How to make a Hot Wire Cutter for foam or polystyrene- styro slicer - cosplay, lost foam casting etc
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ย. 2024
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Here a video on how I made a Hot Wire Foam Cutter. Explains the process. Im using a 24Volt ac transformer to power the cutter.
If you have any questions about this project please put them in the comments below.
If you enjoyed this video please Like and share with your friends :)
www.swallowforge.co.uk
theswallowforge
Thanks for not imposing some weird kind of loud music. It's fun just to hear the silence and the tools. Cool build, I hope to make my own soon.
+Dave Sykes thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it :)
Positively fantastic! I adore your way of working and showing your odds job, no music, no comment. All things seems so simple and you made us want to do like you!
Nice!
Thank you. That's very kind of you to say so. :)
It is so pleasant to see you using the right tools, and you are so good at it !
So many make noisy, sloppy tutorials...
Thanks to you, This is brilliant !
+Modepourlol
Thank you for your kind comment. I am glad you enjoyed the video. I have also posted a video on a hand held foam cutter that you may like, link in the description notes. All the best. SF
I'll check it out also then.. :)
Excellent DIY project, Crisp video, you have a great knack of visual narration, without voice. Thanks for sharing the details of the build.
I have to cut some 4 inch thick 30h high density foam strips about 4 inch wide of a 2ft x 2ft squ section to glue onto the other square peices as the new ones are just a bit small so building this cutter will help in doing the job instead of buying one for a one of job. The foam cost me an arm and a leg as I'm doing my 2 x 2 seater sofa's as the foam cushions you sit on is way too soft as you sink into it.
Many thanks for the idea
Your workshop is fully kitted out. And your workmanship is great. I sat & watched the whole thing. Impressed
Thank you. SF.
I found the presentation very informative and very clear. Yes, you use some advanced cutting and drilling equipment but that only makes the video time efficient and doesn't preclude the use of hand-tools. I am quite impressed with the end result.
Great quality video! It's not about the woodworking tools, it's the great idea and simplicity of design. Keep it up! I would suggest nichrome resistance wire if one can find it. Wouldn't require the resistors. Nice cutter any way you slice it.
Very nicely demonstrated. Clear, concise and to the point. Don't be dissuaded by the negative comments. Let them figure something else out on their own. Regardless of how hard you try, some loser is always going to find a way to run down another man's efforts. Keep up the good work!!
Thank you, that very kind of you to say so. :)
I liked this video, this is the type of DIY video i prefer, no talking just building, and if there are any complicated bits then let text speak for its self.
This was mesmerizing to watch and excellently filmed. Thank you for sharing your gifts and knowledge to the world!
+arcanica
What a lovely thing to say, thank you.
Great Video and awesome setup! I only found one issue with this, and I am only trying to help you and others out. When you added the resisters it did not do anything but waste electricity. While you added more resistance to the circuit it was added in the wrong place. The point of the resistance is being in the wire it is what heats the wire up. If you add resistance in another section it will heat up that part aka the added resistors. So they serve no point in the build besides wasting power. Besides that great video!
Glad I'm not the only one who noticed it...
This video is why I LOVE, TH-cam. Nicely done
Luke.
Thank you for your kind comment. Much appreciated:)
I really enjoyed your video! I am the kind of person who likes to build a tool or something for a purpose I have & see it work the way it was intended, instead of shelling out hard earned $. I have a need for one of these & yours fits that need thanks & thumbs up & I subscribed
Thank you.
This was a great video as I needed the wire amp details
Thanx for this cool DIY video! I have some quaestions. You want to use 100W power to cut. And you use serial connection with 3 resistor and an other resistor as a steel wire. Thats a voltage divider. Steel wire become 24V*(1,5 Ohm/6 Ohm) =24*(0,25)=6V. This Wire also have only 6V. This 6V with 4,1A current make cca. 25W to heat. Also the other 75W is to loose on the 3 sistors. Have i may a mistake, or thats is good theory with this 25W heating. (Sorry for my English. I only learned with datasheet readings.) I wait for answers.Thx
That’s exactly right. The power supply does indeed provide around 100 watts of power, but most of that is warming the 3 resistors under the platform. However, it appears that 24 watts is enough to cut the styrofoam (power through wire I squared x R, 4 A squared=16 x 1,5 ohms=24 watts).
@@philipbowman6415 Thx for your answer Philip Bowman . My project is immediately done. I prepared out a resistor wire out of a bad hair dryer with 5 Ohm resistant/m. I had hav'nt other used resistors too. It works fine, but the heat can be faster the resistor wire to burnout. Thank for your fine answer ;). And good day for you!
I am basing my cutter on your design. Mine is pretty close but a few differences. Thanks for the video!!
I concentrated on the video the whole 10 minutes. good video. thanks
+gilbert ochoa
Im glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for the kind comment :)
Thanks for the video and the electrical specs. I've thought about making one for awhile because saws and knives make such a mess. Now I have the info I need thanks again.
Superb woodworking. The electrical principles though… well…
When I make one I’ll use this MDF plan, it’s superb. But I’ll constantan wire for higher resistance and a smaller, cheaper power supply. I won’t rely on a cold resistance measurement. Instead I’ll measure current and voltage when operating and calculate resistance. What you have there is something like a 12W wire cutter with a 40W heater underneath.
There is an additional variable power supply video on the channel. You are quite right about the heat dump, and but the idea was to make it super simple requiring no electronics. Check out the power supply video using a simple pwm to give better temperature control using nichrome wire.
Great idea. I should point out that the actual power at the heating/cutting wire is about 24W, the rest being dissipated by the 3 resistors. Would it not be better to power this from the 5volt output of a cheap computer power supply? These can provide about 20 Amps @ 5v or even 30Amps at 3v
How could anyone not like your video? Well done!
+glidercoach
Thank you :)
Very nice and informative. I am retired and will give me a chance to create some nice projects. Thank you.
You could use kanthal A1 for wire. Its durable and I use it for vaping. I just finished my small foam cutter and used kanthal A1 0.35mm/27AWG 14,95ohm per meter. You might not need those resistors anymore. My foam cutter's total resistance is 1,85ohm and I used one of my batteries for vaping- sony 18650 Li-ion 3.7V 35A. It goes to 2.2~2.4A.
+SmokeArrow Yes I think so. Someone on YT did a similar thing. I vape myself and have all the parts. Hmm.
Sir please call me this num 9888476084
Here are some useable specifications using nichrome wire and a 12 volt car battery. To get 36 watts of power, use exactly 18 inches of 26 gauge type 80 nichrome wire. If it isn't hot enough, shortening the wire to 15 inches will give you 43 watts. Shortening it to 12 inches will give you 54 watts. If you find 36 watts is too hot, lengthening the wire to 21 inches will give you 31 watts, a little down from the 36 watts.
You might want to experiment with the length before you make the final size of the frame length spacing. If you have made the frame too big (meaning you need the wire to be shorter), just add 16 gauge copper wire to make up the difference. The copper won't heat up.
Don't use anything but a car battery or a good motorcycle-size 12 volt battery with good connections, using 16 gauge or larger insulated copper conductors. If you have a 12 volt power supply which will put out at least 5 amps, you can use that instead of batteries. Attach the copper conductors to each end of your nichrome wire with a secure mechanical connection. You cannot solder copper to nichrome wire (the solder may melt even if you could).
Using one of the above recipes will waste almost no power anywhere but in the nichrome wire. The highest current will be about 4 amps, for the lowest wattage about 2.6 amps. Not much for a car battery. Watch out and don't burn yourself. You are, after all, heating a wire hot enough to melt plastic pretty fast.
You should know that I have never built a styrofoam cutter. I just know how to do the math for wattages etc., so I don't really know how many watts it takes. I assumed from the video that something around 35 watts works because according to the instructions there he was using about that much. The other 70 watts or so were just heating up the resistors.
+Damian Appert Thanks for the great info, However there are certain aspects in practice that mean you need a little more power than in theory. The main one being power loss through heat dissipation. This can even be affected by the temperature of the room you are using it in, If your workshop is 10°C the cutter will need a higher wattage than if you are in a heated workshop as the wire looses heat quite rapidly. Too Hot and the polystyrene melts too much, too little and it won't cut cleanly. A simple way is to use a light dimmer on the transformer (or a basic Pulse width Modulator, although a dimmer is the easiest to source) that way you can adjust the power to the task you have in hand. all the best SF
+Swallow Forge , good comment. I think I would suggest a variable 30 volt power supply with a capability of at least 3 amps if someone is willing to go for the extra expense. Another easier way might be to stay with one of the recipes I suggested with the 12 volt battery, then just add a little extra resistance wire length for cooler operation and then use a copper shorting clip wire to short out some of the resistance wire to get a higher wattage on what remains. The resistance wire then becomes a variable resistor as more or less of it is shorted out. To be clear, the shorted part would remain cool and the rest would get hotter, so attach one end of the shorting wire to the top and the other end just part-way down the resistance wire.
This last suggestion may be a little more palatable to those on a tighter budget. I would caution folks to be careful not to accidentally short the entire resistance wire because this would produce some very dangerous heat and sparks. The shorting wire would melt in your hands!
your more then welcome, keep up with the videos they support a lot of interesting people who appreciate them as well.
Thanks a lot.... very practical device, easy to understand how to do it and with theoric to apply in my own design.
You should sell the pieces as a kit on ebay! Most of us don't have access to all the machines to cut all this out. Would make for a great shop class project thou!
Nice Job, You can buy a "Doorbell" transformer at Home Depot. I believe they come in different voltages, 16 or 24 volts.. You can run it with a regular, wall Dimmer switch, instead of using resistors.. That way, You can adjust the heat for thicker Foam.. If you're gonna use the blue foam, It's a little denser and needs a little more heat to cut too.
I'm not criticizing, just adding suggestion for the viewers that don't have any parts on hand and have to build from scratch..
All good suggestions. Thank you. :)
Thank you. No words, just actions. It really works.
Don't use a guitar string, use a piece of constantan wire. You can get constantan in a 0,2mm thickness and 16,1 ohm per meter, ½ meter = 8,05 ohm and so on.
with the constantan wire you can get the same result with ~25-50W
I saw another video where a the wire was attached to the top with a spring and hook so you can quickly disconnect the wire for "inside cuts", though I suppose thats not a problem for you.
Just seems so relaxing to do at the end.
Good, solid design. Also a very good job on the video. Well thought out project, great execution, sir.
If you use resistor, your powers on nihrom was only 24wats, because voltage on resistors 4.5 om was 18volts, however it means with 4A in circuit = 72 wats on resistor???
You have rightly pointed out.
nice video for inspiration, I may design and build one for myself
can you please elaborate the electical fittings section more simple ? since most of us are electronic juniors
Not a lot of yakety yak, yet fully explained, good job.
+Jason Argone
Thank you :)
What a great video!! Thanks for the excellent idea ( and the all your work putting it together)! I'm going to start putting one together asap!
Thank you. I am glad you found it helpful. SF
Swallow Forge WOW! I do not need this (yet) but this was pretty cool!
Men this video is so relaxing to watch.
Awesome work!
i don't want one but its brilliant to watch nice to see some innervation
Nice Video, but probably I miss something !
How is checked that the wire is at 90° from the base in both senses of cuts ?
I couldn't tell you the difference between ohms law and teslas. But I was wondering why did you pick 100 as your choice? I've always been fascinated with the way people make the indentations in my pistol boxes so smooth and the pistol sits in so perfectly. I've tried with razors and bandsaws but this looks like it would do exactly what I'm looking for. I could come in on the side and profile my weapons and glue the entrance and it'd be perfect. Thanks for sharing since you did all the electronic math, I wish I'd stayed in electronics class back in the 70s.
i love that there is no noise cutting foam, which is like nails on a blackboard to me
Great job, great video short and to the point 👍👍
it is a excellent project and low investment.
Excellent presentation ! Thanks.
I would have used a switching power supply this way you can regulate the voltage (which can be handy with thicker or thinner material cutting) awesome design tho!
Magnificent work hope I had these tools
Very cool project! Thanks for sharing! Have a great day!!!
BEAUTIFUL!!!! So great!! But I am another person that does not know electronics and all my radio shacks are gone. Can you make a shopping list of what to look for? And did you incorporate a ON/OFF switch anywhere?
Great assembly! Extremely helpful!
Thank you. There are plans available on my website should you need them.
Fantastic, nice and simple. Thank you.
Well first I need to build my own miter saw, band saw, radial sander, drill press, multimeter, and soldering iron. So if you could just upload those videos next that'd be greeeeeeat.
Cool video!
You dont need to build any of those things. You can use a hand saw and a drill and a screwdriver. I already have the tools so I use them as its quicker. if you dont have a soldering iron use connector blocks. There are always ways around any problem, just look around at what you have and find a way of doing it.
simply and elegant, bravo!
Doesn't shunt simply heats the air with no use? The string dissolves only 25 Watts of power, and 75W of designed 100 are dissolved on shunts. Seems the same efficiency for foam cutting could be reached using some 8 volts transformer.
I was using what I had. You can use whatever power supply you wish. Hope you enjoyed the video. All the best. SF
you are absolutely right. take constant resistance wire, our smaller voltage transformer.
i like it, and i know it will help me in my projects. could you please list down the materials that will be needing for this DIY styro cutter? thank you.
Complimenti ottima realizzazione
U cleared a lot of confusions for me, thnx
excellent project - well done (liked&subscribed)...............love the "bloody great trisquare" 'tis my favorite measuring device also.......................JRW
Thank you. Yes the "bloody great tri-square" is a handy tool to have round the shop. :)
try using kanthal wire. a piece that legnth wouldn't need shunts
Great video have been looking for a good video on making a hot wire cutter and yours is by far the best. Thanks.
As pointed out in other comments you waste much energy in the resistors (~70W). To avoid this and to improve the hot wire cutter you could use a mosfet (n-mosfet) which you can regulate with a potentiometer. It's not complicated and will also allow you to control the heat.
+martin richardt Needed Parts are 2*diode, Mosfet IRFZ44N, capacitor (>=35V, >=220uF), 2 resistors (4K7, 1k2) and a potentiometer (50K). The parts are not expensive and cost alltogether only a few bucks. If you interested I can provide the schematic, which I checked it with LTspice.
+martin richardt I'll appreciate if you could give me the circuit diagram with the potentiometer, because I have never worked with it. This is my mail: misionpage@gmail.com
Greetings from Spain!
+missionpage I sent you an email.
Nice work.Great vid!I'm going to build this one for making model train structures.If it helps you can buy the wire at most model train supply shops.Thanks.
You mean NyChrome wire?
Hi. I have a question. I'm using Nichrome wire 0.40mm a length of 20 cm. I use a power supply of 9 volts and 1 ampere, but noted that not hot enough to cut well. You can suggest me which is the necessary power? Thank you very much for your answer. Greetings from Argentina
+Guillermo Andrada 2.6A/5.45V
Hi, what was your source of power? Thanks btw for a great video tutorial
There is a video on my channel for a power supply. Thanks for watching
hey, in the plans for the cutter, does it say what to buy/ the total cost of all the items? i am trying to see if it is worth it for the cost of the materials and the effort to make it. Thanks so much for this great tutorial
Nice video. Thanks for sharing.
How much does it cost in money for the materials to make one?
MDF (wood/plywood or whatever) I have, so in fact it's only the wiring the power supply, the resistances and the cutting wire?
All things a very easy to make, if you just happen to have a workshop and all the correct tools to go with it.
Nothing that can't be made with a hand drill, handsaw and a chisel. Just takes a little more time and effort.
Swallow Forge That is what I mean. But if you just happen to have a workshop and with power tools to do the job, it is a great deal easier.
awsomely filmed. Very clear and beautifully done. Stille wonder what kind of feed you use?
Thank you. I shall be uploading a power supply video shortly.
Very good project! I am gonna do one by myself ;)
any chance you can show more abou the power supply for the wire?
It's more efficient if you put a temperature regulator or auto termic switch controlled by measurement of the temperature
+Ton Loef
I would have to politely disagree with you there. Because nichrome wire has a stable current to temperature ratio it is much easier to control the current.
Would this work with a power supply that outputs 4.75V and 0.55 Ampère, which would mean a resistance of 8.64 ohms. If i had the same cutting wire as yours then I would have to add a resistor of about 7 ohms. Would this work or did i forget something? Thank you in advance.
It seems a 12V transformer would have been perfect for the wire, with no need to add the extra resistances. Great job.
I built with what i had to hand, but yes 12v would have been fine. :)
Good video. Thanks for sharing. Erik
Good job. Thank u !
wish I had all the tools to make one........I'll just buy the hot wire foam factory set up..........
it's made of wood, you can use fucking hand tools to make it
very cool! Do you happen to know how to use that setup to cut a bunch of consistent perfect hexagons?
Make a jig that slides along the table. That you can adjust for size/ angles. So you can make consistant 120degree cuts. If you look at table saw jigs it will give you some idea of how to do it. If you are really struggling, contact me at facebook.com/swallowforge and I'll see what i can do to help. :)
Awesome video, thank you very much for sharing!
So are you basically shorting out? + and - together right?
This looks great, is it possible to use 9 volt batteries, so as not to get electrocuted?
ok thanks
You won't get electrocuted by 24 volts. Instead of resisters he could have used lesser power supply.
Is there any other option for wire instead of nichrome wire. copper string is suitable for this?
I would like to use your Cutter Design to cut through a block of Polyurethane foam (12" thk X 9" long cut). Could you suggest an ampere value?Gungadin
You should be the top 1 yutuber
nice video
Nice! What happens if you touch the wire with fingers? just hot or shock or both?
It's hot. At 24v you won't get a shock. But it will leave a nice burn line. But nothing life threatening. :)
i will love it to do it but whats the measuring for everything by Eye its imposible....very nice but pls can you give us the lengh thank you
Great video.
Have you ever heard of kanthal or nicrhome?
You should use those as Heating wires and the thinner you make them the more precised your cut will be and the more resistive it will be.
Then you wont need those expensive and wasteful resistors.
You will still need to regulate the power supply regardless what you use as the wire. Otherwise you will simply end up with a puddle of rapidly cooling metal.
excellent. whats the thickness of the guitar wire?
Nice video - Thanks!
Very good !!
Good Video!
What agreat video! I'm subscribing!
Yaa. its good
Very nice!
Great!!I enjoyed it!!
I am making one, but can't get the circuit to work... I was using nicrom wire stripped from a hairdryer and a 12 volts transformer, coud you please give me any direction on this? is the voltage too low? what shouild i do? I do have access to a pc power source... could it do the trick?
+amaral sanchez it may be that the power supply you are using cannot provide enough current for the length of wire you have. A bigger transformer may help.
If you can, measure the resistance across the wire. And use the power triangle to calculate how many amps you require. I found about 100watts gave enough heat to give a nice clean cut. But you may have to experiment.
you need a transformer with a good amperes