EPS Hot wire cutter system and additional direction to go with building.

I'm sharing my hot wire foam cutter system, an easy DIY thing for cutting up EPS and a range of thick foams. I use Nicrome wire these days but other then that, it's the same system I use to this day. I'm going to do up a smaller one and attach it to my laser cutter for better control, sudo CNC but will still need the forms and weight so it cuts correctly. It will be a step up from a gravity fed system which is also an option to look up on how to do using the same bow/system shown.

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I used to do a range of kits for people in the early 2000's using it and after opting out for doing them I watched Flight Test get onto the scene and was happy to see them carry the ball for US based foam creations on kits, empathized with them along such an uphill battle with a lot of work and little financial reward upon. Wishing them well but also knew they are headed for a lot of frustration, this market and business is not at all like most other industries.

I do a range of balsa based kits now and it's building momentum, I also have one series of wings that were designed as alternative wings for the Aeroscout, which is going to get it's own new thread in the balsa builder section here, but for this application, reintroducing the foam based kit's i'm starting out with it's simplest and latest version, the Aeroscout Stunt Wing. I'll be selling the laser cut forms for the diy people that want to hot wire cut their own and will be doing this as an alternative, foam based option to go with, something more for the non builder or those that don't have the patience for stick and covering construction.
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The conversion from the ribs and the rest will be pretty painless.
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I tend to always supplement the foam based creations with balsa and thin ply, in this case, 1/4" stock for the leading edges and main spars, with some 1/16" and 1/32" sheeting in other areas. Sharing things on the drawing board for that aspect.
 
I've decided to add a second model to the mix that will also have the wing hot wire foam cut. I'm calling it the Slow Stick Sport.
 

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I got the second forms designed up, these are more complex airfoils for the Aeroscout Stunt wing style. I have a couple of people ready to order one when I'm ready to ship these out as kits.
 

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This was one amazing breakthrough I came up with today. It's recommended to be using a very high powered Co2 laser cutter to cut through laminate, a rather mandatory thing, but now, not any more. I removed the surface/top layer of the laminate and it took several passes but my 4.5w laser cutter can now cut through the stock which means I can go direct to the preferred material, laminate for the forms, not relying upon thin ply which is more transient and needs a lot of treating to get to handle the hot wire cutter to do it's thing. Small test sample shown. I hit the shop and prepped all of the stock I need in laminate to cut the forms from.
 

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I am sharing the hot wire cutter set up for a simple wing I cut up with along with a past, p40 kit I used to do.
 

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I cut out the first set of rib forms for the Slow Stick Sport, doing the other side of it now. It all came out well, and also, these double as templates to cut out balsa based planes along with.
 

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