Views: 291 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-08-02 Origin: Site
Foam, with its cushioning, thermal insulation, and flexibility, is widely used in a variety of fields:
The packaging industry is a key market. EPE foam, due to its lightweight and high elasticity, is often used for shockproof packaging of electronic products (cell phones, computers) and precision instruments. It can also be made into bags, sheets, and tubes to wrap fragile items such as furniture and ceramics. EVA foam, due to its high plasticity, is often used for shoe linings and gift box fillings. Its anti-slip properties make it suitable for securing glass products.
In the industrial sector, EPDM sponges, due to their chemical resistance, are used as thermal insulation for pipes and equipment. EVA foam, due to its wear resistance, is often used as cushioning gaskets for mechanical parts to reduce vibration and noise.
In daily necessities and sporting goods, sponges can be made into sofas and mattresses, while XPE foam can be used in children's crawling mats and yoga mats, combining softness and moisture resistance. EVA foam is the core material for surfboards, knee pads, and other products, being lightweight and impact-resistant.
In addition, after anti-static treatment, both can be used for turnover packaging in electronics workshops to ensure the safety of delicate components.
First, let's briefly explain the working principle of our CNC foam cutting machine to facilitate understanding of its workflow.
The oscillating knife cutting machine combines a high-frequency vibrating cutter head with precise path control to achieve both material cutting and surface engraving. During cutting, the blade vibrates at high speed, coordinated with the X, Y, lift, and rotary axis drive systems to move along a preset path, creating the desired contour. The engraving function uses a high-speed milling cutter to create grooves on the surface. The machine secures the EPE foam using vacuum suction to prevent shifting during processing. The system precisely controls the blade's trajectory based on vector graphics, ensuring that the cutting contour and engraving pattern are precisely aligned. The result is a liner with three-dimensional grooves, ensuring both protection and customization.
First, determine the foam cutting shape and engraving pattern based on the actual processing requirements. Based on the product's size, shape, and packaging requirements, determine the desired contours and engraved grooves, holes, and other structures in the foam. Select appropriate design software to create the electronic graphics. Commonly used software includes CAD, CorelDRAW, Adobe Illustrator, and SolidWorks.
Once you have finished your drawing, examine the whole graphic to check the cut path, find the engraving patterns, check the sizes, and check for any mistakes or omissions. Then save the graphic file in the format the device accepts (e.g. .dxf, .plt) so you can easily import it into the control system of the oscillating blade cutter.
Before cutting foam with SLCNC foam cutting machine, the graphic preparation must be precisely tailored to the material properties and processing requirements. The steps are as follows:
First, merge the lines appropriately to minimize unnecessary blade movement during the cutting process, thereby improving cutting quality and efficiency.
Second, path optimization is crucial. Use the software to sort the graphics in the order of "inside first, outside second, small first, large last" to improve cutting quality and efficiency. Finally, set the line color according to the process requirements. Our foam cutting machines use SP color codes to define the tool type. Generally, SP4 is an oscillating cutter, and SP6 is a milling cutter. If a milling cutter is required, the milling cutter's working path must be set in advance.
 | The foam CNC cutting machine can be equipped with three tools: pneumatic cutting tool, high-power oscillating cutting tool, and milling cutting tool. The pneumatic cutting tool and high-power oscillating cutting tool are used to cut different types of foam, while the milling tool is used to engrave internal grooves. High-power oscillating cutting tool: EOT uses a servo motor to drive the tool's vibration, resulting in high torque but low vibration frequency. They are primarily used for cutting high-density and high-hardness foams such as EVA foam. It can also be used to cut EPE foam, but the cutting speed is slower than pneumatic tool. Pneumatic cutting tool: POT use compressed air to drive the blade's vibration, resulting in high vibration amplitude and frequency. They are used to cut foams with lower hardness and density, such as sponges, EPE foam, EPDM sponges, and XPE foam. Milling tool: the milling tool is a drill bit mounted on a high-speed rotating spindle. The drill bit breaks up the foam, creating the engraving. It is used for engraving internal grooves that are not cut through. |
EOT
POT
Milling Tool
Cutting blades come in different thicknesses, lengths, and widths. Milling cutters come in different diameters.
The blade length is based on the thickness of the foam. in general, you can use a blade length 5mm longer than the foam thickness, meaning if the foam thickness is 50mm, then you can use a blade length of 55mm.
Thicker blades are also more rigid than thinner blades, but consider that the resistance of a thick blade is also greater than a thin blade. A 1 mm-thick blade is sufficient for cutting softer and thinner foams. With thicker and denser EVA, you need a 1.5 mm-thick blade.
Typically, you will find blade widths of 3mm and 6mm. For cutting arcs and circles less than 20mm I would recommend a 3mm wide blade, but typically, thinner blades are more expensive and they also wear out much quicker, so do not use a thin blade unnecessarly. In addition, milling cutters also come in a variety of diameters and lengths, so select a cutter according to the diameter, depth, and precision that you want the groove or channel to be.
After selecting the correct cutter and blade, install them correctly.
POT
EOT
milling tool
d. Speed Setting
 | The rationality of parameter settings directly affects the quality of cutting and engraving. They must be precisely set based on the characteristics of the foam and the processing requirements. First, determine the cutting speed. EPE foam is softer, so the cutting speed is relatively fast. Generally, for EVA with a thickness of 30mm, the cutting speed can be set to 500mm/s; for EPE foam thicker than 50mm, the cutting speed should be set to 300mm/s. EVA foam has a higher density, so the cutting speed is relatively slow. Otherwise, it can easily result in uneven cut edges or damage the blade. EVA foam also has different hardness levels. Generally, the cutting speed for high-hardness EVA foam is around 50mm/s, while the cutting speed for low-hardness EVA foam is around 100mm/s. |
Correctly set the cutting depth of the oscillating cutter blade. The correct depth is when the blade tip contacts the felt surface but does not penetrate the felt. This ensures a thorough cut without damaging the felt.
The milling tool depth is determined by the groove depth. Our foam board cutting machine supports multiple engraving depths and can engrave 3D graphics.
Place the sponge board on the machine's work surface. Our sponge cutting machine's work surface is a vacuum suction table. The aluminum bellows table is connected to a vacuum pump. When the vacuum pump is operating, it draws air from the aluminum bellows table, creating negative pressure. This air pressure firmly holds the material in place. This method of securing the material provides uniform pressure, prevents damage, and ensures cutting accuracy. Furthermore, this method of securing the material is automatic, eliminating the time-consuming and uneven pressure associated with manual securing.
 | Send the processed pattern to the foam sheet cutting machine, and the red light on the machine will locate the cutting position. Our foam cutting machine uses a red light to locate the cutting position. The red light indicates the cutting zero point, meaning the cut pattern should not exceed the red light position in both the X and Y directions. The red light is positioned approximately 10mm from the edge of the material. This ensures the cutting area is within the material's boundaries and conserves material by avoiding excessive waste. |
Once everything is ready, press the Start button on the machine to initiate the cutting process. The CN foam cutter will automatically use the preset tool to precisely engrave and cut along the designed path.
Test Cutting and Adjustment
Testing and adjustment of cutting processes are important. In terms of verification, test cutting ensures you have the right parameter settings and are able to make changes in a more timlier fashion.
Using radio or closed cell foam, pick a piece of foam material with the same parameters as the final process has, and secure the piece of foam to a workbench. Using the parameter settings from above, execute a test cut and engraving (if engraving is part of the process.) After cutting, remove the piece of foam and inspect the cut edge (smoothness, burrs, etc...) and clarity, completeness, and uniform depth of engraving pattern, as well as any deformation or damage.
If the cut edge has unevenness or burrs, or burrs, you may be cutting a too quickly, or a duller/incorrect blade is being used. Slow down the cut appropriately. If the same challenges persist, change the blade. If you have an unclear engraving, or an engraving depth that varies, your milling cutter speed, or engraving speed, were likely incorrectly set. Adjust the milling cutter speed and engraving speed appropriately and attempt trial engraving again until you are satisfied with results.
The entire trial cutting and adjustment process should be documented with each adjustment to a parameter, and the corresponding results so that future references will allow a quick and more confident decision on appropriate parameter settings.
Production Cutting and Engraving
Once the trial cutting and adjustment process has concluded and the proper parameters established, cutting and engraving can commence with production intent. The operator should monitor the machine's operating condition, inspect the cutting and engraving results, and listen for any changes in normal operating sounds during the cut or engraving. Should anything abnormal happen, for example, EPE foam displacement, unusual machine noise, with resultant poor cut or engraving outcome, the operator should stop the machine and check for issues before continuing the cutting or engraving process.
When batch processing of EPE foam, samples should be checked for quality regularly, specifically to determine that processing quality remains consistent. Should processing quality demonstrate deviations from that expected, machine parameter settings should be checked and adjusted if necessary, as well as to check the machine status.
After cutting and engraving, the EPE foam requires post-processing. Remove the processed EPE foam from the workbench and remove any waste.
Quality inspection should be conducted on the processed EPE foam to ensure that its dimensions meet the requirements, that the cut and engraved patterns are complete and clear, and that there are no defects such as damage.
When the CNC foam cutter machine is utilized for cutting and engraving EPE foam, all safe practices must be adhered to in order to ensure the operator's safety from injury and limit inappropriate use of the tool. Operators need protective equipment such as gloves, goggles, and masks to avoid injury from the blade as well as be cognizant of EPE foam debris which may be inhaled from the cutting action. Operators must not touch the blade, moving parts or EPE foam when the equipment is in operation.
An operator must never leave their station without permission while the equipment is in operation and must always guard the operational status of the equipment. It is forbidden to place any debris on the equipment to prevent disruption of operational status or risk of a safety accident. When inspecting, changing parameters or changing blades, the equipment must be powered off and the operator must wait until the equipment has fully stopped operation. Safety devices on the equipment must be inspected periodically to ensure proper operation.
Correct maintenance of machine can increase its life, ensure steady performance, and improve the quality and efficiency of processing.
After each use, you must always clean the equipment for dust and debris and clean EPE residue, especially blades and the transmission parts that contact the EPE, to prevent blade wear. Make sure to unplug when cleaning. Use cleaning and specialty tools for cleaning, such as brushes and rags.
You should lube the equipment transmission system on the power equipment and select the right type and amount of lubricant as per the equipment manual, to allow the transmission parts to operate smoothly and limit wear. To be safe, deliver lube at least once a week.
Take a careful look at the condition of the blades, and look for dull or damaged blades; replace them as necessary. Examine the electrical system for the equipment and make sure there is no damaged wiring, plugs, or sockets, and the wiring connections are secured and reliable. Equipment that will not be used for a long time must be cleaned and stored in a dry, ventilated area that is free from corrosive gases. Take care to shield it from moisture, rust, and damage.
