How to make a machine for curly cutting and processing of polystyrene with your own hands. Homemade Foam Cutting Machine Homemade Foam Cutting Machine

Heat and soundproof building materials on the market are presented in a wide range, this is foamed polyethylene, mineral and basalt wool and many others. But the most common for insulation and sound insulation is extruded polystyrene foam and polystyrene, due to its high physicochemical properties, ease of installation, low weight and low cost. Polyfoam has a low coefficient of thermal conductivity, a high coefficient of sound absorption, is resistant to water, weak acids, alkalis. Polyfoam is resistant to ambient temperatures, from the lowest possible to 90˚С. Even after dozens of years, the foam does not change its physical and chemical properties. Polyfoam also has sufficient mechanical strength.

Polyfoam also has very important properties, it is fire resistance (when exposed to fire, the foam does not smolder like wood), environmental friendliness (since the foam is made of styrene, even food products can be stored in containers from it). Fungi and bacterial foci do not appear on the foam. Almost ideal material for insulation and sound insulation in the construction and renovation of houses, apartments, garages, and even packaging for storing food.

In building materials stores, the foam is sold in the form of plates of different thicknesses and sizes. During repairs, foam sheets of different thicknesses are often needed. With an electric foam cutter, you can always cut sheets of the desired thickness from a thick plate. The machine also allows shaped foam packaging from household appliances to be transformed into plates, as in the photo above, and successfully cut through thick sheets of foam rubber for furniture repair.

How easily styrofoam is cut on a homemade machine is clearly demonstrated by a video clip.

If you want to make a cutter for foam and foam rubber, many are stopped by the difficulty of organizing the supply of voltage to heat the nichrome string to the desired temperature. This obstacle is surmountable if you understand the physics of the issue.

Machine design

The basis of the device for cutting the foam was a sheet of chipboard (chipboard). The size of the slab should be taken based on the width of the foam plates that are planned to be cut. I used a furniture door measuring 40 × 60 cm.With this size of the base, it will be possible to cut foam plates up to 50 cm wide.The base can be made from a sheet of plywood, a wide board, fix the cutting string directly on the work table or workbench.

Pulling a nichrome string between two nails is the limit of the home craftsman's laziness, so I implemented a simple design that provides reliable fixation and smooth adjustment of the height of the string during cutting above the surface of the machine base.

The ends of the nichrome wire are attached to the springs, dressed on M4 screws. The screws themselves are screwed into metal racks pressed into the base of the machine. With a base thickness of 18 mm, I selected a metal stand 28 mm long, so that when fully screwed in, the screw does not go beyond the bottom side of the base, and when it is maximally unscrewed, it provides a foam cut thickness of 50 mm. If you need to cut sheets of foam or foam rubber of greater thickness, then it will be enough to replace the screws with longer ones.

To press the post into the base, first a hole is drilled into it, with a diameter of 0.5 mm less than the outer diameter of the post. In order for the racks to be easily hammered into the base, the sharp edges from the ends were removed on an emery column.

Before tightening the screw into the rack, a groove was made at its head so that the nichrome wire during adjustment could not move arbitrarily, but took the required position.

To make a groove in a screw, you first need to protect its thread from deformation by putting on a plastic tube or wrap it with thick paper. Then clamp the drill in the chuck, turn on the drill and attach a narrow file. The groove will be ready in a minute.

To prevent the nichrome wire from sagging due to elongation during heating, it is fixed to the screws through springs.

The spring from a computer monitor, used to tension the grounding conductors on the CRT, turned out to be suitable. The spring was longer than required, I had to make two of it, for each side of the wire attachment.

After preparing all the fasteners, you can fix the nichrome wire. Since the current is consumed during operation is significant, about 10 A, then for reliable contact of the current supply wire with the nichrome wire, I used the method of fastening by twisting with compression. The thickness of the copper wire at a current of 10 A must be taken with a cross section of at least 1.45 mm 2. You can choose the cross-section of the wire for connecting nichrome wire from the table. I had at my disposal a wire with a cross section of about 1 mm 2. Therefore, each of the wires had to be made of two with a cross section of 1 mm 2, connected in parallel.

If the electrical parameters of the nichrome wire are not known, then you must first try to connect a low-power electrical appliance, for example a 200 W light bulb (about 1 A will flow), then a 1 kW (4.5 A) heater, and so increase the power of the connected devices while the nichrome the torch wire will not reach the desired temperature. Electrical appliances can also be connected in parallel.

The disadvantages of the last scheme for connecting a nichrome spiral include the need to determine the phase for correct connection and low efficiency (efficiency), kilowatts of electricity will be wasted uselessly.

The issue of home insulation is very relevant these days. Facade cladding with foam is one of the most popular types of insulation. And this is very reasonable, since the process of such insulation is simple and straightforward, and all the necessary materials are always available for sale.

But everyone knows that it is very convenient to glue foam on a flat wall. With any method of gluing the foam on the wall: on dry mix glue, on foam or glue-foam, it is always very important that the foam sheet adheres tightly to the wall and does not create air gaps.

If the wall is flat, then no questions arise. But, unfortunately, the walls of old houses do not differ in ideal evenness. And different design features of the structure sometimes create drops in the plane of the wall.

Partially this disadvantage can be leveled by laying the foam on a thicker layer of glue. But the maximum permissible thickness of the adhesive layer often cannot cover the magnitude of the differences in the plane of the walls. In addition, too large differences lead to unnecessary waste of glue.

The next way out of the situation remains - trimming the foam in thickness. But doing this with a hacksaw is very inconvenient and takes a long time, especially if you need to cut a large amount of foam. In addition, a large amount of debris in the form of foam balls is generated during cutting. And the surface is uneven and the accuracy of such a cut is very conditional.

In order to quickly and evenly cut the foam to the desired thickness, you can use a foam cutting machine. This device can be made independently, absolutely with your own hands.

The principle of operation and the device of the foam cutting machine

The principle of operation of the machine is based on the fact that the foam melts easily under the influence of temperature. Thus, if a thin heated wire is drawn over it, it is easily cut, while forming a perfectly flat smooth surface.

For the manufacture of the machine you need the following components:

• LATR (laboratory autotransformer) or car battery;
• nichrome thread;
• racks for fastening nichrome thread;
• spring (1-2 pcs.);
• tabletop board;
• copper wire.

A nichrome thread (spiral) is used as a cutting object. It can either be bought in a store or removed from old household appliances in which they were used as filaments (hair dryers, for example). The spiral thickness can be 0.5-1 mm. The most optimal thickness is 0.7 mm. The length depends on the width of the foam to be cut.

An important element of the device for cutting foam plastic is LATR. But if it is not there, then it can be done using an old transformer and a device for charging car batteries.

You can also use a computer power supply, in which 12 W wires (yellow and black) are used to connect to the spiral.

For the operation of such a machine, it is enough to have an output voltage of 6-12 W.

The length and thickness of the filament must be properly adjusted to match the voltage. If the filament gets too hot, it can break. Well, if the thread heats up slightly, then cutting will occur slowly.

A car battery can also be used as a power source. It can be used in conditions if there is no electricity on the site.

For different tasks, you can make different designs of the foam cutting device.

Basically, these devices will differ in the length of the spiral. To cut the foam into bars, you need a short spiral length.

You can install two spirals and cut the sheet into several bars in one pass.

Two spirals cut the sheet into three pieces in one pass. The support is packed with guides for even feeding the foam.

But, as a last resort, foam plastic can be cut into bars with a hacksaw. It is much more difficult to cut the polystyrene to the thickness, and even to the given size. Therefore, we will consider how to make a machine for cutting foam plastic in width.

Step-by-step instructions for self-manufacturing a machine and cutting foam

Step 1. Worktop preparation. You can take any piece of chipboard of the required size as the tabletop of the device for cutting foam with your own hands. The surface on which the foam will move must be smooth. Holes are drilled in the countertop for the uprights. It is convenient to use metal pins with a thread with a diameter of 10-12 mm as stands. The height of the racks should correspond to the thickness of the foam sheets plus a headroom. The pin is fixed with nuts.

To give the structure stability, bars are attached to the bottom of the tabletop, which will also serve for the safe passage of the electrical wire.

Step 2. Connecting the current supply wires. From the bottom under the table top, the wires are connected to the metal rods-racks: the wire is wound around the lower end of the pin and pressed with a bolt.

The other end of the wires must be connected to a power source depending on the method chosen. The best connection is a plug that will connect to the LATER socket. Connection is possible through self-clamping terminals, as well as by twisting and soldering. It depends on the selected power source.

In any case, the connection must be made in accordance with the rules for working with electrical installations and devices, be convenient for work and safe during operation.

Step 3. Securing the nichrome spiral... Nichrome spiral is fixed between two posts. A spring is attached to one end of the spiral (there may be two of them).

The spring is needed in order to pull the nichrome thread during operation. The fact is that when heated, the nichrome thread lengthens and sags. The thread in this state will not give a high-quality cut. Therefore, the thread is fixed in an initially tense state, so that the spring is slightly stretched.

To attach the nichrome thread to the pin, washers with an inner diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the pin are used. A small hole is made in the washer for attaching the spiral itself. A small sharpening is also done on the side of the inner diameter so that the washer can be fixed on the thread of the pin.

A spring with a spiral attached to it is inserted into one washer and put on the first pin. The second washer is put on the second pin and a nichrome spiral is threaded into the drilled hole. Then it is pulled so that the spring is stretched, and fixed.

Step 4. Cutting the foam. To dissolve the foam sheet into two sheets of a given size, the spiral is set to the desired height. The required distance is measured with a ruler.

Then the machine is connected to a power source. The thread heats up and now you can cut the foam, smoothly moving it forward along the table top.

The cutting speed depends on the filament filament temperature, which in turn depends on the applied voltage and the thickness of the filament itself. You should not try to apply more voltage in order to achieve high speed, because this can cause the filament to burn out quickly. Here, empirically, a balance must be found between tension, thickness and length of the thread. The thread should not be overheated during operation. When heated, it turns red or scarlet. But it should not turn white - this indicates that the thread is overheating and that it is desirable to reduce the voltage, otherwise the thread will not last long in this mode. Of course, smooth adjustment is easy if LATER is available. But if it is not there, then a laboratory power supply can also be made from a computer power supply, there is more information in the video below. After you have made this foam cutting machine with your own hands, you need to make sure that the machine is safe.

It must be remembered that all measures must comply with safety measures for working with electrical appliances. The power supply must be grounded and all connections must be carefully insulated. All work on the assembly of the machine must be carried out with de-energized wires. The machine is only connected to the mains when working with foam. After work, it must be turned off immediately. While working with the machine, you should avoid touching metal parts and the nichrome thread itself.

Step 4. Cutting the foam at an angle. Sometimes it becomes necessary to cut the foam in such a way that one side is higher and the other is lower.

For this, the spiral is set at a slope with the required parameters. In this way, foam sheets of various sections can be obtained.

Useful video

We also recommend you:

The orderliness and homogeneity of the structure of high density polystyrene makes heavy grades of polystyrene an ideal material for making all kinds of models, crafts, and design elements. Sometimes you just need to cut a sheet of foam in the longitudinal direction, which turns out to be not so easy to do by hand. If you have to cut a dozen thick plates in half, you can significantly simplify the task by making a machine for cutting foam with your own hands. The construction of such an apparatus will take a maximum of several hours, but the foam can be cut in unlimited quantities.

How to make a foam cutting machine

Processing foam blocks or sheets is possible in two ways:

• Mechanical cutting with a rotating high-speed cutter;
• Heat treatment, most often using a hot nichrome wire.

Advice! With any method of cutting foam, a large amount of foam dust or products of thermal decomposition of polystyrene foam is formed when it comes into contact with a hot surface, therefore, it will be necessary to remove dust with a vacuum cleaner or a powerful exhaust fan.

Any other methods of cutting, for example, with a sharpened knife, melting with alcohol-acetone mixtures or a laser beam, are either unproductive or ineffective. Moreover, if it is required to cut the sheet along the plane in another way, except with a wire machine, it is almost impossible to do it with the proper level of quality.

Practical diagrams of machines for cutting foam plastic

Due to the very low thermal conductivity and low melting point, the foam can be cut quite easily even with a metal cutting edge or wire heated to the melting point, not even hot. Therefore, the diagram of the machine below does not pose a particular danger to the environment and humans, but work on it should be done with caution, because of the risk of getting burned.

Nichrome Foam Cutting Machine

Structurally, the foam cutting machine consists of four main parts:

1. Stands with supports for wire tension;
2. Power supply unit;
3. Nichrome wire with tensioning system.

The best material for making the machine bed will be thick plywood and fiberglass or getinax strips. The machine is shown below.

For the convenience of work, the bed is made of a sheet of plywood with a width of at least 60 cm. At the edges of the working plane of the machine, two threaded rods with a height of 150 mm are attached to glass-fiber-reinforced plastic supports.

On the reverse side of the plywood base, the first contact from the power supply is connected to one of the pins.

Advice! It is best to use a conventional LATR as a power supply unit.

Polyfoam can be cut with a metal knife heated to 270-300 o C. To ensure a good cutting speed, the nichrome thread must be heated to 500 o C. The actual cutting conditions and temperature on the machine will have to be selected by adjusting the operating voltage with the LATR.

Nichrome wire 0.7-1 mm is used as a working tool. It is fixed on the studs of the machine with the help of a tension spring, while the second contact must be fixed, as in the photo, to the "ear" of the wire. If the copper core is simply screwed to the spring or the stud of the machine, then during operation the current will heat up the spring steel, and after a certain period of time the tensioning system will fail.

The optimal solution for attaching a nichrome thread would be to use ceramic earthenware barrels used for hinged wiring. In this case, the incandescent thread does not transfer part of the heat to the steel posts; accordingly, cold zones of the wire are not formed at the attachment points.

For cutting with nichrome, a current of at least 10A is required, for a wire with a diameter of 0.7 mm and a length of 60 cm, the operating voltage will be 18-20V, a wire 1mm thick must be connected to 12V. When starting the machine, it is necessary to set the operating voltage to 50% with the LATR and smoothly raise it by turning the handle on the power supply. As soon as the color of the nichrome wire becomes dark crimson, you can start cutting.

If the fastenings of the nichrome thread are made sliding, then you can cut the foam at an angle, as in the photo.

After cutting, the surface of the foam is far from ideal and resembles a rough, untreated edged board. Such boards are easily glued with polyurethane foam or bitumen mastic to brick, concrete or even metal.

Machine for mechanical cutting of foam

A more interesting project is the apparatus for curly cutting of polystyrene foam. Given the little effort required to cut soft foam, it is possible to make a cnc foam cutting machine from commercially available parts. The estimated cost of the purchased components is $ 650.

The base of the machine is a body assembled from a plywood board, 15 mm thick. For the manufacture of the case, the main parts are printed out on a printer and transferred from paper to a plywood base. Machine parts can be milled or cut with an ordinary jigsaw.

After cutting the parts, the body is assembled according to the diagram below. All parts are glued in series using polyurethane glue and connected with M8 bolt-nut fasteners. The upper rest and the machine table are additionally reinforced with aluminum corners.

The machine provides cutting in three directions, therefore it uses a belt drive system with three stepper motors. The motors are controlled by a programmable controller and a laptop. Steel, chrome-plated or nickel-plated tubes with a diameter of 12 mm are used for the guide rails. Plastic or aluminum rails are not suitable, brass tubes are ideal.

A hand engraver or a high-speed DC motor with a power of at least 40 watts is used as a working executive tool. Due to the soft surface, a high speed cutting tool must be used to cut the foam. For cutting foam, you can use chrome-cobalt disc and end mills with a working speed of 7-8 thousand. For fine grinding of the model, the rotation speed must reach at least 15 thousand rpm.

With the help of the machine, you can perform figured cutting and engraving of the most complex curvilinear patterns, make inscriptions and cut details for all kinds of decorative coatings. The cutting speed of foam with a seam width of 4 mm and a cutting depth of 15 mm is 30 cm / min.

The machine can be used both for milling and cutting foam blocks and plywood, softwood bars, linden, poplar, birch, aspen. The surface quality and performance are determined by the engine power, on average it takes 60-90 minutes to fine-tune a “rough” model.

Conclusion

In addition to the listed options, tape machines for sawing lumber are often used to cut foam. The cutting width is only 1 mm, which is comparable to the cutting parameters on a homemade thermal cutter. The width of the foam board that can be cut on such a machine reaches 40-50 cm, the cutting speed is 10 cm / s.

When building a house, polystyrene is used very often. When repairing foam, rather large functions are also assigned. It is used both as a heater and as a waterproofing agent. Quite good material: not afraid of moisture, lightweight, easy to install, combined with other materials. And if we consider that the cost of polystyrene is by no means high, then we can safely call this material a favorite among other heaters.

In many respects, foam is second only to mineral wool and extruded polyurethane foam. But these materials are many times more expensive than polystyrene. One significant drawback of the material is still present. And he touches the usual cutting. Sheet foam is produced in various thicknesses, but as for the other sheet sizes, they are standard, therefore, the sheets have to be cut during installation. And this is a significant problem: when cutting, the foam either breaks or just crumbles. This is due to the granular structure of the material. Cutting styrofoam with your own hands becomes a problem that needs to be eliminated.

Using a utility knife

Very often, a sharp paper knife is used for these purposes. Hold such a knife at an acute angle (about 25 °) to the plane of the foam. It is necessary to carry out cutting only with the help of a ruler, since the structure of the material is capable of "taking" the cut line away from the intended direction. There are proposals to cut with a heated knife. There is a sense in this: the edges of the cut are somewhat melted, which makes the sheet more functional. So this advice can be taken as one of the cutting methods. But it should be mentioned here that this method is completely unsuitable for a large amount of cutting.

The blade of the knife gives off its heat very quickly, so it has to be warmed up very often. Yes, and you can not guess with the temperature, then it will turn out badly: at the end of cutting it may come out so that the knife begins to tear the material. Experience would help to avoid such embarrassment, but you still need to get it, and for this there may be neither time nor desire.

Back to the table of contents

Using an electric grinder

The second method of cutting is no less original: using a grinder. Do not be surprised, a plastic disc (or a disc made of thick paper) is placed on an ordinary grinder. Due to the revolutions of the grinder, the disc edge is able to cut materials that are not very dense. Suitable for foam. There is only one condition for such cutting: the circle must be with perfectly straight edges, otherwise it will tear the material. And the grinder should not be too powerful or with a speed controller.

Back to the table of contents

How to make a homemade cutter?

But we safely consider a special cutter to be the leader among all devices for cutting foam at home. Making it yourself is very simple. To do this, you need:

• old table;
• spiral from any heating device;
• spring;
• drill;
• transformer;
• rheostat;
• two long bolts with nuts;
• wiring.

We drill the table on its central line at a distance of 20 cm from each edge. On the back of the table, insert the bolts into the holes and fix them with nuts. This is the easiest way to make racks. You can improvise and make racks as you see fit. On one of the racks at a height of 10 cm from the table surface, you have to fix the spiral thread from the heating device (air heater, iron, hair dryer, etc.). We attach the spring to the second post and attach the spiral thread directly to the spring.

Such a measure is necessary, since when heated, the metal thread will physically expand and sag somewhat, so cutting the foam will not be entirely convenient. Next, we supply wires to the racks (or directly to the filament). It is better if the wires are run from the bottom of the table so that they do not interfere with the movement of the material during work.

Now the wiring must be connected to the network through a transformer. The choice of transformer must be made depending on the length, thickness and composition of the heating filament. Sometimes used to adjust the supplied current of a rheostat. The use of a rheostat allows you to achieve a certain temperature of the filament. Optimal supply of current will allow the heating element of the device to serve for a long time, which cannot be said about connecting through an unregulated transformer. If you still have this situation, then you will have to tinker with the selection of the heating element for some time. The transformer should be fixed under the worktop. You can consider the device for cutting foam plastic with your own hands complete. It is enough to plug it in, apply voltage to it and you can start cutting: the foam is applied to the heated filament and evenly pressed. The cut turns out to be even, and damage to the material no longer threatens you.

Back to the table of contents

Vertical heating element design

Even more functional can be considered a device with a vertical arrangement of the heating element. Judge for yourself: it can cut foam plastic along any of the most intricate lines. It is enough just to move the foam along the pre-marked line, and the "cutting" element will leave a cut in this place. Even artistic cutting of the material is quite acceptable. And such a device is made in the same way, only one rack will be needed, you can also do without a spring. In this case, any counterweight suspended at the lower end of the thread will serve as a compensator for the linear expansion of the heating filament. The disadvantage of such a device lies only in the fact that the entire thread is heated, and only a certain part of it is cutting. Overheating of the rest of the sections can lead to rapid burnout of the thread.

You can make it short, but here you cannot do without basic knowledge of physics: you have to calculate everything well in order to achieve the optimal temperature of the thread. A good rheostat can make it easier for you to find a heating filament. Connect it in series with the specified thread in the electrical circuit and feel free to start working. Initially, we set the minimum current parameters and observe the cutting process. Through trial and error, you will quickly learn how to select the required current depending on the thickness of the foam sheet and select the speed of material feeding to the filament.

The foam cutting machine is an important piece of equipment for many businesses and home workshops. With their help, the production of various blanks used in construction, repair, decoration, interior design, etc. is carried out.

If you study the range of factory models of machines for cutting foam plastic or simply PSA, then there are several types:

• Mobile. Such PSAs are more likely to resemble an ordinary knife designed for do-it-yourself styrofoam work. Various simple workpieces can be made with a mobile machine. Quite often found in everyday life when processing polystyrene, expanded polystyrene;
• Machines for transverse and horizontal processing. These PSA are cut in a certain direction, that is, it is problematic to achieve complex shapes. But the machine provides highly efficient production, cutting large materials;
• CNC machines. SRP, equipped with a CNC module, are modern models of machines for processing expanded polystyrene, polystyrene foam. With its help, you can make the most diverse in terms of parameters, complexity and configuration of machines, 3d models. The current furniture, repair and construction production is not complete without the use of PSA with CNC.

The principle of operation of machines

Schematic drawing of the foam cutting machine

If you want to buy a PSA or make it yourself, first you need to understand the features of the device's functioning.

• The operation of most types of foam machines is based on a single principle;
• The cutting part of the machine heats up, affects the material being processed;
• The cutting element moves according to the drawings;
• The process is similar to passing a hot knife through oil, that is, the process is easy, with minimal damage to the foam or expanded polystyrene;
• The simplest model of the machine has one cutting line. Such an installation is easy to do with your own hands, having an appropriate drawing at your disposal;
• To work with complex 3d shapes, to perform high-precision cuts, an SRP with a CNC module is used. The machine itself can have up to 6 cutting strings;
• The advantage of the machine operation is that additional processing of edges is not required due to the clean cut. This simplifies production and minimizes the cost of finishing parts.

Features of the device

• If you want to make a foam cutter with your own hands, this can be done in two ways - vertical and horizontal cut of the foam sheet;
• To make a vertical cut, the cutting line is set perpendicular to the work table;
• For a horizontal cut, you need to make an appropriate structure, the opposite of the first example;
• To get an even, neat cut, you need a competent drawing and template for subsequent processing;
• The drawing is widely represented on the network, which allows anyone who wants to make a machine at their own discretion, based on personal needs or materials available for the assembly of the PSA;
• It is recommended to use nichrome thread as a cutting element. Almost every drawing provides for its application;
• For the processing of complex parts, obtaining 3d models, the current production of machine tools has reached a high level. Special models of CNC units are widely used, designed specifically for shaped cutting. The workpiece is processed in several projections at once. Due to such equipment, it is possible to establish the production of models of cars, people, airplanes, animals and much more. Moreover, in fact, 3d products are obtained that accurately repeat all the bends, lines, configurations of the copied product.

Do-it-yourself machine

The production of special machines for cutting foam plastic is put on an active stream. At the same time, the cost of the equipment seems to be high for many potential buyers. In addition, having the opportunity to assemble a foam cutting machine without much help, with their own hands, many simply give up the idea of ​​buying. The approximate price of a factory machine is from 40 thousand rubles. But there are models that cost 100 thousand rubles and more.

Yes, for that kind of money, you can get a great foam cutting machine equipped with a CNC module. The CNC machine is far superior to simple homemade devices. At the same time, not everyone has a real need for CNC and automated cutting of foam. Therefore, we will give an example of how you can make an excellent unit for processing expanded polystyrene or polystyrene with your own hands. Strengthening your skills with video lessons will not be superfluous.

1. Drawing. It is not necessary to use the drawing specifically for this model of the machine. It is not needed here, since the construction is quite simple. But for clarity, you can draw the drawing yourself, rely on the selected parameters. Another option is to choose a drawing for a more serious installation. It all depends on what you want from your foam cutter.
2. Select or assemble a table on which the EPS cutting operations will be performed. The surface should be covered with thermal insulation or electrical material. In this component, the polyamide film has proven itself well.
3. Attach the insulator to the center of the long side of the work surface. One at each end. Ceramic or glass elements can be used as insulators. Between these components of the structure, you will then pull a thread that will act as a cutting tool.
4. Choose your line. If you have an old hotplate, unnecessary soldering iron or iron, you will find nichrome thread inside them. She has enough power.
5. Remove the spiral from the tool, gently straighten it to get a straight thread.
6. It is not recommended to use nichrome threads for a homemade machine, the thickness of which is more than 0.5 millimeters.
7. Be sure to connect the filament to the network through a rheostat or step-down transformer. This will save your main working element of the machine from burning.
8. A nichrome line is connected to a coil on an insulating material. An electric cable is connected to the line, through which power will be supplied to the machine. Try to ensure that the contact between the electric cable and the thread is of the highest quality.
9. Under the table, pull the thread to another insulator and pass through it. The end of the thread will hang from the insulator, so a weight should be provided here. The weight of the load determines the tension of the heated thread when processing foam. Here you have to play a little to determine the optimal parameters of the weight. Movable sliding fixation is most beneficial when creating such a machine with your own hands. This is due to the fact that this way you get a better and cleaner cut line, you can adjust the position of the thread as needed.
10. Near the second coil of insulation, a second electrical cable is mounted to the thread, which goes to the rheostat, is connected to the terminal of the slider.

It is allowed to start the machine only after the slider has been set to the maximum resistance level. If this is not done, literally immediately after turning on your thread will burn out, you will have to look for a new one.

The power of the unit depends on the parameters of the current and the thickness of the thread used. The only drawback of a homemade foam machine is that when heated, the material emits an unpleasant odor and harmful substances. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to use the machine only where there is an effective ventilation system.