Arduino CNC Foam Cutting Machine (Complete Guide)

[@HowToMechatronics]

I hope you enjoyed this video and learned something new! If you'd like to support me making more content like this, please consider supporting me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/howtomechatronics

[@ProjectShinkai]

what was the final price for making this can can it be used to cut eva foam

[@sarhanlota1512]

Hey HTM . WE ARE BUILDING THIS PROJECT FOR OUR BE SUBMISSION . BUT OUR MOTOR IS NOT ROTATING 360 DEGREE . IT IS ONLY VIBRATING . WE ALSO TRIED BY CHANGING THE WIRING BUT OUR PROBLEM IS NOT SOLVED . PLZZ ANSWER WE WANT TO COMPLETE THIS PROJECT . WE HAVE DONE PROGRAMMING AS PER YOUR VIDEO . PLZZ HELP

[@milaanpatel4997]

Can you help? Somehow, the capacitor of my CNC shield gets blown up. I am feeding it 12 V DC using a regulated DC linear power supply. I am pretty sure I have almost perfect DC voltage with maximum ripple of about 50mV (as per my CRO). I am running the CNC shield without capacitors, using my 12V regulated DC linear power supply, and haven't had any problems yet. I cant figure out what pops the capacitors.

[@jamesrakestraw7125]

I love to buy one from you..

[@saadchoumar1392]

@@sarhanlota1512 hVe you fix this problem plz tell me what you did

[@peterc3619]

I do CNC Hotwire foam cutting for a living. Everyday I use a 15ft x 9ft x 9ft machine for large scale work orders. The amount of information in this video is priceless. Thank you for this video 👍🏽

[@sneaky_krait7271]

For what kind of purposes do people/companies buy foam cut pieces??

[@alejandroperez5368]

@@sneaky_krait7271 Sign companies for example they make foam letters and logos.

[@peterc3619]

Sneaky_Krait I make decorative pieces for new homes in communities under construction, new plazas or stores.. So for example, like the big fancy columns at the front entrance of homes, or the bands that go around the windows or window sills. Also, I make molds out of the foam so that those molds could have cement poured into them and once it’s dry, we remove the mold and have solid concrete decorations for any time of building of any size. And of course, any type of lettering and logos that go on the outside walls of buildings or home community gate entrances.

[@alejandroperez5368]

@@peterc3619 logos that will be placed outdoors? Nope, only for indoor applications hahah

[@sneaky_krait7271]

@@peterc3619 Ahhh, I hadn´t thought about cement molding. Do you also make your own designs from time to time?

[@chasinelwood1977]

Usually when somebody says that a tech related project is easy, it's usually quite the opposite. However, he does a good job of explaining everything and I think this is something almost anybody with a little bit of technical savviness can handle. My hat's off to you sir. Well done

[@jonholzworth4463]

No one on KZbin can compare to you when it comes to thoroughly communicating the build process from start to finish. You sir, are a global treasure. I hope you are a teacher, parent, or at least an awesome uncle because you are truly a skilled teacher.

[@HowToMechatronics]

Thank you! 😊🙏

[@peterives6671]

This is one of the most comprehensive videos on youtube. Not only does it cover the mechanical side of constructing the device, but it also provides all the details you need on the electronics, the firmware for the Arduino and the CAD software necessary to provide the complete solution. A real credit to you Mechatronics.

[@HowToMechatronics]

Thank you, I'm glad to hear that!

[@atmloginvideos]

The best video I've seen so far about Arduino and CNC. Go through all the relevant software to complete the solution. Thank you very much for posting such instructive material.

[@HowToMechatronics]

Thank you, I'm glad you found it useful!

[@D4rkysLP]

I have built this design in 2020 or 2021, but changed the dimensions to 600x600mm cutting area. Also, I removed the rotating axis and shrunk the width down to approx. 10cm wire length. I only do 2dimensional cutting, because the machine was built for bible verses, that we put as decoration on our walls in our church. We do take on a few jobs per year, as my wife sews and sells some products and started some advertising for the letters. So now, the machine gets more and more uses. Moving into an apartment, where I have my own office/hobby room and can leave the machine assembled also helps. Beforehand I always had to disassemble the y axis and store the machine in the basement. I use DevFoam Pro for CAM and make the design in Inkscape. The CAM is quite finicky, if you want really precise and smooth cuts. Cutting direction and order of cuts can make or break your parts. Things I have noticed and solved so far (or want to solve in the future): - the power supply for the wire is too big for my short wire (10cm of 0.2mm NiCr 8020), I use an LM2596 for that - the printed clamps on the y-axis failed, when I tried to tension the belt. Have added some mechanical fixtures, so that the axis doesn't rely on the friction of the clamps. - construction of some of the parts are sub-optimal for 3d printing. I did split some parts into multiple single parts and use heat-set inserts and screws to assemble them. - I had to disassemble it quite often, and setting it back up was no smooth sailing. I splitted the xy-joining part and now I only need to remove the belts from the idlers and undo 4 screws to disassemble it. Setting it up is in reverse order. Only need to resync the two belts, but tension isn't touched, since the mechanical fix points make it very repeatable. - I want to add some belt tensioners on x and y axis in the future. Also some belt clamps, so that you don't need zip-ties and gain some more travel. - We noticed vibrations in the cut line, when the y-axis accelerates, especially from stand-stills. For now it is solved with slower acceleration values, but I want to add some tension wires down to the xy-joint, that way I want to stabilize my long y axis. I'm not sure, if this problem exists with your smaller machine :) - Since I'm manually placing my letters on the foam and never cut more than one letter at a time, I got rid of the endstops. They are needed, if you want to use the rotating axis of course. - $1 in GRBL needs to be set to 255. If you use G4 dwell on corners, like I do with devFoam, the motors will drop and you get offsets in your part. Overall: Thanks for the design, it helped me very much!

[@brownbear6276]

The best part starts at 0:00 and ends at 26:53. Your welcome!

[@grindel80]

Just one Word: WOW!

[@phillmckrackin5741]

^^

[@lesego2933]

Not a word🚮

[@JeffChoppah]

Those are 4 words bruh

[@danl.4743]

Somewhere around the 18 minutes mark I realized that I need to give you a thumbs up and subscribe to your channel. This is coming from an electrical engineer and a software programmer, and a past teacher. Great job!

[@HowToMechatronics]

Glad to hear it, thanks!

[@taherabed6418]

It has been so long man . Do not go away that much again .we missed your awesome projects

[@HowToMechatronics]

Yeah, no worries, won't happen again! :)

[@smartroadbiker]

@@HowToMechatronics you do you man, this has to be enjoyable and pumping out video after video is draining. Just ask Linus Tech Tips or PewDiePie.

[@historyrepeatscubed726]

Thank you HTM, this was exactly what I was looking for. I'm considering making some automotive parts using carbon fibre over foam core and was concerned about the possibility of human error using a hot wire 'bow' where one side cuts through the foam faster than the other side and the part is uneven. Also, machine code eliminates the need for the use of templates as guides as good code is very accurate. It occurred to me that a CNC hot wire cutter would be the solution to these 2 issues but wasn't quite able to picture the positioning of the wire, which is unlike a millhead or similar, as its long and is connected at two endpoints, not once central point. So, I searched and found your video and project page and you answered my wire location question. I just wanted to thank you very much for your work. You're a very clever man able to do something I could not do; and I really respect the time and effort that you've put into this video and the project page so that others can benefit. I'd actually like to scale this up a bit in size (to maybe 4040) and improve its rigidity wherever needed, so let me know if you'd be interested in working together on that somehow. Peace.

[@HowToMechatronics]

Hey, glad to hear it you found it useful. Have fun building one. Cheers!

[@MikrySoft]

If you ever want to upgrade this machine, consider the following: 1. Stiffer frame. I know hot wire cutting doesn't require much force, but I wonder how your current setup wobbles under acceleration. I would add a second pair of rails on top, making the machine a solid cube. 2. Better temperature control of the wire. A PWM output and a MOSFET or two would handle it. 3. Separate control for each end of the wire. For two motors more you could cut at an angle, useful if you want to cut plane wings etc. 4. Different wire tensioning system, especially needed with the previous point, since the wire length could change from 450mm to 780mm if both ends are at the opposite corners (although you probably normally wouldn't run that steep tapers). Three potential solutions, in order of difficulty: - Pulley and a weight on one or both ends of the wire. Pros: constant tension, simplest solution. Cons: Takes up a lot of height. - Constant force spring and a spool, like those retractable badge holders. Pros: Possibly off the shelf parts, constant tension, large extension range. Cons: limited tension force, no force adjustment without buying/making custom springs - Motorized spool with a tension sensor. Pros: Biggest flexibility, as much wire range as the spool allows, adjustable tension. Cons: most complicated, adds one more motor. Generating G-Code for 4 axis machine would be a fun challenge, but there exist projects tackling that problem already.

[@HowToMechatronics]

These are really good points. Thanks for the input!

[@Flapdr01]

Maybe also add something to tighten the belts after mounting.

[@MikrySoft]

@@shinaikouka Yes, changing wire length would require something lilr sliding brushes powering only uncoiled part of wire

[@yucannthahvitt]

Closed loop wire temp control would difficult to implement at best, so why bother with PWM? Set it and forget it

[@MikrySoft]

@@yucannthahvitt Closing loop wouldn't be that hard, you just have to measure wire resistance and treat it like a big thermistor. But even without that, changing supplied power on the fly based on, for example, length of wire in contact with foam could be useful. Not to mention being able to change wire temperature (for different foams etc.) from g-code, without having to mess with dials, would be quite convinient.

[@connectedeurope]

I've been watching a lot of your videos (old and recent) today and want to thank you for you clear explanations, calm voice and how open you are about things that don't go how you prefer. Also with your videos you've given me ideas how to solve issues I had with my 3D model drawing. Many thanks!

[@slowmocitizen1939]

The best CNC tutorial I have seen so far, clean and clear from a to z !

[@macgyvervanschwartzenstall4662]

Missed opportunity to say z-axis

[@numberkruncherr]

I really like this, I don't think I've seen a CNC build idea on KZbin that is as accessible to a newbie while actually being useful and not instantly obsolete (not everyone has a use for cutting foam, but if you do then this looks like it will do a good enough job for a lot of people, it's not something that typically needs 0.01mm accuracy).

[@emremutlu44]

Really cool project ... *Thank you* for all the effort to inspire random strangers. This is basically the essence of being a good person I think.

[@ChrisLeeW00]

That's really cool, and the foam can be used to cast aluminum or bronze!

[@throngcleaver]

That was my very first thought as I was watching him cut that foam! I'm sold!

[@GuyFromInternet00]

How?? Does that not get too hot?

[@urcoolpal8536]

So the bad guys can make weapons using this ?? .. anyways.. I liked the video and subscribed the channel .. Genius !

[@sverduijn1]

@@urcoolpal8536 yes you could cast a big hammer;)

[@NilesBlackX]

@@urcoolpal8536 or they could literally just buy them...? Edit: also, yeah, generally speaking weapons can be made with tools. Because that's been possible since literally the first weapons were invented - and we're manufactured, using tools.

[@alico797]

How To Mechatronics as always demonstrating how things should be done!

[@AINEET]

Jesus christ, I'm a film school student, you know how insanely useful this for props? It blows my mind.

[@edslab5383]

You are back! As always a masterpiece.

[@HowToMechatronics]

Yeah, I'm back, thanks!

[@mdjamaluddin2345]

Sir your explanation on every projects are purely awesome..Sir i request you to do a tutorial on "HOW TO MAKE 4 AXIS CNC FOAM CUTTING MACHINE" .please make it...

[@LifeGeneralist]

This video is so good. I guess this video is a result of countless hours of research, trial-n-error, and numerous failed attempts.

[@diyowl5496]

Very nicely done, very detailed and could be followed when you actually want to build one for yourself. I have a tip when calibrating the steps per mm and I would suggest calibrating it along a greater distance, in order to minimize the error. Another solution would be to count the pulley teeth, and also the belt teeth and doing the necessary calculation. Great video, one of the best tutorials on how to build a simple CNC machine, not to mention the idea, which I personally found very creative and as far as I know, no one has ever done! Well done! The editing and filming were excellent too!

[@moderninnovators8869]

Any interest in building this for me and getting paid for it? I need this machine but am terrible at 3d printing

[@samreciter]

That is a brilliant idea, man! Simple, straight forward and gosh - super useful!

[@HowToMechatronics]

Thanks!

[@luck3949]

15 years ago I was member of rc planes building club. We moved the hot wire manually through a piece of styrofoam to make wings. We attached aluminum profiles of wings on each side of styrofoam piece. Process required 2 kids: one on each side. We had numbered marks on aluminum profiles, and we said these numbers when hot wire was passing them, to go in sync. If you go out of sync with your partner, that's wasted wing, because shape will be wrong. If you both go too slow, then wire will burn styrofoam too much and that's another wasted wing. If you both go too fast, then wire will bend, middle of wire will go slower than ends, giving you one more wasted wing. 2-4 failed attempts was normal. It was fun.

[@JustMortHandle]

At first I was like "I'll just skip to the interesting parts" And I kinda did, I watched the entire thing 🤔

[@dhaves]

2x the speed... Saver.

[@enilenis]

What's especially useful about foam is that it can be used in sand metal casting, which makes the machine more useful than a PLA 3D printer. Amazing professional look on the machine. Better than what comes off kickstarter.

[@NabilTouchie]

this is beyond amazing, great job, this kind of machines are really useful

[@HowToMechatronics]

Thank you!

[@arvind23prasad]

Excellent video, very useful and inspiring. I am not a engineer but now after watching your video, I am feeling that I can do it. Thank you for this video.

[@ravijagmohansingh6944]

The best Arduino-CNC tutorial I have seen on youtube! Thanks man! That was very clear, very detailed and direct to the point!

[@warrenmorris8279]

great video, about 15 years ago i worked for a company who had a massive version of one of these, man the ammount of fires we had was unreal ,

[@matusondrus8987]

Excellent, THANK YOU!!! You are one of the best in youtube world ! Please keep work.

[@HowToMechatronics]

Thank you!

[@alkaline3mc]

This is a really rad build. It probably wouldn't be the most difficult thing in the world to build a slicer which could cut complex, non-symmetrical 3D shapes simply by rotating a model and casting the outline based on step resolution. Then just doing as you have done here, having the system slice, rotate, load new file, repeat.

[@ReevansElectro]

For any limit switch intended to stop an action, it always must be wired as NC for safety. Anyone who has done industrial automation knows this.

[@netrapatil2169]

😮

[@Hagledesperado]

It is known.

[@SetKat-Alex]

But why?

[@NaceRoter]

@@SetKat-Alex in case that if it loses power (wire is cut or something similar ) it stops the machine

[@muhammadsiddiqui2244]

@@SetKat-Alex Because no voltage can have multiple reasons.

[@BrianVillegas67]

Wow! You've used science to make magic, brother... And perhaps more importantly, you've made it accessible and inspirational to knuckleheads like me. Thanks!

[@smartroadbiker]

Amazing project! I really want to make one. I have absolutely no need for one, or space for one, but I want one!

[@highhat5229]

Couldn't you model custom fairings from foam then fibreglass them and chemical melt the foam away? Just a thought

[@edsonlopez4134]

This is by far the best Arduino-CNC video I have seen. Thank you so much. Very concrete and easy to understand.

[@pfabiszewski]

Awesome! One idea - grbl has ability to control the „laser” by pwm. You can use it and connect the output to the center pin of the potentiometer of the converter (instead of potentiometer). Maybe with low pass filter or some voltage converter to make it compatible voltage-range speaking :)

[@pfabiszewski]

or actually you can connect this pwm pin to the mosfet (as it is intended) and control temperature of the wire this way ;)

[@bjort9619]

I've never seen a CNC like this before. So you can imagine my astonishment when I saw it at work. Mind. Blown.

[@P8qzxnxfP85xZ2H3wDRV]

This video gave me hope again that some day I will own a self-built 5-axis CNC in my garage.

[@Anyone700]

Hate to break it to you, but with the mental frame of "hope" and "some day" it is unlikely that you ever will. If you want it, start working on it like you wanted it done yesterday. When the story is over, admire what you have created

[@LC-ue6mp]

Why can't you start with this? Tell us how.we.can help you out...we.are.ready

[@chasinelwood1977]

This guy is a badass. No Doubt. Usually when somebody says something is easy

[@NunoFlyer]

Awesome, I have a normal cnc homemade by me, your project it's so good. Big like

[@HowToMechatronics]

Thanks!

[@xaverpan6131]

Beautiful simple and leightweight construction, and beautiful clear and precise video !

[@geronimus4288]

I feel like this would be an amazing tool. cut out the shape, make it into a mold, then pour in your material.

[@Hacker-cw9lc]

umm do you know of 3D printers?

[@numberkruncherr]

​@@Hacker-cw9lc 3D Printers are great for doing smaller intricate parts, but they are slow. For large castings where precise detail isn't needed done with lost foam this would be brilliant. Horses for courses.

[@shashvatsingh6812]

After 26 minutes of watching, I subscribed your channel.

[@HowToMechatronics]

Thanks!

[@orestes_io]

Freaking impressive! Thanks for the awesome tutorial :)

[@HowToMechatronics]

Thank you!

[@manofmesopotamia7602]

No words can express excellency of this video

[@jesusreignonhigh6732]

Now it just need a 6-axis one for complex 3d foam cut.

[@ericlotze7724]

Exactly what i was thinking. This is a great build, and could do layers, for lamination, but that would be the ULTIMATE device for cosplay EVA Foam etc.

[@ericlotze7724]

A robot arm may serve this better however.

[@joeysiriani1779]

I think you'd have some major difficulties with fixturing the foam if you wanted the full *five* axes of a line angled through space (in two axes) and through a given 3D point location (3 more axes). An arm might be the way to go.

[@saifsiouf7684]

Great video, thank you for sharing Just a suggestion: Why not connect the spring to the wire using a mini block of ceramic as a temperature insulation medium ( maybe that has a couple of drill holes for connection ) to increase the life time of the spring and keep tension at bay

[@mertcapkin7263]

I was thinking about making this like 2 days ago, awesome timing!

[@3dstampa]

I just made a copy of your machine, thanks! It was amazing journey. It took me a while until all parts were delivered but now it's all done. For the remark - 2020 profile on top should be longer than 500mm to match everything (i ordered them all at that size). I only used your gcode samples as a test, but just now need to learn a bit how the inkscape works and fun may begin

[@HowToMechatronics]

Glad to hear it, have fun with the machine! Just be careful with the fumes, make sure you have a good ventilation and also try to use a safety respirator mask. Cheers!

[@jerimiaus69]

Absolutely love this, im building one!

[@hamleewan879]

Could we have link for components plZ, I love it!

[@dcpowered]

I am a huge fan of your work! After 6 months, finally a new project! Wow!! Thank you!!

[@HowToMechatronics]

Thank you!

[@Skovjuul]

That is awesome! Added to my to-do list.

[@chriselyr2484]

The information makes this a good video, being able to pretend its narrated by Chekov makes it a great video ;) Thanks you for such a clear, concise and inspiring video!

[@HowToMechatronics]

Glad you liked it!

[@neopolythe]

Amazing job. Thank you this was brilliant.

[@jithinjayan2670]

You simply slowly explained every detail. Nicely done, Thank you.

[@P8qzxnxfP85xZ2H3wDRV]

Why didn't you move it 100 mm to get a much more accurate measurement for calibration?

[@HowToMechatronics]

Yeah, that's a good point, you would get more accurate measurement that way.

[@smartroadbiker]

I was thinking the same. Done that when I built my own 3D printer. Still took ages to get it sorted though LOL

[@sadguru1969]

Dear friend I salute you for your enthusiasm ! A real DIY project 👍

[@HowToMechatronics]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@azfarazdiarfakhsyad9863]

Hey dude, next : build an arduino drone and make the complete guide of it... awesome

[@HowToMechatronics]

Yeah, I might make one in future.

[@SONO4B11T]

This is so cool... if I don't find something similar to this in the college I am going to, I'm definitely making my own. Thank you

[@abrahamherzog7493]

Thank you It's Amazing project!!🤙

[@codyhubert6178]

Awesome, clear, concise video! Small tip, to perfectly straighten the wire, tie the end to something static and put the other end in a power drill and twist it for a second or two. In this application the minimal loss in strength wont matter much, and it will be pretty damn straight.

[@moderninnovators8869]

Would you be interested in building this for money for me😂

[@tara3ias1995]

Hello....very awesome project!! Can you make a 5 axis cnc machine that engrave wood,plastic, foam and may be aluminium ?

[@HowToMechatronics]

Thanks! Yeah, why not, I might make one one day. :)

[@JimmyBlimps]

This is awesome! If you want to get your resistance wire dead straight too for increased precision along your cutting path, try tying one end of the wire to a mounted swivel, and close off the other end in the jaws of a drill. Give it a spin under tension and it should straighten out nicely.

[@HowToMechatronics]

Thanks for the input!

[@FpvdudesRus]

Привет, спасибо за ролик!

[@NackDSP]

Really great. I may have to build one. I was thinking of using two 3D printers to do it. I built a numerically controlled foam cutter back in 1988 using a Commodore 64 and an old Radio Shack line printer I got out of a dumpster. The printer had the required stepper motors and X axis drive. I used it to cut foam wings.

[@v.v.336]

Бро, видео - збс. Акцент - жесть.

[@90TAHK]

русский акцент?

[@v.v.336]

@@90TAHK ну да

[@meltttaylor4030]

Нука давай сними такой же видос, я послушаю твой заебательский английский!

[@v.v.336]

@@meltttaylor4030 могу тебе сказочку на ночь прочитать на английском, если мамка твоя, конечно, разрешит. Зачем тебе меня слушать? Над собой работай.

[@solarscorcher1566]

@@v.v.336 Ты где-нибудь у него на канале видел, как он говорит по-русски или отвечает на русские комментарии? Этот чел из южных славян, с Балкан. И акцент его похож на русский, но не русский.

[@kevinj9059]

Liked, subscribed, downloaded, and archived... Once I finish my corexy 3d printer, this will be my next project.

[@LostandFoundTravel]

This would be a DREAM for a set decorator! Imagine how easy fake banisters or fireplace could be. Thanks!

[@FOOKYOUTUBENUMBERS]

Simple but very Technical One best CNC Vids on the Tube, Great vid.

[@CottonTailJoe]

I always thinking I couldn’t build things like this. You have changed my life!

[@90FF1]

Very thorough explanation of the details. Much useful information for any novice like myself. Excellent no nonsense video. Thank you.

[@hairlesshippy]

you make it look easy.. would love to have one and have ALL electronics but no time right now.. great video.

[@grupozazayah9683]

me ayudo mucho este vídeo a entender otra dimensión de lo que yo trabajo con el unicel, es una lastima que aquí en México, no haya un distribuidor de este tipo de maquinas CNC, Muchisisimaas gracias aprendi mucho

[@bandido7994]

I dont have a 3D printer but I think I can build all or at least most of the plastic parts by hand using Plexiglas or HDPE, beautiful machine!!! Thanks for sharing.

[@mrfrozen97-despicable]

Thanks. I am not making a CNC machine but I am working on smd pick and place machine. It is very helpful. 👍

[@Coltography]

this is incredible, such an ambitious project and an amazing video explanation on top of that. amazing work

[@HowToMechatronics]

Thank you! Nice work from you as well on that giant LED panel! :)

[@shadyengineer1988]

You are genius man. This is so satsifying to watch

[@jedandecko5585]

He is alive :) great project as always. Thanks for sharing.

[@MiamiCityDjsEmil]

Is there a written version of this tutorial. Love the video! And your ability to explain well is above and beyond. Awesome

[@LivingTech]

Thanks so much for your video, it is truly outstanding! There are many similarities to the RepRap I built in 2010, but all of the questions I'd have had for this build are answered here. Again, thank you very much!

[@HowToMechatronics]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@obiwanftw5537]

Wow great job! Sometimes you see an older person and they’re having trouble with their cell phone and wonder, where’s my limit? This...this is where I say nope, can’t build that. My 3D printer is chugging along, printing models my son and I crafted from scratch, but this is above my head. Nice job though! I’d love to have one!

[@kepeb1]

Your channel has come a long way! This is excellent :)

[@RDarrylR]

Great to see a new video from you! Your videos are always very well done and i learn from them.

[@HowToMechatronics]

Thank you, glad to hear it!

[@HaiderAli-ej2kq]

impressive! I'll make this project for my College.

[@vkansara3684]

Love from india. You are fabulous and your point to point guide is amazing. Thank u so much

[@mirkoragni3118]

One of your best projects! Really clear and helpful. I rarely comment videos but this is really well done

[@HowToMechatronics]

I'm glad to hear that, thank you!

[@testi2025]

You could make the shape as a sub-program and then have a loop in the main. You could say that it needs to loop until a variable is more than 359. The same variable would control the C-axis. In the start of the loop you would specify how much to add to the variable. It would loop until it goes a full turn.

[@TheCreat]

This is a fantastic build and astonishingly simple design. Great work! The only other comment I have is to not use toothless idlers for the belt (when the teeth are pointing inwards, like for your x-axis belts). It's fine (ish) at the beginning, but will wear down the belt and may introduce jitter to the movement causing unprecise positioning (that part is probably not that noticeable on this machine).

[@HowToMechatronics]

Thanks for the input!

[@Allibow]

Great video!! I did construct an foam cutter for wings, basicly cuts two profiles at the same Time with a ancient program called jedicut this looks good man!

[@Sloansteelsigns]

This is an insane build completely awesome

[@antonwinter630]

great product and very good instructional video

[@TheOnlyUnleadedOnly]

To make your wire super straight put one end in a drill and twist it under tension for a few turns. It works great and your wire will be super straight.

[@aimeiz1]

Nice machine, great video. I will add another stepper motor to allow to skew hot wire, so z axis would be driven separately each side. There is a place for another stepstick on arduino shield. Then we will have 5 axis machine.

[@MacucaLaBella]

What a beautiful and affordable cnc machine!! Thanks for sharing!

[@dougingraham5807]

Looks like a fun project. You should be using toothed idlers with the same diameter as the motor pulleys. Smooth idlers will cause changes in tension as the teeth pass over the idler and flatten the teeth on the belt. It won't matter much when hot wire cutting foam but it will wear out the belt prematurely.

[@recklessroges]

What an excellent tutorial. Very clearly explained. Thank you.

[@piramja]

Amazing project and video! I love your clear and detailed explanation while your voice is very soothing 😄

[@HowToMechatronics]

Thank you! 😊