Cloning Clone Troopers

• jjx3

Plasma Cutting and

Powder Coating Project

Justin xia

Designing the File

I started by creating an SVG/DXF file of a Star Wars clone trooper visor. Because the visor was a floating shape, the plasma cutter cut it loose, so it didn’t stay in place. This showed me one of the limitations of plasma cutting: you have to design with connected geometry in mind.

Plasma Cutting

I loaded my design into the CNC plasma cutter and cut two diamond shapes with the visor cutout. The plasma cutter handled the outline well, but the floating visor piece dropped out as expected. The cuts left dross and rough edges that needed post-processing.

Angle Grinding

After cutting, I used an angle grinder to remove dross and clean the edges. This step was necessary to make the pieces safe to handle and prepare them for later finishing. Some grind marks stayed visible, which I only noticed after powder coating.

Sand Blasting

Next, I sand blasted the diamonds in the blasting cabinet. This removed surface oxidation and gave the steel a clean, uniform texture. However, I didn’t sand blast evenly enough, so some spots still showed grinder marks.

Powder Coating

I applied a blue translucent powder coat. Translucent coatings highlight every surface imperfection, so the grinder and uneven blasting marks became very visible. Still, the finish gave the parts a smooth surface.

Oven Curing

I cured the coated parts in the powder coating oven. The heat caused the powder to flow and harden into a glossy, durable coating.

Cleanup

After finishing, I thoroughly cleaned the workspaces: wiped down the plasma cutting area, put away the grinder, cleaned the sandblaster cabinet, and swept the powder coating station. Keeping the shop organized was an important part of the process.

Final Results

The two diamonds turned out with a deep blue translucent finish. While I liked the smoothness of the powder coat, I could clearly see blemishes from grinding and blasting.

If I repeated this, I would:

  • Spend more time with the angle grinder to remove uneven areas.

  • Sand blast more evenly for a consistent base texture.

Despite these imperfections, the pieces came out smooth and solid, showing the effectiveness of powder coating.

Cost Breakdown

Total estimated cost: $43.50 for 2 diamonds

 

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