cncfoam.com is a free, browser-based toolkit for hot-wire foam cutting. It does three things: it lets you design and simulate a foam cut entirely in your browser, it gives you a community library of ready-made shapes to cut and remix, and it documents an open hardware kit so you can build the machine that runs the cut.
The whole simulator runs in the browser using WebGL (3D graphics) and WebSerial/WebSocket (to talk to machines) — there is nothing to install, no account required to start, and it works on Windows, macOS, Linux and Chromebooks.
The simulator
Load a shape (an SVG outline, a DXF, or existing G-code), and the tool shows you exactly what the wire will do as a live 3D animation. You set your machine size, your foam block size, the feed speed and wire temperature, and the simulator computes the toolpath, the cut time and a solid 3D preview of the finished part. Bad cuts get caught on screen instead of in the foam. Read more in The simulator.
Multi-axis support
cncfoam.com understands the common hot-wire kinematics:
- 2-axis (X/Y) — a single-tower style cut: the wire stays parallel to itself, good for straight-extruded shapes.
- 3-axis (X/Y + rotation) — adds a turntable/lathe axis for indexed multi-side cuts.
- 4-axis (X/Y + U/V) — two independent towers, so the two ends of the wire trace different profiles. This is what cuts tapered and twisted shapes (a "morph").
- 5-axis (X/Y + U/V + rotation) — full morph cutting plus indexed rotation for the most complex parts.
See Machine types and Rotation axis & indexed cuts.
Transports — getting the cut to your machine
When the simulation looks right, you can download the G-code, stream it over USB-serial (Chrome/Edge/Opera via WebSerial), or send it over Wi-Fi to a FluidNC controller. See Transports.
Community shape library
Browse, like, comment on and remix shapes other people have published — aerofoils, columns, ducts, lampshades and more. Cut them directly, or fork one as a starting point for your own design. See Accounts, projects & the library.
Free, open and ad-free
The simulator is free to use. The hardware is documented openly so you can build a machine from the hardware page using widely available parts (ESP32 + FluidNC, stepper motors, aluminium extrusion). The goal is to be the most complete, most accessible home for hot-wire foam cutting on the web.