Set your machine type in ⚙ Settings → Machine settings → Kinematics. It tells the tool how your axes map to wire motion, which shapes you can make, and which features are available.
2-axis (X/Y)
A single-plane cutter: both ends of the wire move together, so the wire stays parallel to itself. cncfoam.com mirrors the U/V (right) tower onto X/Y automatically. You can cut any straight-extruded profile — letters, simple wings of constant section, gaskets — but not tapers or twists. Two-part morph is disabled in this mode.
3-axis (X/Y + ROT)
X/Y cutting plus a rotation (A) axis — a turntable or lathe-style rotary. You cut a profile, rotate the foam by a set angle, cut again, and so on. This indexed rotation lets you make multi-sided and rotationally-built parts (columns, finials, multi-face carvings) that a single straight pass cannot. See Rotation axis & indexed cuts.
4-axis (X/Y + U/V)
The classic foam-cutter layout: two independent towers, each moving its wire end in two directions. Because the ends move independently, the straight wire can sweep a ruled surface between two different profiles — this is what cuts tapered wings, square-to-round ducts and twisted columns in one pass. Enables two-part morph.
5-axis (X/Y + U/V + ROT)
Everything 4-axis can do, plus the rotation axis for indexed multi-side morph cuts — the most capable mode, for genuinely 3D parts built from several rotated ruled-surface passes.
Which should I pick?
- Single-tower / wire-bow style machine → 2-axis.
- Dual-tower machine (most CNC foam cutters) → 4-axis.
- Added a rotary table → 3-axis (single tower) or 5-axis (dual tower).
Set it to match your real hardware so the previews, warnings and generated G-code reflect what your machine will actually do.