Import and Export > Tekla EPM (PowerFab) Integration

Added September 2026 (#21759). Off by default; switch it on with Scope plates to Tekla EPM job numbers on the Datastore Settings tab of the Tekla EPM settings, see Tekla EPM Datastore Settings.

What it does

In Tekla EPM (PowerFab) stock can be reserved to a job. PowerFab reports that reservation as the Job of the inventory item, and a plate that has been partly used by several jobs can carry more than one job, separated by commas.

With job scoping on, PrimeCut NE follows those reservations:

•A part from a Tekla job may only be nested on a plate reserved to that job, or on a plate reserved to no job at all.

•A part with no Tekla job - a coupon, or work that did not come from Tekla EPM - may be nested on any plate.

•PrimeCut NE only holds plates for jobs it knows. A job is known while PrimeCut NE has an open workorder for it, has a plate nested for it, or has received a nest request for it in the current session.

Where you will see it

Where	Behaviour with job scoping on
Nest request from PowerFab	The plates PowerFab offers are opened as usual, then PowerFab's inventory is read so each plate carries the job it is reserved to. Template plates (quantity any) belong to the request and carry every job in it. Parts are only auto-nested on plates their job may use.
Nesting by hand	Dropping a part on a plate reserved to another job is refused, with the reason shown at the cursor: Plate is reserved to Tekla job 5791-06, part is for job Test-002. This applies everywhere a part can be placed, including the nest explorer and the quote explorer.
Plate search	The workspace plate search shows only unreserved plates and plates reserved to a job of the parts in the workspace. The title reads for Tekla job .... If the workspace holds a part with no Tekla job, no filter is applied, because that part may use any plate.
Get Inventory - Import	An inventory item reserved to a job PrimeCut NE has no work for is skipped, and the summary says which job it is reserved to. An item reserved to several jobs is imported only when every one of them is known.
Sync with PowerFab	Every plate PrimeCut NE holds for a PowerFab item or remnant takes the job PowerFab now reports, so a reservation made or cleared in PowerFab reaches PrimeCut NE. A plate that has become reserved to an unknown job is removed while it is still empty; if it has parts nested on it, it stays and simply refuses parts of other jobs. Plates open in another PrimeCut NE session are left alone and named in the message.

Remnants

A remnant cut from a reserved plate starts out reserved to the same job. Once PowerFab lists the remnant in its inventory, a Sync with PowerFab gives the remnant whatever job PowerFab holds for it, which may be a different job or none. See Remnants with Tekla EPM.

When nothing nests

If a nest request auto-nests nothing, the warnings name job scoping as the likely cause. Check the job shown against each plate in the workspace list, see PowerFab Menu and Inventory. Either the plates PowerFab offered are reserved to another job, or the job has not yet been reserved any plate.