Introduction
The assignment was to produce a piece of metal with a shape cut out inside of it using a water jet cutter and post-processing techniques.

Process
First I downloaded the diamond shapefile from canvas and put it into Adobe Illustrator. I then typed a big letter J in the middle since that’s the first letter of my name. Lastly, I duplicated that shape because I knew I wanted to make two pieces.

Next, I sent the file to the water jet cutter and cut the two shapes out of aluminum metal.

Once the pieces were cut I began post-processing.
First, I used a grinding disk to smoothen out the edges.

Then, I used a file to smoothen out the internal geometry of the cutout.

Then, I used the sandblaster to polish the pieces even more.
Once the surface was ready, I spray-painted the pieces blue.

Cost Analysis
Sheet of Aluminum: $40
Spray Paint: $8
Labor Cost: ($15/hr)*4 = $60

Total: $108

Conclusion
Through this assignment, I was glad to have the opportunity to use the water jet cutter and the grinding disk. In this case, the post-processing took much longer than the machining process but it felt very systematic and straightforward. In the end, there were a few small bumps on the paint. Through this, I realized that I should have used the grinding disk on the face of the pieces and not just on the edges.
Overall, this project was a great learning experience.