What can I do in the Metal Working Lab?
Design Consultation (Engineering design: upon request)
If there is a project you are working on that requires metal manufacturing and has real world engineering requirements, our peer mentors and supervisors can provide you with guidance based on their technical backgrounds to allow you to optimize your designs for your given applications
Design Consultation (Manufacturing)
Our team of talented peer mentors and supervisors provide guidance on practical approaches to physically manufacture your designs and ensure they fulfill their design requirements. Through this consultation we will be able to help you modify your designs to ensure manufacturability, whilst optimizing the process to take full advantage of our in-house capabilities
Manual Machining
If a project requires rapid machining for simple design and minimal setup, our manual 3 axis mills and lathe are just the right solution. Easy to learn with a fast turnaround time for your projects
Basic CNC Manufacturing
For projects with symmetric and regular geometries, but require high precision and accuracy, our CNC machines can help get the job done. 3-Axis CNC mills and Basic CNC lathes can help you get those 3D designs manufactured to specifications quickly. Our Waterjet can be used to make 2D profiles accurately out of sheets of materials with thicknesses up to 1 inch
Advanced CNC Manufacturing
For more complicated parts, our facility provides advanced manufacturing capabilities like multi axis milling like 4/5 Axis operations and live tooling in our advanced lathe
Example Projects
Chess Set
This project shows the manufacturing of three different pieces of a chess piece, namely a pawn, a rook, and a knight. This project showcases basic 3D milling and lathe operations along with advanced processes such as multi axis milling and live tooling using the lathe. The design of this project is a more aesthetically focused design.
The parts of this project were:
- CNC Lathe (ST 20 or ST 20Y): Pawn, Rook
- CNC Lathe Live Tooling (ST 20Y): Rook
- CNC Mill (3+2 axis): Knight
Design Phase
5 Hours Total: CAD- 2 hours, CAM- 3 hours (max)
Consultation
2 Hours Total: Design for manufacturability validation- 20 mins, Setup validation- 30 mins, Tool path validation- 30 mins, Tooling validation- 30 mins
Manufacturing
2 hours (Standard): Tool setup- 45 mins, Table model/Turret verification (on machine)- 30 mins, Machine operation- 15 mins (x3 for each piece)
Cleaning up and 5-minute shop job
15 minutes total: Final cleanup and returning equipment- 10 mins, Shop job- 5 mins