drawings from the queue.
Close Cut One.

Lesson 26: Automation

Most of the Wintech range of Foam Cutting Machines has optional automation features to allow the machines to be
integrated into a production system. The automation allows multiple blocks to be sequentially loaded, profiled (with
the same or different profiles) and unloaded from the machine with operators only required to place the uncut block
on the entry conveyor and remove the finished product from the exit conveyor.
 Machine tab: Set ‘Machine Type’ to ‘Horizontal Oscillating Blade’.
 Options tab:
o Set ‘Block Support’.
o Set ‘Block Front Sensor’
o Set ‘Entry Conveyor’
o Set ‘Exit Conveyor’
Open ‘Lion.wdf’ from the ‘Sample Drawing’ folder (or just draw a line on the drawing board).
Open the Cut One screen and observe that there is now an additional ‘Automation’ panel:
At the moment all the selections are disabled.

Click on ‘Select’:

Start Height
BLOCK
START
HEIGHT
CONVEYOR
or TABLE
The start height is the actual height above the table or conveyor that the cutting is to be started.
The remaining options should be read top to bottom and left to right:
Home
The machines home position is set in preferences. Normally this would be set with the wire/blade at its highest
position and, for table machines, with the cutting frame at the back of the machine. This ensures that the block can
move freely without it running into the wire/blade.
Load
Only if an ‘entry conveyor’ option is fitted.
The block will move onto the machine from the entry conveyor. After the block has passed the entry sensor on the
entry conveyor, the entry conveyor, if powered, will stop.
Position
Wire/blade will move into position just in front of the block and at the set ‘start height’ ready to start cutting.
Block Support
Only if the ‘block support’ option is fitted.
Engage the block support to hold the block in place.
Go
Only if ‘position’ is selected.
Is the same as someone pressing GO on the handset. The machine starts to follow the profile sent down in the
associated drawing as soon as the wire/blade is in position.
Park
Move the cutting wire/blade to the top of the cutting frame when the job has been cut. This clears the way for the
block to exit the machine.
If the block support is engaged it will automatically disengage and park too.
Unload
Only if an ‘exit conveyor’ option is fitted.
The cut block is moved on to the exit conveyor after the job has been cut and the blade parked (if selected).

Lesson 27: Compuset

The Compuset is an automatic loading system for up to 40 hot wires.
When multiple hot wires are used for sheet cutting the Compuset posts should be tilted:
Assume that there are 40 wires mounted and the cut width is 1.5mm then between them 60mm of material is
removed. If the posts are not tilted then as the wires leave the block, all at the same time, the end of the block
‘collapses’ by that 60mm. If the post is tilted then as each wire leaves the block the newly cut sheet drops by 1.5mm
– a much more controlled situation.
If the multiple wires are being used to profile multiple lines of identical shapes then the Compuset post should NOT
be tilted
The Compuset can be supplied with either a manual or a pneumatic tilt.

 Machine tab: Set ‘Machine Type’ to ‘Compuset’.
 Compuset tab:
o Set ‘Wires Installed’ to 40.
o Set ‘Tilt Angle’ to 12.7 degrees.

Select Machine/Compuset from the Main Menu or click on the Compuset icon on the Machine Control Panel:
Wire Spacing Panel:

Set the required number and finished size of the objects to be cut by the wires. The ‘finished size’ takes account of
the Cut Width and the tilt of the Compuset frame when the wires are loaded.
As the required values are added to the table the total height taken by the wires is calculated. If this height exceeds
the maximum height of the Compuset frame (1500mm) an error message is given and the settings are inhibited from
being sent to the machine.
Wire Height:
When all the wires have been loaded the set of wires is positioned such that the lowest wire is at the height above
the table specified here.
The actual height of the lowest wire above the table is displayed here.
Setup Panel:
Cut Width:
Set the cut width of the hotwires. This is automatically taken into account when the wires are loaded such that the
finished size of the items cut is correct.
Frame Tilted (manual tilt only):

Select if the frame has been manually tilted.
Taper Cut:
The Compuset can be set to cut tapered sheets:
The maximum taper that can be applied is 50mm in 1000mm

When taper cut is selected the Compuset screen changes:
Taper Cut Panel:

For taper cutting the finished size of the taper is specified. When the wires are loaded every other wire is loaded at
an angle as required to achieve the taper.
When the block is loaded the edge of the block MUST be aligned with the datum line at the edge of the table (or, the
edge of the table itself can be used). From this data, the cut width, the tilt angle and the calibrations in the Machine
Specifications the Profiler calculates the wire spacing.
Control Panel:
Load One: Load a single wire and move it to the ‘load to’ height.
Load All: Load all the wires specified in the ‘Wire Spacing’ or ‘Taper Cut’ tables. Move the set of wires such that the
lowest wire is at the ‘load height’ above the table.
Unload: Unload all the wires.
Cycle: Load all the wires then unload them again. Keep repeating until told to stop. Note: used for testing.
Stop: Stop loading or unloading wires. Stop the machine if cutting is in progress.
Exit: Leave this screen.
Project Panel:
The wire spacing, normal or taper cut, and other values can be saved to or restored from an external file.
Lesson 28: Compuline

The Compuline combines a Horizontal Fastwire, a Compuset and Vertical Hotwires:
The Fastwire is mobile and can travel the full length of the main conveyor. The Compuset can be automatically
attached to the Fastwire carriage or can be disconnected and parked at the exit end of the machine. The vertical
hotwires are static at the exit end of the machine.
The Compuline can be run as:
 A Compuline – automated production of rectangular foam blocks.
 A Horizontal Fastwire profiler with full automation plus horizontal (Compuset) and vertical hotwires.
 A Compuset profiler with full automation plus vertical hotwires.
In Compuline mode the main and exit conveyors run continuously. The entry conveyor feeds blocks to the main
conveyor approximately 500mm apart. The Fastwire trims the front and rear face of the block. The blocks are fed
through the Compuset to be sheet cut (horizontal cut) and through the vertical hotwires to trim the sides
Since the main conveyor runs at a constant speed (which it must do so that the block passes through the hotwires at
constant speed) the Fastwire has a lower limit to how close together it can make cuts. When the Fastwire cuts it
‘locks on’ to the main conveyor (electronically) and moves towards the exit conveyor at line speed whilst it moves
down to make its cut and whilst the wire is withdrawn from the cut. The Fastwire carriage must then ‘flyback’ to its
‘ambush’ position in time to make its next cut. The distance the front of the block has moved during the ‘cut’,
‘withdraw’ and ‘flyback’ phases is the minimum distance that can be set between Fastwire cuts. Each phase can be
configured for speed – the cutting speed depends on the density of the foam, the ‘withdraw’ can be a lot faster and
the ‘flyback’ (which is in free air) can be faster still. The Profiler software uses all these parameters to calculate the
minimum cut distance.
If the Fastwire cuts need to be closer than the minimum the machine can be run in ‘component mode’. In
‘component mode’ the block is fully loaded onto the main conveyor and the Fastwire carriage positions itself at the
end of the block. The block can then be cut whilst it is static. After cutting the block is exited through the hotwires
for horizontal and vertical slicing. All of this is fully automatic the operator only needing to put blocks on the entry
conveyor and remove the finished product from the exit conveyor.

In Machine Specifications (F3) set the machine type (Machine tab) to ‘Compuline’ and save the change.
On the Main Menu/Machine select ‘Compuline’ or click on F11:
Set the ‘line mode’ to continuous (Compuline mode) in the line mode panel.
Material Panel:
This displays the parts of the Material Specification that are relevant to the Compuline. The ‘cut’, ‘withdraw’ and
‘flyback’ speeds have been mentioned in the previous paragraph. When the wire reaches the bottom of its cut it will
be slightly bowed in the centre due to the cutting process, setting a pause will allow it to straighten and give a flat
cut parallel to the conveyor. Cut width is, as for Cut One, etc. the width of the Fastwire cut. Finally, ‘line speed’ is the
speed that the main conveyor runs at continuously – the hotwire cutting speed!
Try changing any of these values and note that the minimum slab size changes.
Slabs Panel:
Slabs: Set the required spacing of the Fastwire cuts. The minimum spacing is shown beneath the slab table and is
calculated dynamically as other values are changed. As the slabs are defined a diagrammatic image of the block is
updated.
Block Length: The length of the foam block being cut.
Front Offcut: The Compuline detects the front edge of the block and trims it by the amount specified.
Bottom Offcut: The height above the conveyor to stop the downward cut of the Fastwire.
Blocks to Cut: The Fastwire is designed for continuous processing of multiple blocks. Specify the number of identical
blocks here.
Line Mode: Either ‘Continuous’ in which case the main conveyor runs continuously at the preset line speed or
‘component’ where the block is loaded onto the main conveyor and cut whilst stationary.

Wire Height: When running connected to the Compuline machine this displays the current height of the Fastwire
above the conveyor. In DEMO mode this value can be changed.
Try changing this value and see that the minimum slab size increases as the wire height does (there is a longer cut to
make which takes more time).
Automation Panel:
The individual components of the Compuline can be selected to run, or not. The hotwire components (Compuset and
vertical hotwire) cannot be run if the exit conveyor is not running.
Control Panel:
Send: Transmits the job to the Compuline machine.
Stop: Stops the Compuline.
Exit: Leaves this screen – without stopping the Compuline.
Project Panel:
The values set on this screen can be saved to file for later use.
Change the operating mode to ‘Component’. Note that the only change is that the minimum spacing stays fixed at
50mm.
Exit the Compuline screen.
Select ‘Cut Nest’. Note that the Automation panel is displayed and there are an additional two selections available –
Horizontal Hotwire and Vertical Hotwire.
Click on ‘Select’ to enable the automation features:
‘Exit Speed’ is the speed to run the conveyor when the processed blocks exit the main conveyor. This is the speed at
which the block passes through the hotwires if they are enabled. ‘Exit Speed’ is only enabled when ‘Unload’ is
selected.
‘Horizontal Hotwire’ is the Compuset. ‘Horizontal Hotwire’ is only enabled if the Compuset is NOT attached to the
Fastwire carriage. The profiling can be done using the Compuset if required.
‘Vertical Hotwire’ is only enabled if ‘Unload’ is selected.
The block is loaded onto the main conveyor at the ‘Positioning Speed’ set in the Machine Specifications which is
typically 10 times faster than the hotwire cutting speed. When the block is set to unload it does also does so at
‘Positioning Speed’. As the block approaches the hotwires it slows to the hotwire cutting speed – if hotwire cutting is
selected – which it maintains until the tail end of the block has exited the vertical hotwires.
Set the machine type back to Fastwire or Oscillating Blade in Machine Specifications.

Lesson 29: Costings

From the Main Menu select File/Specifications/Work (or F8 on the keyboard) to open the ‘Work Specifications’
screen. This contains information for costing the job. The information is saved with the drawing.
Material
Material: Select required material type.
Reset: Resets material values to default settings.
Speed/acceleration : The cutting speed and acceleration.
Cut Link Lines Faster: Link lines are lines between nested shapes automatically inserted by the computer. Normally
these are cut at the same speed as the rest of the job, however, by selecting the ‘cut link lines faster’ check box they
will be cut at the faster speed as set in the Material Specifications section.
Block
Block Height/Length: Values are automatically set to those values entered from the cut screens.
Block Width: Dimension across the width of the machine, along the wire/blade.
Horizontal/Vertical: How the block is to be cut e.g. horizontally or vertically. (Dual machines only).
Costing
Foam Cost: Foam cost of the material being used on this job.
Units per Width: Number of pieces to be cut from the width of the block.
Value of Off-cuts: Estimation of the usefulness of the off-cuts as a percentage of full value.
Design & Handling Time: Design time and handling per block.
Labour Rate: Cost of labour.
Extras: Packaging, delivery etc.
Number of Wires: the number of parallel cutting wires (multi-wire machine).

Results
Results are automatically calculated.
Total Units: Number of components from entered block size.
Bottom & Right Offcuts: Amount of block left over.
Total Foam Cost: Includes the loss of value on the off-cuts.
Cut Time: Estimate based on the speed and size of the shape.
Unit Volume/Yield: Only guides, and can be in error if the shape uses complicated link lines.
Total Cost: Total cost of components produced.
Unit Cost: Cost per component.
Formulae Used in the Costing Calculations
Total Number of Units Number of shapes x Units per Width x Number of wire/blade
Foam Not Used Volume of bottom and right off-cuts x Number of wire/blade
Foam Used (Volume of block x Number of wire/blade) – Foam Not Used
Total Foam Cost Foam cost x foam used + foam not used x 1 – value of off-cuts
Labour Cost Design + Handling + Cutting Time x Labour rate
Total Cost Total Foam Cost + Labour Cost + Extra Cost
Unit Cost Total Nest Cost / Total Number of Units
Selling
Margin: Markup price for the project.
Total: Total selling price for the entire block.
Unit: Total selling price for a single unit from the block.
Buttons
Calculate: calculate results and display in the ‘Results Fields’.
Exit: Return to the Active Drawing Board.
Open the Lion2.wdf (File/Open) previously saved on the desktop.

Open ‘Work Specifications’ (File/Specifications/Work or F8).
Select the ‘Tutorial Material’ and note that the foam cost is automatically loaded too ($500/cu m).
Set the block to 1000(H), 1000(W) and 1500(L).
Set the ‘units per width’ to 100 – the block is 1000mm wide and is to be sliced to give ‘finished’ lions 10mm thick.
Set ‘value of offcuts’ to 20% - they may be usable elsewhere.
Set ‘design time’ to 30 minutes – the time to draw the lion and set up the nesting.
Set ‘handling time’ to 20 minutes – 5 minutes to load the block and 15 minutes to take off the finished product
(there are a lot of lions!).
Set ‘labour rate’ to $50/hour.
Set ‘extras’ to $50 – these could be from anywhere.
Set a 50% sales margin.

Click on ‘Calculate’.
The Profiler calculates that the total selling price for the block is $1325.38 and it produces 4800 ‘lions’ in 78 minutes
and they should be sold at $0.28 each.
The calculations should be taken as indication only.

Exit ‘Work Specifications’.
Save the drawing. The values set in Work Specifications are saved with the drawing.
Lesson 30: Reports

Open the Lion2.wdf (File/Open) previously saved on the desktop (make sure that the Work Specifications have been
saved as detailed in the previous lesson).
Open ‘Reports’ (File/Reports).
In the dialog navigate to the directory with the reports (normally: c:/program files/wintech profiler/reports):
The following reports are available as standard in Profiler:

 Drawing only (portrait and landscape).  Drawing and Layout.
 Layout only (portrait and landscape).  Drawing and Nest.
 Nest only (portrait and landscape).  Costings
The reports are standard HTML files and can be edited as required. New reports can be written containing any of the
information that is listed in Appendix D.

Select the ‘Drawing and Layout (portrait)’ report.

Click on ‘Browser’ to bring the report up in the browser.
The report can also be output to a printer if required.

Exit reports.
Open ‘Last Job Statistics’ (File/Last Job Statistics):
Reports are based on the drawing and estimates made from the drawing. The ‘last job statistics’ displays a record of
the actual job itself – the average speed, the actual cutting time, etc.
Exit the ‘last job statistics’.

Lesson 31: Diagnostics

Handset:
Display the handset by clicking on the ‘Handset’ icon on the Machine Control Panel:
This ‘soft’ handset can be used to control the machine just as the wireless handset controls it. In addition it displays
simple fault and diagnostic information such as the actual source of a prestart or run fault.
Machine Events:
From the Main Menu select Machine/Machine Events (or F4 on the keyboard).
All the digital events (push buttons pressed, limit switches operated, block sensed, etc.) on the machine and control
panel are monitored and recorded in Machine Events. The last 500 events are viewable.
This is a quick way of checking the correct operation of the machine. The sequence of events is usually significant
when diagnosing problems – for example ‘the machine stopped’ check that a limit operated or the emergency stop
was tripped.
The events are colour coded for easier translation:
 Blue = information only. For example the start button was pressed.
 Red = a fault condition. For example a limit switch was operated.
 Green = a cleared fault condition. For example the emergency stop circuit was reset.
With serious problems the Machine Events can be saved to file (a spread sheet) and sent to Wintech for examination.
IO:
From the Main Menu select Machine/IO:
The IO screen monitors live the digital inputs and outputs of the machine. The Profiler displays the status of the
inputs and outputs AND the status of the input and output channels. Each IO board in the panel has 3 channels on it
– 2 off 8 way input and 1 off 8 way output. If the channel is not present or not operating it displays with a red border.
The loss of the channel is also displayed on the Machine Control Panel at the bottom right of the Main Screen:
In the above example IO board 3 is not present or is faulty.

Hovering the mouse pointer over any of the IO will give a brief description of its function for the machine.
The IO screen allows monitoring of the IO without the need to open the control panel. It also allows remote
monitoring of the IO by a Wintech technician who can log in to the machine for problem solving.

Diagnostics:
From the Main Menu select Machine/Diagnostics:
The diagnostics show a ‘flow chart’ of the events required before a particular operation can occur.
Some machines have optional features which if not fitted are shown in the flow chart as empty ‘LEDs’. If the event is
healthy then the LED is displayed ‘lit’, if it’s preventing operation then it’s ‘unlit’.
In the above example the machine is not fitted with the Fastwire option so that branch has empty LEDs. There is a
Prestart Fault preventing starting the hotwire – probably because the Hotwire Circuit Breaker is tripped.
The Diagnostics screen allows monitoring of the machine operation (or what is preventing it) without the need to
open the control panel. It also allows remote monitoring of the machine operation by a Wintech technician who can
log in to the machine for problem solving.

Lesson 32: Progress Screen

The progress screen shows:
 The drawing that is being sent to the machine.
 The progress of the points in the drawing being sent to the machine.
 The progress of the machine through the drawing.
 Other diagnostic information.
Open ‘Lion.wdf’ from the ‘Sample Drawing’ folder:
Click on the ‘Show Progress’ button on the Machine Control Panel.
From the Cut One Screen click on ‘Cut’ in the Control Panel:

Start the machine by pressing ‘GO’ on the handset:
The progress of the cut can be followed on the screen.

The magenta cross shows where the blade/wire is in real time.
As each line is completed it is coloured red on the screen.
This screen can be used for diagnosing some problems that can occur:
 The Indexer can only cut points that have been sent to it. If the yellow line stops before the end of the black
line then so will the cut.
 If the magenta cross (current blade/wire position) ‘catches up’ with the blue cross (point being sent) then
the cutting will proceed forward in jerks as each point is received.
 If the speed is zero then the cutting has stopped for some reason. This could be normal, for example a ‘stop
and twist’ on a corner or it could indicate a problem.
Click on ‘Exit’ to leave the Progress Screen.
Click on ‘Exit’ in the Cut One Control Panel.

Lesson 33: Technician Mode

Technician mode allows more in depth analysis of what is occurring in the control system. It is principally intended
for Wintech technicians when logged in remotely to the machine.
In Preferences check ‘Technician’ – this selection will automatically clear when the Profiler is exited:
Serial Comms Monitor:

From the Main Menu select Machine/Serial Comms Monitor:
The Profiler connects to the Machine via an RS232 serial cable. The commands run continuously to set up the
Indexer card on the machine for cutting, to ask for and receive the machine status (for example the IO status to use
in the Diagnostics) and to send movement commands. This screen allows the commands to be monitored. The
communication is controlled by the Profiler and to every command sent there MUST be a response, if there is no
response the Profiler resends the command. Lack of response for about 1 second is detected as a fault (Indexer Not
Found).

Status:
From the Main Menu select Machine/Status:
The Status screen breaks down the continuously communicated data from the Machine into easily understood (by
Wintech technicians) information.
Settings:
From the Main Menu select Machine/Settings:
The Settings screen displays the setting information read back from the machine. Again, this is for aiding Wintech
technicians’ diagnostics.
Progress Screen:
Display the Progress Screen by clicking on the ‘Show Progress’ icon on the Machine Control Panel:
In Technician Mode an additional panel is displayed showing the actual speeds achieved during cutting of the object.
This information can be used in conjunction with the actual drawing to find problems. The values can be saved (as a
spread sheet) which can be sent, with the drawing, to Wintech for analysis.

Appendix A – Shortcut Keys

Main Menu Command Key
File New Ctrl N
Open Ctrl O
Save Ctrl S
Work specifications F8
Material specifications F9
Machine specifications F3
Edit Undo Ctrl Z
Redo Ctrl Y
Cut drawing to store Ctrl X
Copy drawing to store Ctrl C
Paste store on End Ctrl E
Paste store Ctrl V
Insert store Ctrl l
Insert Point Ctrl W
Add Point Ctrl Q
Move selection by snap amount Arrow keys
Refresh Space
Rotate selection clockwise \
Rotate anti-clockwise /
View Link Points Ctrl L
Show Units Ctrl U
Measure Ctrl M
Selected Select All Ctrl A
Machine Cut One F5
Cut Nest F6
Cut Sheets F7
Compuset F10
Compuline F11
Machine Events F4
Special Paste from Clipboard Ctrl P
Mouse Zoom in/zoom out Wheel

Pan Press wheel
Options/Cancel Right Click

Appendix B - Wintech Download Site

1. Logon to the Wintech download site http://remote.wintechengineering.com.au/wintechdl.
2. If you haven’t used this site before you will need to ‘Register New Account’
3. After the details have been entered click the ‘Register New Account’ button
Note: Avoid using spaces in you username.

4. If approved, an email with your account details will be sent to your registered email address.
These details include a randomly generated password which can be used to log on to the
download site in future visits.
It is advised to change your password to something you can easily remember using the
‘Change Password’ utility available on the download site.
5. Once you have received approval use your account details to logon to the download site for the
first time

6. Then go to the download site itself:
7. If you forget your password click on the ‘Forgotten Your Password?’ button on the logon screen.
8. Click on the ‘Send Me My Password’ button and a new password will be sent to your registered
email address.

9. Download the latest version of the Wintech Profiler to your desktop by clicking on the ‘Download’
button of the available selections.
Your system will need a suitable zip file handler, such as WinZip, to be able to use these files.
Zip file support is built into Microsoft Windows.

Appendix C - Updating Wintech Software/Firmware

Profiler
Updates are carried out to help fix problems or add new features to the Profiler software or the Indexer firmware.
You must have administrator rights to update the Wintech Profiler. See your system administrator
Before updating your Wintech Profiler software, make a note of the current Profiler version that you are running.
From the main menu select Help / About.
Back up the machine parameters from the main menu select File/Specifications/Backup. By default these parameters
are saved as Wintech.ini in the Wintech Profiler directory.
Remove the current version of the Wintech Profiler using Windows add/remove programs from the Windows
Control Panel. (Start/Control Panel/Uninstall a Program).
NOTE: uninstalling the Profiler does not lose the machine parameters, which are held in the system registry, nor
does it delete the saved parameters file (Wintech.ini).
Double click on the installer (install.exe) for the new Wintech Profiler in the zip file downloaded from
http://mail.wintecheng.com.au/wintechdl and saved to your desktop.
Follow the instructions in the installer; agree to the terms and conditions; use the default settings – unless advised
otherwise by your system administrator or Wintech Engineering.

The installer will put an icon on your desktop, an application in your start menu and a sub-menu into your ‘Start / All
Programs’ menu called ‘Wintech Profiler’. Use any to start the program:
Desktop: Start Menu: All Programs:

Profiler Registration
Start the Profiler:
Enter registration details of the machine into the licence agreement. This screen only appears the first time Profiler
is run.
Click on ‘Accept’ and Profiler starts.

Indexer
Whenever the Profiler software is updated the Indexer firmware must also be updated if the Profiler is to control the
Profiling machine. The new firmware is automatically downloaded with the Profiler and saved in the Wintech Profiler
directory – normally c:/Program Files/Wintech Profiler/Indexer.
After the new version of Profiler has been installed start it – as described above. Open file/specifications/machine
and navigate to the Firmware tab:
If ‘Update Available’ is being displayed then the Indexer Firmware MUST be updated and the machine cannot be run
without doing so.
Click the ‘Update’ pushbutton and you will see the Indexer Maintenance screen:
Press ‘Load New Version’ and navigate to the folder holding the update files (default location is C:\Program
Files\Wintech Profiler\Indexer’)

The Indexer firmware comprises five files. Each is represented by a small LED.
 Bootstrap 5407.run
 Bootloader 5407.run
 Indexer 5407.run
 PLC.S19
 XIndexer 5407.run
ATTENTION: If only 4 lights appear DO NOT PROCEED
When the correct folder is selected it begins to install the firmware. As it loads the code the light illuminates yellow.
When successful it turns green. If the LED’s do not illuminate – or are not green – then there has been a problem.
Once the Indexer has been updated all five LED’s should be on and the new version of the Indexer is shown.
Click on ‘Exit’ to restart the Indexer.
NOTE: the firmware version has now changed and ‘Update Available’ has now gone.

Appendix D – Report Fields

The reports are all standard HTML files that can be customized as required. The fields that can be embedded in the
reports are:
Tag Alternate Tag Description
[win01] [winCompany Company name (registered to)
[win02] [winUnits] Units of measure (mm, inches)
[win03] [winSpeedUnits] Units of speed (mm/sec, inches/min)
[win04] [winDate] Current date
[win05] [winHeight] Maximum height of drawn shape (measure Units)
[win06] [winWidth] Maximum width of drawn shape (measure Units)
[win07] [winPoints] Number of points in the drawing
[win08] [winSpeed] Set cut speed (speed units)
[win09] [winCutTime] Estimated cut time (min)
[win10] [winKerfSide] ‘Left’, ‘No Kerf’ or ‘Right’
[win11] [winNotes] Contents of the comment block
[win12] [winBlockHeight] Block Height (measure Units)
[win13] [winBlockLength] Block Length (measure Units)
[win14] [winBlockWidth] Block Width (measure Units)
[win15] [winNestRows] Number of rows in the nested shapes
[win16] [winNestCols1] Number of columns in the nested shape
[win17] [winNestCols2] Number of columns in the nested shape
[win18] [winNestShapes] Number of shapes in the nest
[win19] [winNestYield1] Yield of the nested drawing – including off-cuts (%)
[win20] [winNestYield2] Yield of the nested drawing – excluding off-cuts (%)
[win21] [winNestBotWaste] Bottom waste (measure Units)
[win22] [winNestRightWaste] Right hand waste (measure Units)
[win23] [winCostUnitsPerShape] Number of units in a shape
[win24] [winTotalCutTime] Estimated total cut time (min)
[win25] [winCostTotalUnits] Total number of units
[win26] [winCostValueOffcuts] Entered value of the off-cuts (%)
[win27] [winCostFoamRate] Entered foam cost
[win28] [winCostLabourRate] Entered labour rate
[win29] [winCostCutTime] Cutting time (min)
[win30] [winCostDesignTime] Design time (min)
[win31] [winCostHandlingTime] Handling time (min)
[win32] [winCostFoamUsed] Cost of used foam
[win33] [winCostExtras] Cost of extras
[win34] [winCostTotal] Total cost
[win35] [winCostUnit] Unit cost
[win36] [winImageShape] Name of shape image file (jpg file)
[win37] [winImageNest] Name of nest image file (jpg file)
[win38] [winImageLayout] Name of layout image file (jpg file)
[win39] [winOperator] Name of operator
[win40] [winMaterial] Name of material
[win41] [winVolumeUnits] Units of volume from preferences
[win42] [winCostUnitVolume] Units used for costing foam
[win43] [winScale] Scale of the drawing
[win44] [winMargin] Sales margin

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Wintech Profiler Version 8 Tutorial

Software Installation ......................................................................................... 5

2 Revision 10 December 2016 Edition

Lesson 16: Special - Shapes ......................................................................................................................................... 41

Taper Cut Panel: ...................................................................................................................................................... 67

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 Follow the on screen instructions.

 Double click on the file to open the zip.

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The Main Screen

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Set Machine Specifications to:

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NOTE: the intermediate lines and points are coloured black.

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NOTE: the end point is now coloured red.

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Place about 15 points on the drawing board.

Note that the entire unit is selected.

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Select the new unit and unmake it (Transform/Unmake Unit).

Try to make the selection into a new unit:

Lesson 3: Deleting Points. Undo and Redo

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Click on the ‘delete’ button on the Tool Bar:

Click the delete cursor on one of the points in the drawing:

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Lesson 4: Drawing Practice

 Fit – Fit the drawing to the Drawing Board.

Select the ‘Radius’ tool from the Tool Bar:

At the dialog box enter 70mm.

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Note that the Status Bar has new fields on it:

Rows: number of rows nested in the block.

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Two new buttons have appeared on the Tool Bar:

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Lesson 6: Using the Stores

Clear the Drawing Board.

Store from File

Store Paste Points Off Select None

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Store from Drawing

Click on ‘Store 2’ to make it the Active Store.

Store from Profiler

Select the ‘Circle’ tab and leave all values at default.

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Double click on ‘store 1’ or right click on it and ‘Open

In addition there are the ‘Trace’ functions:

Click on the ‘Forward’ trace:

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Lesson 7: Importing Drawings

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Right click on the import drawing and select ‘Remove Text’:

Lesson 8: Link Points

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Select View/Link Points (ctrl-L) from the Main Menu:

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