Greetings,
I am building a hotwire cutter that uses a grid of wires instead of a single wire to cut foam. The grid is approximately 12" wide and 48" long and will be constructed of 18g or 19g stainless steel wire. The grid will be divided into 1" squares. I know that a single wire foam cutter can be powered by a 12v power supply, but I am having trouble calculating the amount of power I will need to heat this grid to a temperature suitable for melting polystyrene. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I am building a hotwire cutter that uses a grid of wires instead of a single wire to cut foam. The grid is approximately 12" wide and 48" long and will be constructed of 18g or 19g stainless steel wire. The grid will be divided into 1" squares. I know that a single wire foam cutter can be powered by a 12v power supply, but I am having trouble calculating the amount of power I will need to heat this grid to a temperature suitable for melting polystyrene. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!