DIY Hot Wire Cutter for Plexiglass, Carboard and Foam - RCLifeOn
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- This is a homemade hot wire cutter, made mainly to slice through foam, but you can also cut plexiglass and cardboard.
I began with the frame, made from a wooden board and standing wood in a L-configuration. Brackets made from a dowel and small pieces of wood will ensures the khantal wire stays in place. The wire will remain in tension because of a spring, which is very important due to thermal expansion. A lithium polymer battery was used to make electrical current flow through the wire. Instead of using a dimmer, or another type of regulator, I made it possible for the alligator clips to slide up and down. This will make the wire longer or shorter depending on the position of the clips, causing the wire increase or decrease in temperature.
If you have any questions about this project please comment below!
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Music: Arc North - Oceanside
Used cameras:
Sony Alpha a55
Video Editing Programs:
LightWorks
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you sould have 10 000 000 subs you are awesome
i agree XD
Bilal Ansari use the guts from an LED light bulb and a potentiometer to adjust the power.....or buy a AC to DC power supply or bench power supply....anything (within reason) that converts AC to DC will work or you could breadboard up a full bridge rectifier and capacitive dropper...but if you're asking how to do it then I'm thinking you should learn WAY more before playing with AC angry pixies from the wall THAT CAN KILL YOU!
If using an old PC power adapter can go well?
RCLifeOn vCA cock
Hello Simon. I guess you will already know this by now. That you don'y have to use a spanner on the dremel. You can unscrew the collar which has a spanner inside the collar and use that to tighten the chuck up, then just screw the collar back when you have nipped it up.
look where u at now .. 2 year later and a ton more subs ! GJ man.
Very good machine
Had not considered cutting Plexi with a wire cutter. I think I will be doing some tests on vacuformed Plastic. Thanks for the suggestion.
Great build - I really like the design and the ability to use it like a band saw. You really need to use rosin when soldering though. It makes the solder flow so much smoother and better into the wire - makes a really strong connection that will never break...plus, it looks a ton better too. I am a new subscriber!
Very cool. I planned to buy a cutter for foam board airplanes. I think I'll make one like this for now.
Wow cutting plexiglass will sure be useful!
Me: (One minute into this video) Holy crap this guy is using tools I actually have! Thank you for not assuming I have a high end, fully stocked workshop.
Thanks for sharing this video and information
That was slick bud! 👏👏👏👏
Nice awesome☺☺👍👍👌👌👌👌👍👍
Nice, thanks!
Use an old computer power supply. An 500W model can draw about 30A at 12V. That should be more than enough. It has its own cooler, over current, over voltage and overheat protection, so you should be safe with this option.
Yeah and you can even get them for free or under 5 bucks.
Then you will need additional circuit to limit current
Why would anyone use such a huge power supply? The wire in a hot wire cutter draws around 1A of current at maximum usable temperature. Almost every 12v adaptor can be used.
cehic1994 the resistance of the wire itself will limit the current. No additional circuit needed.
@@imnota what is cheaper, the battery that you have laying around in your house or a five dollar power supply???
I really like the idea of cutting the cardboard like you did....I was thinking that one could make electric etching stencils out of cardboard....instead of using a cotton swab and electrolyte with current running through it to cut out different shapes/letters/numbers in metal, one could cut out a precise shape of a letter or number in cardboard and then soak it in electrolyte....i.e. salt water or baking soda water...and then just add electricity to it....and as long as the electrolyte didn't 'bleed' outside of the contact area I bet it would do some quick and precise etching work for marking tools and what not!...thanks for the idea!
Very nice
Love it! You're very cleaver.
Didn't build an over the top like this one. Neither could I find Nichrome nor Kanthal thread to buy where I live. So I simply bought a Bread roaster and took that thread.
the toaster likely has Kanthal wire in it, so it works :D
U're Perfect...
Thank you very much for watching!
You rock! Great project.
What gauge was the wire? Epic invention!
It was so awesome man you are great
great video man
Glad you liked it, have a nice day!
damn bro ! Very detailed, crafty work !
Subscribed, thanks
perfect! thank you! great video!
Awesome, thanks!
The wire is directly connected to the battery ? This does not harm the battery ?
If I stuck down sticker paper onto thick card and want to cut around a design, would the hot wire cutter cut it as well as just cutting cardboard alone?
awesome work I was looking for a way to cut acrylic
Glad I could help!
Good jobs
Nice video Ilike this
can you give the full list of
materials used to make this tool.....Your help is very much appreciated...thank you
Great! I built one last night!
+Chris Stolle Glad to hear, please share it with us!
Chris Stolle what is the type of wire you used
really good video
Excellent!
verrrryyyy nice
+Daly Rj Thanks for watching!
Nice job ,man ,i will watch all over you posts ! i'll be sharring you video to all friends ,who know is interesting in this kind of Greetings from Transylvania ! \m/
+Valentin Dacian Thank you so much!
good work ,make a dome for 5 gallon bucket
Nice...
Thanks for watching!
Great project.But I want to know about the function of the black circuit that you put on the top back of the cutter.
Hello Ayman! Don't get confused, it's really simple. The black circuit (PDB - power distrubution board) allows the current to flow through all the pads located on the circuit. This is convenient in case you ever wish to connect more LED's or even a second string. Take a look at this one: www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__23140__Hobby_King_Quadcopter_Power_Distribution_Board.html
where is that heating wire available...can we use that heater coil if straighten?
What gauge, resistance and length of kanthll wire did you use?
ayos maganada pre....
please i want to know the type of wire and the specifications of the power source needed....thanks in advance for the video
I used kanthal wire, and it requires about 8amps. You can use a 12V power supply from a computer or something like this: www.gearbest.com/led-accessories/pp_212972.html?wid=21&lkid=10369617
Cool project. Please can you tell us maximum thickness of plexiglass ?
nice video sir tq
Might as well just bought one after watching this....
hi simon i like your videos i hope you will see millions subscriber
i have a question for you
Every hot wire cutter can cut the plexiglass ?
if you are the best on this machine what's the differences your cutter
sorry for language
awesome!!!
Thank you!
thanks sir for the idea
Awsome!!! :) God bless you ... Do you also sell them .... if you do let us know :)
can it cut sunboards too?? please do ans
Can I use this to cut gopro plastic body? Thanks in advance.
I love you work shop.. it looks tidy
Hello, great video!!! Say what did u use for a power supply?????? Thanks
I used a lithium polymer battery (2200mAh 3S 20C).
Awesome, Thanks!!!!!
Awesome video man, will this cut through foamboard with the paper still on it?
It will cut cardboard, so foamboard will not be a problem. However, the paper might get burnt. Thanks for watching!
@@RcLifeOn what is the board (with all the round doors on it) you solder your wires to? Where can I get one?
Which one is better, the Kanthal or Nichrome wire? Is there a significant difference between the two or are they very similar?
+Richard Chua No difference, nichrome is more common. Thanks for watching!
Bro can i use a nichrome wire from a 80W soldering iron and adapt it with 12v 10amp then will it melt pls tell
Does it harm the battery or not
It is not bad it is the best
1:58 Wygodniej by ci było zamocować i ciąć te dwie kwadratowe listwy z drugiej strony imadła, po lewej stronie - patrząc od ciebie. Nie musiałbyś - dla podtrzymania ucinanej części - przekładać lewej ręki na prawą stronę imadła.
To nie jest Polak.
does guitar wire works with 9v battery? if not then what should i use my stainless steel wire28 gauge isnt working and also i tried with hair dryer nichrome wire. it isnt working please help
Good
very creative :) How many volt`s is the batteries that you are using ?
+Antwan Filikian 11.1V (3S lithium polymer battery). Thanks for watching!
Does the wire have to be live to work? Seems kinda risky to use in case you accidentally touch it.
I mean, can we not make it enamelled or something?
How thick was that plexiglass? Could it cut through a 5mm sheet?
Pretty sure it's actually 1/4" acrylic.
why hot snot? if you score the hell out of areas you are joining, wet them, apply gorilla glue (polyurethane glue), clamp, screw, remove clamps and let dry... you will achieve a much more solid and lasting bond. probably goes with out saying but the paint comes last in the method i suggested. just seems like all your effort at an active wire tension system will eventually be let down by how those joints were made
Wouldn’t the wire burn into the wooden rollers. Other wise good video
Great video! Thank you for sharing. I am interested in building one to cut through plexi glass. I wonder, what is the thickness of plexiglass you cut thus far? Many of my attempts to cut plexi failed. I am currently one month in on building my custom desktop build. I plan using plexi on many components. To be spending money on a glass shop would be timely, costly, and inconvenient. How think can I cut plexi? Will I be able to cut 1/4" or 3/8" plexi? Thanks a million. I do plan on posting my desktop build as soon as I get a lengthy break from the family. I did post a video of a build I did for my server room.
Hi Joshua! I successfully cut 3mm plexiglass, that would be 1/8". No doubt you could cut way thicker plexiglass, but it will be slow. Get good quality nichrome/kanthal wire and you should be able to put a good amount of current to it without the wire breaking.
RCLifeOn thank you so much for your response. I hope to do one maybe next week. Can you take a look at my video and provide me feedback. I enjoy videos from people like yourself. I hope to do the same since i enjoy little projects and major ones as well. So I would like to share mine as well.
Awesome, I've subscribed so I should receive a notification the moment you upload. Good luck!
So how many amps are needed to cut Plexiglas ?
nice
Thanks bro!
RCLif
eOn
Hi sir if I give 9+9 voltage does it work sir please tell I want it now
this wont Puff the lipo? Also if i made this taller think it could cut 600mm think foam?
If using a lithium polymer battery you MUST be careful of not overdishcharging. Measure the voltage and make sure it doesn't drop below 3.7V per cell. In case you feel uncomfurtable using a lipo battery, buy a power supply (min 10A).
600mm of foam is no problem. 10 meters of foam is no problem as long as you make it tall enough and able to supply the voltage to the wire.
+RCLifeOn so is their a formula for how long the wire is compaired to the volts needed?
Read this for more information: www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1625684
Very nice! How do you regulate the voltage from the pack (or do you)?
No voltage regulator. Just moving the clips to change temperature
Can it cut paper in bulk?
What was that electronic piece? The overall ohms of the circuit and what type of switch was that?
kudos!!! :-)
+Siddharth Shivalkar Thanks for watching mate!
Type of wire and battery used in this video ?
thanks
molto bello
what was the melting temp for plexiglass, also can it do EVA foam. can you also explain the electronics part more in depth
Plexiglass melt point: 160°C
Yes, you can cut EVA foam.
sir is that a nichrome wire ??
guitar string can be also use a subtitute ?
I was using kanthal wire, but nichrome and guitar string works fine too.
Does kanthal wire also expends like nichrome wire? I tried with nichrome wire for cuttng 5ply cardboard but wire expands
Yes, most metals will expand when temperature increases. You need to use a spring to keep tension on the wire.
Could you please provide a list of materials needed mainly for the electric parts thanks
yes and the nichrome wire size
It would help if we knew the volts and had a microchip board lying around.
Would you please tell me that how can I make Styrofoam ball (like cricket ball) of different sizes using Styrofoam cutter? Would you please make a tutorial on it?
I believe that you could use a lathe for that and use something like a bit of nichrome wire across a 12v supply for that. Failing that you could probably use a drill chuck instead of a lathe (either a pillar drill or a hand drill clamped to a table with the trigger taped down)
what is the part called that connects the wires of the battery to the wires that connect to the wires?
Power distrubution board (PDB). Good luck and thanks for watching!
But if I understand correcly it is not necessarly needed in your case hence your not changing the voltage, am i right? I mean couldn't you just link the wires directly with the powerbank?
The PDB does NOT change the voltage. Linking the wires directly works just as good.
U r genius bro . what is the age of u bro?
Can I use DC power supply to power it?
is plexiglass the same as acrylic
Using lipo battery is a waste. Because of u short circuit the battery the current will flow at it maximum level. Then, the battery will drain faster. I would like to suggest an adapter with high current support. 😉
Also remember, not just the coil, the batterry also will get hot. 😜
Can we get a parts list. I’m working on a plexiglass display case and I need clean cues. Thanks you for ur help.
Don't think that will happen, rclifeon probably just grabbed some scrap wood
What happens if i connect nicrome wire directly to a 220v outlet?
It would instantly heat up to the melting point, and possibly blow a fuse.
RCLifeOn oh. what happens if i hook it up to a 12v adapter?
You need a power supply able to supply at least 10A of current. You can also use a transformer that can be found in fans, radios etc. An adpater is normally used for lower current applications, such as charging phones and will fail.
RCLifeOn thanks man. btw i just did an experiment on resistors, why dont they heat up like an oven when i plug them into the wall socket?
Should't you put a resistor to not exceed rated current and thus stopping from blowing fuse? If I'm going to use a 12V transformer with 20A current, will it melt a wire? Also how much time could it be on before overheating?
any idea how to make a 20-25mm diameter hole in very thin lexan? Im afraid it would crack/split.
Use a cutting knife. Don't press too hard!
thanx
What are you mesuring in? Inch or centimeters? Or as my teacher always said, "200 what? Apples?"
Millimeters (mm). Search for "millimeter to inch converter", if you wish to have the measurements in inches.
RCLifeOn thanks! Im using mm ;)
can its cut cardboard very smoothly tell me i realy need this
Yes, it cuts cadboard smoothly. The edges will burn and turn black, but it does cut it easily.
Great idea. Please write, wire (cutter) type or name....Thx !
I'm using kanthal wire, but nichrome works just as good. Thanks for watching man!
why did you use the power distirbution board?
In case I wanted to add a second hot wire or more LED's, the power distrubution board makes it easier and more accessible. Have a nice day!
RCLifeOn
thanks
you too :)
Hey. What kind of metal plate do you solder the + and _ wire to?
cool
What kind of wire (for cutting) dou you use ?
32 gauge kanthal wire found here: www.amazon.com/Pure-Atomist-Gauge-20mm-Resistance/dp/B00C8H5ZFI
Thanks a lot
RCLifeOn ㅏ라