Step 1: Choose a design
The first part of my plasma cutting journey was to determine what logo/emblem I wanted to have on my diamond-shaped sheet of metal. As someone who has always been fascinated with human spaceflight and space exploration, the choice was quite obvious, a rocket ship!
I liked this design in particular because it was simple and had thin streaks underneath it to signify the rocket’s propellent being ejected from the back to produce thrust.
Step 2: DIAMOND TEMPLATE
Once I decided on the shape that I wanted to cut out, I downloaded the provided diamond template from Canvas. Then, in Adobe Illustrator, I laid my design atop the diamond template and scaled it to an arbitrary minimum size that I believed could be cut out by the plasma. Next, I saved the file onto my flash drive and proceeded to the machine shop!
Step 3: PLASMA CUTTING – TEST CUT OUT
I partnered with Tiffany for our initial scheduled plasma-cutting session! In the machine shop, we referenced the laminated packet with instructions on how to operate the plasma cutter. Unfortunately, for both Tiffany and me, our initial cutouts did not produce satisfactory results. For me, the size of my design was simply too small – specifically, the thin lines representing the rocket’s propellent underneath – for the plasma cutter to make quality cuts.
Since the overall design was too small, the lines were also too small to be distinct cuts.
With this inadequate cut-out, I figured scaling up the rocket design on the diamond template would correct the issue! But this would be a job to complete for another day.
Step 4: PLASMA CUTTING – valid CUT OUTs
On October 11th, I further increased (just slightly) the size of the rocket to be certain that adequate cuts would be made! Then I proceeded to the plasma cutter to redo my cutouts.
SUCCESS! Since the overall design increased in size, the streaks were able to be cut as individual lines!
Step 5: POSt-PROCESSING
The next step was to use the angle grinder to grind away any of the dross that was still attached to my cutout.
After the angle grinder, I proceeded to file down all of the internal edges that were sharp or deformed.
Unfortunately, the sandblaster was out of order, so I had to sand my pieces by hand using regular sandpaper. I sanded both manually as well as using the rotary sander. Since the thin lines of my rocket propellent were too thin, I had to use a thin strip of 60-grit sandpaper to sand down the internal edges of the thin lines in a flossing-like motion. I followed the same process using 220, 300, and 800-grit sandpaper.
Next, I sanded the faces and outer edges of my diamond starting with 800-grit sandpaper. I followed the same process using 1000, 1500, and 2000-grit sandpaper. Afterward, while I washed my hands with soap and water, I scrubbed my cutouts to remove all the dust, dirt, and grime from all the filling and sanding. Additionally, it was useful to clean the surface as a prep for painting.
Next, I used the filler primer to fill in all of the scratches on the surface of my cutouts. I follow the first coat of primer with light sand using 2500 grit sandpaper to omit the grainy texture that the filler primer leaves behind. I did the same process following the second primer coating.
Finally, I chose a clear gloss as my finish. I repeated the same sanding processes as with the primer application mentioned above. And with 2 final coats of clear gloss, my diamond cutout using a plasma cutter was complete!
Cost estimate
- Metal: 1 x (24″ x 36″) = ~$16
- Filler Primer: $7.50×1 = $7.50
- Spray Paint: $4.50 x 1 = $4.50
- Hourly Wage for Plasma Cutting: ~$16×2 = $32
- Labor: $20x5hrs = $100
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TOTAL = ~$160
