My first experience on the AeroDesign Team introduced me to a variety of build methods used for lightweight aircraft. One of these techniques was hotwire foam cutting, which utilized foam as a lightweight, easily shaped material. However, the team’s manual process—cutting foam by hand with laser-cut templates and a hotwire—proved to be inaccurate, inefficient, and physically exhausting. To address these issues, I proposed developing a CNC Hotwire Foamcutter. Over the summer, I researched, planned, and coordinated the project, ultimately securing support and funding from the Baum Family Makerspace in the Viterbi School of Engineering. With assistance from several student workers, I successfully designed and built a fully functional 4-axis CNC Hotwire Foamcutter capable of producing complex curves and tapered geometries with precision and consistency.
The machine was developed using a combination of custom-designed mechanical components and internally manufactured parts. Once completed, it quickly became a valuable asset for multiple engineering design teams. My colleagues and I created a specialized G-code generation workflow in Rhino Grasshopper, tailored to the ASCE Concrete Canoe team’s eight-foot-long canoe mold. The Foamcutter was also used to fabricate molds and structural components for the Design/Build/Fly team’s wings and payload compartments, as well as aerodynamic wing sections for the Formula SAE teams.
Although the Foamcutter performs well, I continue to improve its functionality. I am currently integrating a turntable into the existing vacuum table system to streamline foam preparation and enable more advanced multi-axis cylindrical cuts. Additionally, I am developing a new Grasshopper script to internally generate G-code for the machine, enhancing both its efficiency and user accessibility.
Example of a not-so-great cut
Special thanks to Sherman Yan, Wein Hsu, Shaurya Goel, and the Baum Family Makerspace!