Quick Circle Cut for Proxxon

Summary

This tool is to be used with the original guide provided with the Thermocut hot wire cutting machine from Proxxon, and allows you to cut circles. Its main purpose is to be small and easy to install (or remove). It won't compete with or replace more elaborate templates, but it just might come in handy if you have small cuts to achieve quickly or simply don't have the budget. Even if it has its flaws, I use the fence quite often, so it's nice to have a little tool that can be attached to it in just a few seconds.

This piece is small, but you can have a bit of overhang, so that you're not limited to a diameter of 5 cm.

Note: I consider this thing as a work in progress. It's far from perfect, but I plan to improve it in the future, if possible. This is the first 3D piece I have ever published, and I still have a lot to learn. There's a lot of room for improvement, but it was fun to make. Feel free to leave a comment if you've printed this item and found it useful!

Post-Printing

Nail housing

The nail housing is a separate part, that you can insert in the main piece. The hole on the bottom side is slightly larger for the nail's head.

Nail used: 25 mm length, 1.4 mm diameter (2 mm for the head).

Put in the nail, then slide the thing in place. You will have to force a bit, as the tolerance is really tight. When in place, the nail shouldn't wobble.

Installation and usage

1. Slide the main part (with the nail installed, of course) into the Thermocut's guide (picture #3 shows a good view of the assembly). When it is correctly positioned, secure it with the clamping screw
2. Press a piece of foam onto the nail until the bottom side barely touches the jig
3. Turn on the hot wire, then slide the whole guide until the wire enters the foam at the desired distance, then quickly turn off the wire to avoid extra melting; lock the guide so it doesn't slide for the next operations
4. Turn on the hot wire again, and immediately start to turn the piece of foam to cut a circle; constant speed is key to get a clean result
5. When you have finished your cut, turn off quickly the hot wire; unlock the guide; turn on the wire again, and let the wire exit through the same cut done at the start to enter the foam

Avoid using too high temperature on the wire, I almost never go beyond 3. Lower temperatures are better for less melting, but the cut will be slower. Pay attention to your pace, and pressure on the piece of foam.

About loosing cutting height

Since the top plate of this tool is roughly 20 mm away from the machine's platform, you're loosing cutting height. As I said before, other tools may be more precise or have a wider range of use, but above all, I see this object as something that can help out in certain situations.

Tested Print Settings

• Supports: Yes
• Resolution: 0.1-0.2 mm
• Infill: Above 50%
• Notes:
  • Printing: the main part should be printed lying on the side, to avoid having supports printed in hard-to-reach areas.
  • Printing: the clamping screw can be printed in 0.2 mm, it works fine
  • Material: the groove is 20 mm wide, which should be pretty safe, but if you fear melting, glue some cardboard on the inside edges, or use a more heat-resistant filament