First I downloaded the diamond file template and then I found a dolphin vector file to place on it. After I set the stroke lines, I moved the file to set up the waterjet cutter system. I followed the instructions and set the width of the metal at 0.059in. During the first cut, the cut path was set to cut the diamond first, then the dolphin. However, this did not work well because once the diamond was cut out, it shifted on the plate so the dolphin was no longer in the center. I had to reset the cut path to start cutting the dolphin first. After that, I was able to cut out two identical diamonds.

The first post-processing step was to file down the edges to make them smooth. I used the filer along the edges and corners until it wasn’t rough anymore.

Next, I used the sandblaster to smooth down all of the faces of the metal and remove any impurities for my second post-processing. You could visibly see a difference in the look of the metal after using it.

Once the metal was clean and smooth, I took them outside to spray paint blue and let them dry. I did two layers with the blue paint, and then finished it off with a clear coat. This was the third post-processing step.

Cost Analysis

Cost Type	Item	Cost	Source	Quantity	Total
Material	Aluminum Sheet	$11.47	Home Depot	12in x 12in	$11.47
	Filer	$7.97	Home Depot	1 file	$7.97
	Spray Paint – Blue	$5.98	Home Depot	1 can	$5.98
	Spray Paint – Clear	$5.98	Home Depot	1 can	$5.98
Labor	WaterJet Cutter  Worker	$16.94/hr	Indeed.com	1 hour	$16.94
	Sand Blaster Worker	$17.64/hr	ZipRecruiter	1 hour	$17.64
	Prototyping Engineer	Custom	Self	1 hour	–
Total Cost					$65.98

Reflection

I think the waterjet cutter is very useful and relatively easy to set up. It allows you to cut a variety of shapes to your own creatively and the machine does it effectively.

Clean Workspace