The building is often carried out works related to the construction insulation, foam which is used as the most inexpensive material. Accordingly, the density of this heat insulation is low, which leads when it is cut to form a plurality of debris that quite difficult to collect, as the foam pieces tend to be electrified and adhere to everything that will meet their way. To facilitate the process of cutting the insulation material, there are many methods and devices to help cut the foam without crumbs.
What and how to cut foam
any device for cutting foam can be used to cut out some form of insulation:
- knife;
- hacksaw on wood or metal;
- soldering;
- angle grinder, called "Bulgarian";
- thin metal wire type string;
- termorezak;
- machine for cutting foam;
- jigsaw with heated sawing.
If you select a hacksaw on a tree, her teeth should be as small as possible. All the tools that are not heated to a certain temperature, does not guarantee that there will be crumbling foam. These tools are used in small amounts of work, but when it is necessary to insulate all building envelope home use is better to use the machine for cutting foamed plastic, the effect of which is based on the heating of the cutting element.
How to cut the foam with a knife, so it does not crumble
When in the course of thermal insulation of walls, floors, roof with his hands using a polymer material plates, thermal cutting torches is not always justified. Constructs usually have a strictly geometrical shape, and the cut material can be quite simple knife, above the blade is thin, and its length is greater than the thickness of the sheet heater. A good tool for such work - stationery knife to be cut if a small foam board thickness.
The fact that such a tool blade is very thin and large in cutting the sheet thickness to achieve perfectly straight cut is unlikely to succeed, at the cut can be formed gyrus, which will not allow to make a tight abutment parts insulation. This will lead to the formation of cold bridges.
In addition to the knife will need:
- Dimensional rigid line or rack ideal form.
- Roulette.
- Simple pencil, marker.
Polystyrene is cut on a solid basis to the sheet is not "play" in the hands. On the surface of polystyrene plates do mark the desired size and then placed a rigid line or rail, and makes a sharp knife cut. If the knife blade is not long enough, you can make cuts on two opposite sides of the sheet, the main thing is not to stray from the size. Then cut the sheet simply breaking open. When proper skill work will take place quickly, quietly and electricity costs. Rubbish, of course, will be, but not so much as from a handsaw. The main thing that was a very sharp tool and the desired length.
Before you cut the material to be heated tool, as well as periodically undermine the blade.
How to cut the foam without the use of thermal devices
The principle of cutting sheets of foam with the help of hacksaws, independently, be it canvas, metal or tree, no different from the cutting knife, the main thing that the teeth were small, and the web sufficient length.
In this case, the cut will be more smooth and does not form a lot of small debris. Saw movement need to perform smoothly, without jerks. But this method of cutting will be a lot of crumbs of expanded polystyrene.
Foam sheets can be cut using electric jigsaw or angle grinder (grinder). However, with this method, a huge amount of waste is guaranteed.
High speed rotation of the disk grinder and sufficiently large teeth provoke strong degradation of the material structure in the location of the cut. When using the jigsaw is also impossible to get perfectly smooth cut surface due to vibration sawing, which also leads to the formation of fine polymer dust.
crumb foam formed at least its cutting when using a homemade instrument for cutting foam. The simplest form of such a device is a conventional thin wire (string) to which the ends of the handles fastened, for greater convenience. The diameter of the wire is necessary to choose the smaller, no more than 0.5 mm. There is not one person to handle, the assistant will be needed. Wire set of target mark on the foam and make uniform movement on both sides. As a result of the friction polystyrene metal wire occurs and its heating material starts to melt at the site of the cut.
Cutting foam string - the most effective method in terms of the formation of a minimum amount of waste, but the time spent on such work, much more than other cutting tools.
Thermal machines and accessories
Do not always use a heater involves cutting it to the correct geometric dimensions. Sometimes you have to cut half-circles, holes and other shapes with intricate contours. Here knife or hacksaw will not help. But to cope with this kind of work can a machine for cutting of foam plastic, which is quite possible to build with their own hands.
The principle of operation of such devices is that the cutting element is supplied electrical voltage, whereby it is heated to a certain temperature, which can be regulated a special device. And given the fluidity of the material to cut styrofoam hot wire or string easily and quickly. Nor is formed stubborn debris.
How to build their own thermal cutter for foam
If you choose, the better the cut insulation without forming fine dust, in the first place, of course, will be professional equipment. But for home purchase such a device can be expensive "pleasure", so the machine for cutting foam, many craftsmen do their own hands.
Materials and tools
To assemble the thermal cutting device will need:
- Tungsten (nichrome) wire Ø 0.2 mm.
- Materials for the manufacture of the frame - bars, metal profile of any section. Springs for fastening tungsten filament.
- Rheostat or step-down transformer.
- Insulators.
- Terminals.
Tungsten wire can be purchased at a specialty store or produce from household appliances - from any heater, oil coma. Cut a piece of the desired spiral and straighten it so smooth state.
On a solid and strong foundation to assemble the frame of the device. It can be a table, workbench or some other surface. You need to attach the vertical elements of the base metal at such a distance that the sheet of expanded polystyrene freely held therebetween. Next to the uprights are attached springs to the spring insulator, and for them - the tungsten wire.
The springs are needed in order to maintain the wire in a horizontal position, as heated, it tends to change its dimensions in a big way that threatens her sagging, if not springs. Instead of springs can be used weights, whose task will be the same as in the spring.
When using such a cutter it is rarely necessary, the power supply can serve as a battery, which undoubtedly safer compared to an electrical network where a voltage of 220 B, while the battery produces no more than 10 -12, and this is sufficient to heat wire. In the presence of the rheostat voltage supplied to the tungsten filament can be adjusted depending on the sheet thickness and the speed of movement of the table.
This device will allow to cut foam horizontal plate, whose thickness will depend on a distance between the wire and the table. If the material is required to cut the vertical wire must also be installed vertically.
2 - Load
3 - Frame
4 - Device Base
Vertical cutter for cutting foam shaped elements made of extruded and conventional foam. When using such a device cut turns smooth and without crumbs. This device works on the principle of a jigsaw. In order to make better use of shaped parts penoplex, material obtained by extrusion of a polymer feedstock - styrene, while the foam - it is not pressed styrene.
Quickly produce thermal cutter can be of a soldering iron. To this end tool mounted on the blade, if necessary foam cut out vertically or horizontally, or by an electric crown when the material is required to make a hole recess. Instead, the crown is allowed to use a homemade round parts which are made of galvanized iron.
The main essence of the article
The cut foam - power tools - knife, nail file, electric - angle grinder machine, jigsaw, or by devices with the heated cutting element, one chooses at its discretion. Thermal devices eliminate the debris, but are expensive. For home use there is an opportunity to save money and make their own hands a thermal cutting machine foam.
