A method for aligning a cutting trajectory of a flat element with respect to a graphic pattern present on the flat element, includes positioning the flat element to be cut on a support table, projecting onto the flat element the image of a reference figure uniquely associated with coordinates of the cutting trajectory and/or of the graphic pattern, framing, by a camera, a portion of the flat element where at least one part of the graphic pattern and of the image of the reference figure are present, displaying on a monitor the image framed by the camera and a virtual image of the graphic pattern defined by coordinates of the graphic pattern, and moving the image of the reference figure or the virtual image of the graphic pattern until a portion of the virtual image of the graphic pattern coincides with the corresponding real image of the graphic pattern.

A cutting data generator includes a control device configured to obtain provisional hole arrangement data usable to arrange a plurality of provisional holes and to obtain an intercentral distance between two of the provisional holes. The provisional holes are adjacent to each other. The control device is also configured to connect the provisional holes with an auxiliary hole and to determine that the provisional holes and the auxiliary hole are contained in a group, thereby extracting an outermost outline of the group of the provisional holes arranged, when the intercentral distance between the provisional holes is not less than a sum of radii of the provisional holes and not more than a predetermined value. The control device is further configured to generate cutting data usable to cut the sheet along the outline extracted. The auxiliary hole having a smaller diameter than the provisional holes.

A display device includes: a cutting point information acquisition unit acquiring cutting point information indicating a position of a cutting point at which a tool attached to a machine tool cuts a workpiece, the cutting point corresponding to each of a plurality of tip points included in a tool trajectory that is information indicating a movement path of the tip point of the tool; a feature acquisition unit acquiring a feature indicating a characteristic of machining, the feature being calculated corresponding to each of the tip points based on operational information that is information indicating an operational status of the machine tool, the tool trajectory, and the cutting point information; and a display unit displaying each of a plurality of the cutting points using an expression method indicating the feature corresponding to the cutting point based on the cutting point information and the feature.

A laser plotter and method for operating a laser plotter for cutting, engraving, marking and/or lettering a workpiece are disclosed. When an irradiation source is activated, a laser beam is directed via deflection elements to a focusing unit. A control unit performs the control on the basis of set parameters and/or a loaded job. The data, in particular job, are received via a computer unit, and a calculation of the path planning is performed offline by the computer unit or externally by a cloud solution or component. The path planning and other data are transferred to a PLC controller or soft PLC, from which at the sampling times, the individual target data, in particular the path planning and other data, such as the speed, are then sent step by step via an industrial bus to at least the modules for axle control and laser control.