CAM software for 4-axis hot-wire CNC foam cutters. Built by Balcore Systems, Frankfurt am Main.
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FoamSync lets a single operator run a 4-axis hot-wire foam-cutting shop without an engineering office, a CAM specialist, or an IT department. Domes, vaults, rounded buildings, NACA wings, pipe shells, thermal panels — and anything you can draw as an SVG — are parametric input on one side and a finished G-code program running on the machine on the other, all in the same window.
The product is built for production-floor operators across a wide range of work: architectural foam (domes, vaults, walls, openings), aerospace/RC (NACA wings with spar slots, tapered profiles), industrial insulation (pipe shells, thermal panels with mounting channels), and custom shapes from SVG. It controls the machine directly — no separate sender, no export round-trip between tools.
- Parametric generators: domes, vaults, building-block walls, NACA-4 airfoils with spar slots, pipe shells, and thermal panels.
- 4-axis G-code post-processor with synced X/Y on one tower and independent U/V on the other.
- Auto-nesting that operates on the union of top and bottom contours (so tilted 4-axis sweeps pack correctly), with cluster strategies per generator family.
- Collision check and a pre-cut wire-safety validation pass.
- In-window machine control: 4-axis DRO with optional 5th rotational axis, on-screen jog, emergency stop, quick actions (zero / retract / park / heater), live feed override.
- Heater control: external, board PWM, or board PID.
- Material library with kerf, feed, and temperature presets that calibrate to the actual foam batch.
- SVG import for arbitrary 2D profiles.
- Diagnostic export the operator can send to support.
- Controller auto-detect for Marlin, GRBL, and GRBL-H-Par.
- Virtual machine (Virtual GRBL) — a built-in, behaving virtual 4-axis cutter that runs the full workflow with no hardware connected.
The hot-wire CAM landscape is typically a patchwork of separate tools — a CAD modeller, a CAM that doesn't really know about hot wire, a post-processor, and a machine sender — and most shops need at least a part-time CAD/CAM specialist to keep that pipeline running. FoamSync collapses the pipeline into one window and replaces the modelling step with parameter forms, so the operator on the floor can produce the part without a back-office.
- Virtual machine (Virtual GRBL) — design and verify before any hardware. Select the virtual driver instead of a COM port and the whole app behaves as if a real 4-axis cutter is connected: it homes, jogs with smooth motion, runs the full G-code job with the wire animating along the real path, honours live feed override, simulates the heater, and runs the wire-safety pass — with no machine attached. Most hot-wire CAM offers at most a static toolpath preview; this is a behaving machine. Evaluate the product, build a part library, and train operators before the cutter is even on the floor. See docs/virtual-machine.md.
- Single-window workflow. From drawing or parametric input to a running G-code program, with the machine connected, in one window.
- Architectural generators included. Domes (radial, with solid / oculus / no top-cap), barrel vaults, and building-block walls with rounded openings — first-class, not retrofitted.
- 4-axis as a primary mode. Independent X/Y vs U/V tower motion is the default model, not a post-processor afterthought; tapered wings and tilted sweeps are normal output.
- Pre-cut wire-safety pass. Before every cut, the path is checked against the machine's wire lean limit with explicit warning / danger / critical thresholds and diagnostics.
- Built-in heater control. Pick external, board PWM, or board PID per machine.
- Material library that calibrates to your batch. Kerf, feed, and temperature are stored per material grade and adjusted from a small reference cut so the next run starts from real behaviour.
- Nesting that understands 4-axis sweeps. The packer uses the union of top and bottom profiles, and shelves BUILD parts in stacked rows; pipe shells use a pair-interlock pattern that fits two half-shells into one full circle's footprint.
- One-tap wire-zero. Set the wire origin from the current position in one click.
- Multi-firmware auto-detect. Marlin, GRBL, and GRBL-H-Par controllers are recognised on connect.
More on the website gallery.
Three tiers (Lite, Pro, Studio) and three Pro Packs you mix on Pro (BUILD, AERO, THERMAL). The CAM core ships with every tier; packs add parametric generators. Full feature matrix and current prices on the pricing page; summary in docs/tiers-and-packs.md.
- Download for Windows 10 / 11 (x64) from foamsyncstudio.com/download.
- Install and launch. The first seven days run in trial mode: every feature is previewed, output is for evaluation, real machines run in virtual mode.
- Buy a licence via @FoamSync_bot and activate — online, or by loading a licence file from your distributor.
Step-by-step: docs/installation.md · docs/activation.md.
- Introduction — what FoamSync is and who it is for.
- Virtual machine (Virtual GRBL) — design, dry-run, and verify a full job before connecting any hardware.
- Installation — requirements, install, first launch.
- Activation — get a key, activate online or offline.
- Tiers and packs — feature matrix per tier.
- Features — capability reference.
- Workflow — a typical production walkthrough.
- Supported hardware — controllers, firmware, machine topology.
- Market context — where FoamSync sits.
- FAQ
- Support
The full operator manual lives at foamsyncstudio.com/docs.
- Bug reports and feature requests: GitHub Issues
- Activation and billing: @FoamSync_bot
- Email: support@foamsyncstudio.com
FoamSync is proprietary, closed-source software. The source is not published. This repository hosts the public documentation and the issue tracker. See LICENSE.md.
© 2026 Balcore Systems · FoamSync™ · Frankfurt am Main, Germany.