Laser Cut Diamonds

The assignment for this project was to waterjet cut two diamonds with patterns in them. To choose the pattern I used to modify my diamonds, I went on the noun project and looked at various images until I found a dragon shape that I liked and thought was simple enough to easily cut on the waterjet. I then opened the diamond template file in illustrator and added my pattern to one of the diamonds. Then I selected a piece of 1/16 inch aluminum that had enough space left to fit two diamonds. I used the Protomax Layout and Make softwares to cut out the shape on the waterjet.

The machine left few manufacturing defects, so I filed the edges to make them smooth, and then moved on to other post-processing techniques. I wire brushed the entire surface of the diamond, and then vinyl cut a stencil for sandplasting and painting.

I sandblasted the edges of the diamond as well as the back, before deciding to sand the back because the sandblasting came out too rough for my liking.

I spray painted the area I had sandblasted on the front, before pulling off my vinyl sticker.

For the label, I wanted to do something a little cleaner than sharpie, so I used the fiber laser to engrave my name and the steps I had used on the back of the diamond.

The post-processing steps I ended up using were:

  1. File
  2. Wire brush
  3. Vinyl sticker
  4. Sandblast
  5. Spray paint
  6. Sand
  7. Laser engrave

I think it came out quite well, though in hindsight I could have saved some time by not sandblasting the backs of the diamonds.

 

Cost Estimate:

  • Metal: 5$ for a 1/16″ thick aluminum sheet
  • Waterjet garnet: On Omax’s website, it is $0.45 per pound, and since these cuts were short and the software estimate said “less than one pound”, I assumed this price is about $0.20.
  • Labor: This project took me about 5 hours in total, at $15 an hour this comes out to $75

With these calculations, the price ends up at $80.20.

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