I found this video on cutting foam with a needle. Very impressive. Seems to cut pretty fast and the foam looks thick. Probably doesn't make much dust either. The guys name is Tom McGuire, who is an engineer and artist. I can't find much info on it, just a few youtube videos. The text in the video says he sharpen up a needle and roughen it up with emery cloth. His first video is him testing the concept, where he just attaching a needle to a hair clipper. Then he makes a real machine. It uses a motor and crank, like all those homemade tattoo machines you see all over youtube. But I can't figure out how that solenoid works. Looks like it stops the needle so it's fully retracted, but I don't know how or if it actually is doing something else. Here are the videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w41R2sN2Uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_n9czXw92g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE3LhvZKAQE

This is the same guy responsible for the desktop cnc router, which we have probably all seen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6drMZqmyXQc

 

Whoa! That's cool. Are you going to add this to your Phlatprinter? It seems like a 360 degree saw blade the way it works.

 

I definitely will be playing with this in the future, but right now I just need to finish my PP. All this modding and experimenting, has brought my progress to a stand still. This might make a really good poor man's PP. It would eliminate the Z Axis entirely and the remaining Y-axis would weight very little.

 

Sure thing, Mark. I will report on any results. At the beginning of the 2nd video, you do get a few glimpses of the edge.

 

Has anyone found any info on the needle?