Lathe
Our FoamShaper-controlled, fully-computerized Lathe is an optional device available for most our foam cutters. The high quality stepper motor fixed to a state-of-the-art planetary transmission turns your material while it's being tooled by either the straight, resistant hot wire or the optional ShapeWire. As opposed to the TurnTable, the Lathe enables you to place the material horizontally and have it supported on both its ends. As a result, cutting a one-piece 10-foot column is an easy task. With the Lathe, the operator can produce all kinds of columns: groove, spiral, etc.
Available cutting modes:
1. Lathe + HotWire
The operator prepares a drawing consisting of two lines only: a straight revolution axis and the art line. The material is mounted on steel spikes (located on the spikes plate and the lathe tail-stock) and the number of solid sides is set in FoamShaper (ranging from 1 up to 2000). The result can be any kind of column: a four-sided one, an eight-sided one, a perfectly smooth one (if the number of cuts set in FoamShaper is high enough) or a twisted one (in which case the material is rotating while the HotWire is cutting; the operator only needs to specify the required rotation and the number of sides). The drawing below illustrates how easy a task cutting a column on our foam cutters is.
Working with the Lathe is a fully automated process controlled by FoamShaper: once the material is mounted, the file loaded and number of sides determined, the foam cutter does everything else and delivers your final product in no time.
2. Lathe + ShapeWire
For this process, the operator pre-bends a piece of 1 mm thick ShapeWire. Once ready and mounted on the ShapeWire Bar, the operator prepares a simple tool-path type of file consisting of a straight revolution axis and the entry and exit lines which tell the cutter where the ShapeWire is to enter and exit the material. To obtain twisted shapes, the required rotation is set in FoamShaper. This process is used to cut groove columns, spirals, threads, and similar types of objects .
Photos & Diagrams (click to enlarge): |
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