What is a hotwire cutter?
A hot wire cutter is a tool used to cut polystyrene foam. The device consists of a thin, taut metal wire, often made of nichrome alloy, which is heated via electrical resistance to approximately 200°C.
How does a foam cutter work?
A hot wire foam cutter consists of a table and an arm structure which holds a wire in tension. The wire heats up when electricity is run through it, allow it to cut through foam by melting its way through.
How do you cut styrofoam without a hot wire?
Use a blade for straight cuts. Bladed implements like knives, box cutters, precision blades (like X-acto knives) or hacksaws are great for cutting through styrofoam, especially if you don’t need to make any curved cuts. For a smoother cut, run the blade along an old candle before cutting your styrofoam.
What materials can be cut in hot wire?
A Hot Wire Foam Cutter is a electrical tool used to cut polystyrene (EPS, XPS) foams and similar materials. The device consists of a thin, taut cutting wire, often made of NiChrome, Titanium, Stainless steel, or a thicker wire preformed into a desired shape, which is heated via electrical resistance to appr.
Where does the hot wire go on a foam table top?
The hot wire goes from the c-clamp on the overhanging arm, straight down through a hole in the table to a screw on the underside. My friends liked to cut yellow, brown, and other foam with it, but that’s crazy.
What do you use the hot wire for?
Good for cutting pink foam and blue foam. The hot wire goes from the c-clamp on the overhanging arm, straight down through a hole in the table to a screw on the underside. My friends liked to cut yellow, brown, and other foam with it, but that’s crazy.
What kind of wire is used for a cutting wire?
The cutting wire is a piece of tungsten unravelled from inside a toaster or a stainless strand unravelled from a yacht cable. A non-stainless steel wire such as from inside a tire works fine also, but doesn’t last as long.
What can you do with a one-cut cutter?
These are really basic one-cut shapes. You can of course bevel edges, etc, with a second pass. Some people set up their cutters in sort of a bandsaw configuration, so that small pieces can be manipulated against a table for precise cutting. Those are generally not useful for cutting wings or slicing chunks off larger pieces.