Cutting wire

Technical basics for the cutting with FoamCut systems

The foamed thermo paste is based mainly on styrol and can be cut best with a hot wire.
Actually, this way of working is not a real cutting but rather a melting process. The firm material is cut without shavings.
The hot wire melts a part of the foam. With the help of the coordinated feeding process the hot wire advances in the empty space opened by the melted foam. The foam is hardly touched if there is optimal coordination between the feeding and the melting process. That is the case with our machines. Therefore, our computer- controlled foam cutting machines can cut the given outlines precisely. Unfortunately hot areas evolve differently above and below the hot wire but this is the only process that affects the cutting precision. The slit forms differently depending on the direction of the movement. However, a wire with a diameter of 0,25mm heated up to 300oC makes a slit of only one millimeter in a styropor block that weights 15kg/m3. In a fact, the deviation from the middle ideal line is insignificant.

Cutting wire characteristics

The most important characteristics of the cutting wire are:
Wire diameter, current A and voltage V for the reaching of a defined temperature,
wire material, cutting speed

Cutting speeds & temperature:

The optimal wire temperature is 300 degree C/ 572 F. The heated wire has black color. To test the wire temperature you take a styropor block and cut it through. The cutting speed is 10mm/sec in case that the styropor block weights 15kg/m3 and the wire temperature is 300 degree C/ 572 F.

Wire durability

The wires wear hardly out because of the cutting with the machine. It happens only if they are not used properly: for instance, if they are heated to much higher temperatures than recommended. An early tearing of the wire happens if the wire is subjected to too much tension at the fixing points. Bending and scratching the wire also wears it out faster.

Table: Wire/Machine Compatibility

Cutting wire