Hotwire foam cutter
- Smile Khatri
- Rohaan Vasa
Big Project | Project | Project Manager |
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Eclipse | Hotwire foam cutter | @Rohaan Vasa |
Task Description
Research and design a hotwire foam cutting tool to speed up the wings and empennage manufacturing process.
This video below is the foam cutter I was thinking of recreating. The materials should be available at home depot and online.
Constraints
Constraints | Written By | Append Date |
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Relevant Contacts
Subteam | Contact | Contact Description |
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Subteam collaborating with: Electrical | @ of contact | what is the contact responsible for? |
Assignees
Assignee | Asana Task | Date |
|---|---|---|
@Khalil Ramzi | https://app.asana.com/1/71624493506711/project/1209932734910767/task/1210395997519635?focus=true | May 27th, 2025 |
Task Progression/Updates
Author: @Rohaan Vasa Date: 2025/05/31
Nichrome wire temperature calculation
Nichrome wire is commonly used for heating elements due to its high electrical resistivity.
A tutorial on estimating the temperature of nichrome wire based on the power input to the wire
https://youtu.be/QNS0LrlRHbs?list=PLgIXIwacnes9uf2aVkoe5Sz71w4gIUYsM
Created a calculator in Excel by referencing the vid above (requires UW email for access) Nichrome wire Voltage vs. Temp.xlsx
26 Ga wire is commonly used for hotwire foam applications Nichrome wire and transformer selection
$11 CAD. Not nichrome 60 but it would get the job done as well.
Some reviews recommend going smaller gauge (more thickness) so that the wire does not break easily. Not crazy expensive, we can buy a couple of different sizes
Current Design can be found in PDM at this location: C:\WARG\WARG_CAD\Fixed Wing\Hot Wire Foam Cutter
Design needs to be finalized (bolt sizes, dimensions, part links on home depot or other websites to create a BOM)
please read through this thread for my previous thoughts on making this: https://discord.com/channels/776618956638388305/1353497430292955187
if you are interested in figuring out a DC power supply to use for this that would be helpful, if not we can get someone on EE to help out
Finalize a method or circuit to vary the current across the wire to change temp