A capability reference. Tier dependencies are noted per item; the tiers and packs page has the matrix view.
Primitive shapes and SVG import. Any 2D drawing brought in as SVG becomes cut profiles — closed contours map to cuts. Manual G-code editing is also available from this mode.
- Dome generator. A radial dome divided into rings × sectors. Configure the outer radius, wall thickness, ring count, and sector count. Choose a solid top-cap, an oculus (open top), or no cap. Optional lock recesses and an exterior reveal rabbet for visible joints. The preview shows the dome in 3D and a plan view, together with a material bill (panels, blocks, edging metres).
- Vault generator. A barrel vault with custom span, height, and arch profile. The building length defines the number of ring panels.
- Building generator. Building-block walls with rounded-corner openings.
- NACA-4 airfoil generator. Any 4-digit code, chord, and thickness. Configurable point density for the profile.
- Cylinder or tapered wings. A tapered wing uses different root and tip profiles (for example, NACA 8612 root, NACA 4408 tip); FoamSync sweeps the wire between them.
- Spar-slot cut-outs with bridge support — pockets for wing spars, with uncut bridges so the plug stays in place during the cut.
- Up to 3 spar slots per wing (main / rear / aux), each rectangular or round, with bridge support keeping the plug in place during the cut.
- Pipe-shell unfolder. Cylindrical insulation jackets unrolled into flat cut profiles, with a pair-interlock nester so two half-shells pack into the footprint of a single full circle.
- Thermal panel generator. A panel with optional half-lap rabbet side joints and optional back mounting channels (count, depth, width). Auto-nested across the block; the preview shows the panel count per block and the joint / channel geometry.
The CAM scene is the list of parts on the current block. Parts arrive from a generator (Send to CAM) or from your library. You can add, duplicate, delete, or clear; you can load the selected profile onto the right tower for an independent 4-axis cut; you can save the whole scene to your library for recall.
When you send parts from a generator and the CAM scene already has parts, FoamSync asks:
- REPLACE — clear the scene and load only the new block.
- ADD — keep the existing parts and consolidate the new block onto the same physical foam block.
- CANCEL — leave the CAM scene as it is.
No silent overwrites and no silent merges.
- X-Pos / Y-Offset / Height — position and size on the block.
- ROT 90° — rotate the part.
- MIRROR H / MIRROR V — mirror horizontally or vertically.
- SWAP L ↔ R (4-AXIS) — swap which tower cuts which profile on a tapered or asymmetric part.
The packer operates on the union of top and bottom contours, so tilted 4-axis sweeps nest correctly — not just the flat outline. Per-generator strategies (shelf-row stacking for BUILD parts, pair-interlock for pipe shells) pack tighter than naive single-part nesting. Re-nest any time with RE-NEST.
If two parts overlap in the cut volume, FoamSync highlights the collision zones in the 3D viewport (translucent red boxes). Resolve the overlap — move or re-nest parts — before cutting.
A pre-cut pass against the machine's maximum wire angle (set in machine setup). The report includes:
- Status — SAFE, or a warning at one of three severity levels.
- Max and average wire angle, max strain, and the horizontal / vertical components of the lean.
- Violation counts — warnings (over the limit), danger (over 1.5× the limit), critical (over 2× the limit).
- Recommendations — plain-language next steps.
A SAFE result means the path stays within the wire's safe lean for your span. Anything above the limit is flagged with diagnostics before motion.
Press GENERATE TOOLPATH to produce the dense 4-axis path; the 3D viewport fills with the wire trajectory. The JOB status reads IDLE / READY / DANGER (review required) with line counts and an ETA.
A built-in, behaving virtual 4-axis hot-wire machine. Select VIRTUAL_DRIVER instead of a COM port and the whole application runs as if a real cutter were connected — not a static preview, but a machine that responds to the same commands:
- Homing and smooth interpolated jog.
- Full job execution: START runs the G-code end to end, the wire animates along the real path, the DRO and live wire-angle update, the ETA counts down.
- Live FEED % override changes the simulated wire speed.
- Simulated heater warm-up with a live temperature readout.
- PAUSE / RESUME / EMERGENCY STOP and the pre-cut wire-safety pass behave exactly as on hardware.
It lets you evaluate the product, build and verify a part library, and train operators with no machine attached — then run the same program 1:1 on the real controller. Full page: virtual-machine.md.
Pick the COM port and press CONNECT. FoamSync handshakes, detects the firmware (Marlin, GRBL, or GRBL-H-Par), and configures itself. The log streams connection events with severity (ERR / WARN / OK / INFO / DEBUG).
A four-axis (or 4+5 with the optional rotational axis) DRO shows the live position of each axis. The machine state (ON / READY / RUN / ALARM), the live wire angle, and the active heater mode are visible alongside.
Arrow keys move the machine. STEP selects how far each press travels (1 / 10 / 50 mm). ⌂ homes the machine.
Configurable shortcuts plus four built-ins:
- ZERO — set the wire origin from the current position in one tap.
- RETRACT — back the wire off the part.
- PARK — send the towers to a safe parked position.
- HEATER — toggle or open heat control.
A persistent red EMERGENCY STOP bar across the top of the window halts everything immediately. After an e-stop, home the machine before continuing.
- START — begin the cut. If the JOB banner reads DANGER, START opens the review first so you confirm the flagged path.
- PAUSE — hold motion mid-cut; resume from where you stopped.
- STOP — end the job.
- FEED % — override the feed rate live (slow to 50 % through a tricky section, for example) without regenerating.
Three modes, selectable per machine:
- External — you drive the heater (dimmer or PSU); FoamSync only moves the wire. This is the recommended default.
- Board PWM — the controller drives the heater open-loop at a power %.
- Board PID — the controller holds a target temperature, closed-loop.
Switching from External to a board-driven mode requires a one-time safety acknowledgement per release (fuse, detector, attended operation).
Built-in presets for EPS (three grades), XPS (two grades), and PU, plus your own custom materials. Each preset stores kerf, feed, temperature, and power. The Material Cal step in Quick Lab tunes each preset to the actual foam batch from a small reference cut, so the next run starts from real batch behaviour.
A five-step structured calibration that persists between sessions:
- STATUS — driver, firmware, licence, and the last pre-flight result.
- SETUP CHECK — pre-flight checklist (E-stop, wire tension, fuse, foam stock).
- MOTION TEST — square check, travel limits, backlash per axis.
- WIRE CAL — kerf calibration from a reference cube measured at eight points.
- MATERIAL CAL — tune the active material from a small reference cut, scored on five quality axes.
A built-in library stores generated scenes and parts for later recall. Each entry is versioned so you can replay an older version; the library accepts new parts from any generator.
- Diag bundle export. A single click exports a diagnostic report (system info, application log tail, current state, Machine ID) you can send to support.
- Pre-flight banner. Quick Lab steps surface at the top of the window when an action requires them.
- Live log. A scrolling panel shows every action with severity (ERR / WARN / OK / INFO / DEBUG).
- Three machine seats.
- CRM webhook integration — push customer and job records to your own CRM through a webhook.
- Priority support with onboarding.