Re: 4-AXIS FOAM CUTTER

Hi Tim, list,

All this foam! I'd heard about cutting airplane wings for model (?)
aircraft, but what else is done with it? Casting molds? I know, Santa
Cruz Surfboards! ;>)

I can't visualize the moving of 4 axis; pairs of "hot wire" ends, to
shape the foam. I'd like to see a movie (demo) of that! The wire cuts
a plane, can it be thought of (and manipulated like) a wood rasp? This
motion is NOT like any tool path I can think of. A ball mill moving in
3D I can visualize, this wire tilting and moving I cannot.

I recall from my EMI Medical days, that the Radiation Treatment staff
would melt a tin-lead-? (ceripin? sp?) mixture in coffee pots, and cast
"blocks" of the stuff to use as shields for treating patients. Just a
simple hot wire used there to cut the foam, no CNC (that was in '77, so
maybe there IS now).

OK, if we cut foam for molds, is something similar done (CNC) with wood
and this "wood rasp" approach"? I've only seen (beautiful) wood molds
for steam engine and gas engine parts at shows like P.R.I.M.E.; which
were quite impressive!

Perhaps if I ever get a little foundry set up, I'll want to cut foam!

Alan KM6VV
P.S. Does anyone have a simple wire EDM design, that I can load into
Vector CAD/CAM (9.0), and examine? I promise I won't make parts with
it! ;>)

Tim Goldstein wrote:

>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > Vector Cam is the tool you need to cut general shapes in foam
> > cutting with 4 linear axis(X-Y-U-V). That capability is included
> > with all Cam versions that we sell.
>
> Yes it sure is there. I just fired up Vector to try it and sure enough just
> a few clicks and I had perfect X-Y-U-V g-code.
>
> Tim
> [Denver, CO]