Hot-wire foam cutting answers

Browse answers by topic below, or use search. New to the tool? See how cncfoam.com compares to GMFC, DevFoam & JediCut, or read the hot-wire foam cutting wiki.

Category General · 17 matches. Clear filters.

• Is cncfoam.com really free, and what's the catch?
  Yes — the browser tool is free, forever, with no catch. You can design, simulate, export G-code and stream to your machine without paying or even signing in. The shape li…
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• Do I need to install anything or create an account?
  No install, ever. cncfoam.com runs entirely in your browser using WebGL for the 3D view and WebSerial/WebSockets for streaming — there is nothing to download and nothing…
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• What kinds of machines does cncfoam.com support?
  It targets hot-wire foam cutters: two independently driven towers carrying a straight heated wire. Today it fully supports 2-axis (a single X/Y tower, wire mirrored) and…
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• Can I use cncfoam.com without owning a machine?
  Absolutely, and a lot of people do. The simulator is a complete design-and-preview environment: load or generate a shape, scale and position it, watch the wire animate th…
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• How is cncfoam.com different from DevFoam, GMFC or LightBurn?
  The biggest difference is that it runs in the browser with zero install and is free. GMFC and DevWing/DevFoam are capable but are paid, Windows-native programs; LightBurn…
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• Who can see my designs and shapes — is my work private?
  By default, private. A shape only becomes public when you deliberately publish it to the library or share a generator creation. Anything you simulate, download or stream…
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• Where do I report a bug?
  Easiest: post in this helpdesk under the appropriate category (software, hardware, etc). Include browser + OS + a screenshot if it's visual. For things involving the simu…
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• How do I find shapes other people made?
  Open https://cncfoam.com/shapes.php. Filter by category (aerofoil, architectural, column, decoration, etc.) and kinematics (2-axis or 4-axis). Sort by most-liked, newest,…
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• Is the tool really free? What's the catch?
  Yes, free. No catch. The browser tool is free forever. The shape library is free to browse + free to upload to. The future hardware kit will be paid (someone has to pay f…
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• Is there a Discord / Telegram / IRC for live chat?
  Not yet. Right now the helpdesk is the single channel. If the community grows enough that real-time chat would help, we'll add a Discord. For now, async forum-style posts…
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• Can I use the tool on a tablet or phone?
  Technically yes — it loads. But it's not designed for touch + a small screen. The mobile gate page asks you to come back on a desktop or laptop. If you absolutely need to…
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• Do I need to create an account to use the tool?
  No. The simulator, the G-code downloader, USB and Wi-Fi streaming, browsing the shape library — all free and anonymous. Accounts only unlock the things that need an ident…
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• What's a \"morph\" cut and why does it matter?
  Most cuts use the same 2D profile on both wire endpoints — the wire stays parallel to itself and sweeps a simple extrusion. A morph cut uses DIFFERENT profiles on the lef…
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• Welcome — what is cncfoam.com?
  It's a free browser-based 4-axis hot-wire foam cutter simulator + community shape library + (eventually) an ecommerce-bound hardware kit. Tool runs entirely in your brows…
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• Which browsers work?
  Any modern browser renders the simulator: Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera, Arc, Firefox, Safari. Streaming over USB-Serial only works in Chromium-based browsers (Chrome / Edge…
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• Can I cut things other than foam with this tool?
  The tool generates 4-axis ruled-surface paths — it doesn't care what your machine does with them. If you have a machine that accepts standard G-code and your material can…
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• How big is a typical job in terms of G-code lines?
  Depends entirely on shape complexity and your Samples (res) setting. A simple aerofoil at 256 samples is ~500 lines. A morph at 1024 samples can be 2000+. The tool handle…
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