I used a plasma cutter to cut out steel into the shape of leaves and then used four post-processing techniques to improve its aesthetic. The process can be documented through the following steps:
- The diamond shape was downloaded and imported onto Adobe Illustrator (AI). A leaf icon was then downloaded as an SVG and scaled onto the diamond. This AI file was then sent to the plasma cutter computer and converted to Gcode using Torchmate. A sheet of metal was placed onto the plasma cutter and after grounding it and setting the origin, the leaf icon was male-cut three times. The following images show both sides of the plasma cut icon with slag clearly visible on one side.
- The first post-processing step focused on removing the slag from the product. This was accomplished by angle grinding the edges.
- The next post-processing step was sanding the faces of the product to make the surface smooth to the touch and shiny. This was accomplished using an orbital sander with 200-grit sandpaper.
- The third post-processing step was to file the edges to make them smoother and remove most sharp edges.
- The final post-processing step was to spray-paint the product. This was accomplished in two coats of matte black spray paint while allowing 6 hours for the paint to dry each coat.
- The final product copies are shown below.
Cost Estimates
- Steel ($17.36/ft^2) = $0.72
- Plasma Cutter Time ($15/hr) = $1.25
- Angle Grinder ($0.0989/kWh)(0.33 h)(660W) = $0.022
- Metal Sheet Labor ($20/hr)(2) = $40
- Spray Paint ($0.017/mL)(20 mL) = $0.34
Total Cost = $42.33