CNC Lab Policy

Room 132 Campbell Hall, the CNC Fabrication Lab, provides resources to the students and faculty of the School of Architecture for the exploration and processing of computer-based fabrication methods. The lab contains five primary pieces of manufacturing equipment, plus the computers to run them and general resources in support of them. These pieces are:

Universal systems M-300/x-600 Laser Cutters

2-dimensional,12”x24” capacity, CO2 based laser-cutter/engraver
Cuts wood, wood/paper board products, acrylics, glass
No Metals or PVC plastics

Stratasys Dimension SST 3D Printer

3-dimensional, 8" x 10" x 12" capacity, FDM printer
ABS Plastic only.

Denford MicroMill 2000

3-dimensional, 9” x 5.125” x 6.5” capacity, milling machine
Cuts aluminum, brass, acrylics, and wood

Denford MicroRouter

3-dimensional, 22” x 12.25” x 3.25” capacity, router
Cuts aluminum, brass, acrylics, and wood

The facility is managed by the office of Computer Technologies generally, and Eric Field specifically. Use of the facility shall follow these restrictions:

1. Priority of access to the facility is established as follows:
   • Specific course offerings which teach CNC technology
   • Other course offerings, including studios, which arrange for access on a semester-by-semester basis. Such access will be determined by the office of the Associate Dean for Academics.
   • Faculty research projects
   • Individual students who have taken the requisite training and wish to use the technology. Priority within this group is established by sign-up on a first-come-first-served basis.
2. All those using the equipment must complete a required course in training on the machines. Students will only be allowed to use the machines that they have been trained on. A certified users list will be kept and maintained by the Office of Computer Technologies. Access to computers in the CNC lab will also be controlled by login restriction based upon this same list.
3. Various forms of training will be offered, and are articulated separately from this statement.
4. Hours of availability will be established by the Dean’s office and will be posted outside of the room. Access outside of these hours is prohibited.
5. A sign-up calendar will be kept outside the door to the facility indicating all times the facility is in use, and allowing for signup of individual use times.
6. Students will be given the access code to the room upon completion of training.
7. Users will only work with those raw materials and those tools approved for use in the machines. A list of material restrictions will be posted near each machine. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in damage to the machines, and loss of their use.
8. No machine – computer or fabrication - will be reconfigured or otherwise modified by users beyond that which is part of the normal operation of such machine. This includes any hardware and/or software(s) used to build objects or to drive the fabrication process.
9. Rules of safety, which will be published on the walls inside of the lab, must be followed at all times. Failure to follow these rules may result in loss of privileges to use the facility.
10. With the exception of the Dimension 3D printer, no machine will be actively in operation without its user present and awake at all times. Users will not leave the room with the machines running, even for a moment. Failure to follow these rules will result in loss of privileges to use the facility.
11. All users of the machines must clean up after their work, using established guidelines for cleaning that are posted and covered during training.
12. The room itself will be kept in an orderly and clean manner. Raw materials and project parts will be kept organized using the shelves and bins provided.
13. In the event of any problems or difficulties with the operation or maintenance of the machines, all work on such machine will cease, and the office of Computer Technologies will be notified immediately.
14. Access to any damaged machine will be revoked until such time as that machine has been fixed, as determined by the office of Computer Technologies.
15. Users will not attempt any maintenance or cleaning of the machines beyond what is described in training. More advanced maintenance requires additional knowledge. Improper maintenance can result in damage to the machines.