HotWire4X is a consequence, not an origin. It comes from more than twenty years of hot wire cutting — machines built, software written, mistakes catalogued. What this site explains, the software applies.
What it does
Two things, and they go together.
It designs a virtual project that can be cut. Wings, fuselages, workshop parts: you draw inside the software, with tools made for this process — not in a general-purpose CAD package that would take six months to learn.
It drives your machine. Through the USB port, with a compatible interface. It sends what is needed, the way it is needed, and it handles the heating.
The flying model designer
The software carries what you need to build a complete model: the airframe, the wings, the fuselage. The curves are curvature-continuous, which gives clean surfaces — and invisible joints between sections.
[TO BE COMPLETED: designer screenshots, in dark theme as per the convention.]
Two ways to drive a machine
| Path | For whom |
|---|---|
| G-code in G93, sent to a GRBL board | modern machines and recompiled off-the-shelf boards |
| IPL5X, native USB | the historical fleet, which keeps working |
You do not have to choose: the software handles it according to your interface.
The G-code is emitted in G93, the only correct feed mode for this process. Why, in one note.
Free, then paid — in that order
Without a licence you can design, save, set up your table and test the movements, with no time limit. In this mode the software makes no network connection.
The licence unlocks the functions that command a real cut: direct USB control, and export of the command files.
This is deliberate: you check that everything works on your computer, with your hardware, before you pay.
Buy a license
Once everything works with your machine, the license unlocks real cutting. There are three, depending on who you are: Personal (private use), Education and Non-Profit, Pro (commercial use). One single payment, perpetual license for version 6.x.x.
Choose your licenseDownload for free
HotWire4X runs on Windows and macOS (Apple M chips). The detail of versions and compatible interfaces is on the system requirements page.