This article sheds light on why cutting foam, what uses are there for cutting foam, the types of industries that use foam cutting, and what the cutting process is. It also explains the types of foam used and the equipment involved in the process.

There is a huge growth in the demand for foam cutting today, especially for manufacturing and machining. Foam cutting and machining demand is essential in various types of industries, including accessories, sculptures and monuments, boats, kayaks and canoes, signs, displays, architectural prototypes and forms, construction crown molding, packaging insulations and wings .

Foam cutting companies need to use top of the line cutting equipment to offer a wide range of foam cutting services. Cutting can be done using a CNC hot wire foam cutter or a CNC laser cutter. The hot wire can cut almost any thickness of foam and projects up to 12 feet and more; While the laser cutter is cutting wire of very fine cuts (up to ¾”), manufacturing a high quality surface finish. The decision to use the laser or hot wire cutters is based on the type of foam (for example, Polyurethane, also known as PU foam, can only be cut by laser), in the thickness and size of the foam to be cut.

Most CNC hot wire foam cutters are capable of cutting EPS foam (also called expanded polystyrene), EPP foam (called expanded polypropylene), and XPS (extruded polystyrene) foam.

Smaller foam cutters often cut wings, fuselages, logos, and lettering. Medium foam cutters will cut similar shapes to small ones, with the addition of being able to cut crown molding and trim used in the architectural industries, while large foam cutters are used primarily by building contractors and large sign makers.

Laser engravers and cutters can cut various types of foam, including polyurethane, primarily for packaging, insulation, and gun cases; Polyethylene or EVA foam to create 3D shapes, containers and tool trays; polystyrene for packaging, crown molding, signs and accessories; Polycarbonate (also known as plexiglass) for cutting and engraving and MDF for vacuum-formed shapes.

If the materials to be cut are wood or light metals, the use of a CNC milling machine is necessary.

Different cutting machines differ in their dimensions and size, including their effective cutting on the X-axis (horizontal) and Y-axis (vertical), the length of their hot wire, and other features such as cutting speed capacity, how many blocks foam can be cut in a single cut and the type of cuts made (tapered or non-tapered).

For projects that require foam machining or foam fabrication, it is necessary to use CNC routers or a combination of a CNC hot wire foam cutter with a router system. Large scale racing cars, 3D topographic maps (up to 10’x5’x20″ in a single cut), fixtures and artwork can be machined, and foam molds can also be created.

All cutting machines are CNC, which means they are controlled by a computer and come with specialized cutting software.

The foam cutting process involves specialized files that include the drawing of the shape. 2D shapes require a DXF file, while 3D shapes require an STL file, which allows you to rotate the shape and see all angles of the shape for greater accuracy.

Once the correct file is received, the data is entered into the computer that is connected to the foam cutter, including all the coordinates needed to cut that specific shape. When finished cutting the required shape, it can be sanded to a rough or smooth finish, as requested by the customer. Large-scale shapes are made in multiple pieces and then glued together to form the complete shape. The cut can also be coated with polyethylene coating, polyurea and painted if necessary. The final product must be durable, strong and long lasting.