For this project, we were tasked with creating two plasma cut diamond-shaped patterns of our choice, and post-processing them in an identical manner. I decided to use the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim logo for my diamond, because it was already very similar in shape to the diamond, and I love the game.

The first step was to make the Illustrator File that would be sent to the Plasma Cutter. Unfortunately, the logo itself was not exactly the same shape as the diamond we had to cut out, so I had to do some editing in Illustrator. Dr. Wettergreen recommended I use the Direct Select Tool and drag the edges of the shape until they conform to the shape of the diamond. Doing this was a great idea, and I like that it turned out pretty true to the original logo:

The next step was to select my material. I chose 1/4″ steel, which felt nice and sturdy, and set up the plasma cutter. I decided to go with 70 speed, as I liked the look of it on the test cuts. We had some trouble cutting out the bottom right section of the diamond(in reference to the picture above), because I think that part of the tail was too close to the wing. We tried to adjust the original file, and made them really far away, but they would still not cut out all the appropriate material, so we decided to roll with what it gave us. Here’s how it turned out:

There’s not too much dross on it, which was nice, and I also still like the way it looks without the section mentioned before.

I first filed down the inside and outside edges. I used flat files for the outside, and circular/square thin files for the insides where I saw fit. In the small nooks and crannies I also employed the help of sandpaper. I also filed whatever dross was actually on it from the cut.

I then sand blasted them to get rid of their impurities, which turned out really nice and smooth. I then went on to spraypaint them black, and this was the result!

Overall, very satisfied with the result! I also labeled one of the pieces with the process that I underwent for post-processing.

One of the labels was a little messed up because the label maker ran out of paper.

COST:

Here I will be analyzing the labor costs, raw material costs, and machine costs.

Labor Costs: $30

Assuming my labor is worth $10/hr. It took me 3 hours.

Raw Material Costs: $44

The diamonds are roughly 60 sq. in. each, and I made 2, which comes out to around 120 sq. in of 1/4″ steel. I used a website (https://www.midweststeelsupply.com/store/a36steelplate) to get a quote on how much this would cost, and each 60 sq. in. piece would be about $22 (seems kinda pricey).

Machine Costs: $3.33

Not quite sure how to go about calculating how much it would cost to use a plasma cutter for about 20 minutes, so I’m going to use the salary of a Lab Tech, which I think is $10. Since one always has to be present while it’s in use, they are technically an associated cost of the machine’s use. Therefore 20 minutes of a $10 hour is $3.33.

Total Cost: $77.77