It's a tool I've been using for ages. A disk from a floppy diskette attached to a motor.
It can cut plastic quite well, yet is completely incapable of damaging metal. This combination of capabilities is super handy in some situations. Examples: stripping a wire; taking connectors apart for repair... and plain cutting plastic =)
In my recent project, I am making a motor with 3d printer. I use plastic to help me wind the coils, then wick the coils in superglue, and cut off the plastic with this tool.
What if you don't have floppy disks to tear apart? Well, actually, you can use other kind of plastic films for making the disk. Transparent sheets for printers work. Even paper will do, although it doesn't last long.
Why does it work?
I believe it cuts by melting the material through friction. It can cut anything that melts easily. PLA, ABS, PVC, POM, polystyrene, and other thermoplastics are all cuttable. Epoxies are not. Polyimide is not.
It can cut rosin. It can also cut solder, but not great (probably because of its high thermal conductivity.
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Posted on the Hackaday blog :
http://hackaday.com/2016/06/11/plastic-cutter-made-of-3-5-floppy-disk/
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I guess now you can't format the floppy disk to 1,44MB anymore.
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Wow, so many comments! Thanks!
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This is great! Making one as soon as I get home.
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okay, this is so seriously cool, i'm gonna make a quick blog post about it on the Hackaday Blog.
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Thanks =)
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Wow, now this is a hack!
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Holy shit, Jaw Dropped through the entire vid.
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where do we go from here?
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