Hot-wire Instrument

A hot-wire foam cutter is a tool used to cut polystyrene foam and similar materials. The device consists of a thin, taut metal wire, often made of nichrome or stainless steel, or a thicker wire preformed into a desired shape, which is heated via electrical resistance to approximately 200°C. As the wire is passed through the material to be cut, the heat from the wire vaporises the material just in advance of contact.
Hot wire foam cutting tables can use a vertical or a horizontal wire, usually with a horizontal table used as a guide or for securing the foam work piece. A table with a vertical wire is mainly used by hobbyists to cut small and complex shapes such as letters. Only prismatic members can be cut on this type of table.
Tables with horizontal wires are heavily used in construction and packaging. The cutting wire is attached to tracks on either side of the table enabling it to be moved up and down making cuts very exact. This table type can also perform angular cuts.