Aluminum Light Saber Hilt
Project Overview
I designed a custom lightsaber hilt in SOLIDWORKS CAD software. I then machined the hilt out of aluminum using a metal lathe and mill.
Completed CAD model of the lightsaber hilt.
Machining the hilt on the mill.
Finished hilt with assembled electronics and blade.
Finished hilt without blade and electronics.
Additional Details
Non-pictured Steps
- I completed safety training and testing on both the metal lathe and mill to be able to complete this project.
- After machining was completed, I deburred and sandblasted the hilt prior to spray painting the hilt black.
- After spray painting, I ran the hilt through one last pass on the lathe to get the metallic look back.
- I assembled the hilt with electronics and the blade using set screws.
Learning Process
- I had to ensure that measurements in CAD were standard sizes that matched the tools available on the mill and lathe.
- I considered various design constraints due to machining limitations.
- I learned the importance of precision while machining, as one small error would throw off the entire design.
- I got experience using more complicated milling and lathe operations.
- I gained experience with various ways to set up and orient pieces for successful and safe machining.