Hot wire foam cutters

I‘ve always liked building RC model airplanes. Many designs are available for free online, and from those, I’ve always wanted to build bigger models made from XPS foam. We discussed using our 3018 machines to mill blocks of foam, but if all we need to do is cut complex shapes without the mess that comes from the spindle, the way to do this is with a hot wire cutter. This is nothing more than a length of wire between two contacts that has sufficient current flowing through it to warm the wire. The heat from the wire melts the foam as you cut through it and allows you to shape it, with almost no mess at all. I have a hand cutter that operates as a wand, but I’ve always wanted to build something with automation. Here’s what my handheld unit looks like. You can also make a handheld cutter using basic materials and a suitable power supply. Just look for instructions on the internet; there are many articles out there.

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