A collection of small habits that add up to consistently clean, accurate parts.
Before the cut
- Tension, then heat. A sprung tensioner that keeps the wire taut when hot is the biggest single quality upgrade.
- Cut a test line in your real foam. Foam density varies between sheets and brands; a 10-second scrap test dials in feed/temperature far faster than guessing.
- Match the simulator to reality. Set the material block to your actual foam and the envelope to your real machine so the previews and warnings mean something.
- Confirm in the previews. Check the green solid preview, the X/Y and U/V side views, and the G-code viewer before you run — they catch most mistakes.
During the cut
- Keep the feed steady. Constant speed leaves a constant, smooth surface; speed changes leave visible lines.
- Lead in from an edge or scrap area so the entry/exit mark is not on a show face.
- Slow into corners. A small slowdown at acute angles stops the wire rounding them off.
- Watch the wire stays straight. If it bows, you are feeding too fast or the wire is too cool — adjust and re-test.
- Ventilate and keep your head out of the plume. See Safety.
After the cut
- Keep the off-cuts (the cradle). They support the delicate part for sheeting, gluing and storage.
- Turn the wire off the moment you finish — never leave a hot wire unattended.
- Note the numbers that worked (feed, temperature, foam) — they will be a reliable baseline next time.
Design habits
- Prefer gentle radii to knife-edge points.
- Keep morph profiles similar in perimeter to avoid scorching one side.
- Remember the ruled-surface rule — for doubly-curved shapes, plan an indexed-rotation approach from the start.
- Account for kerf where dimensions matter.
When in doubt, slow down. A slower, straighter, well-tensioned cut beats a fast one almost every time — and the simulator lets you predict the cut time before you commit.