In this workshop we will cover how to get started designing parts for your projects that can be made simply and quickly with a CNC cutter or 3D printer. No prior experience is required, but having an idea for a project that you may want to get started on would be great.
Services
- Project Support and Consultation
- Abrasive Water Jet Cutting
- Laser Cutting
- 3D Printing
- Tube Welding
- Training
- Electronics Prototyping
- Instrument Design
Project Support & Consultation
We provide support for a wide range of projects from large to small. We are available for consultation at any stage of a project—from initial conception to fine-tuned details. Contact us for an appointment or more information.
Abrasive Water Jet Cutting
Flow NanoJet
Our abrasive waterjet cutter is a 40kW, 6000 bar, fully enclosed machine with a cutting area of 100 cm x 60 cm. In principle, anything up to about 10cm thick can be cut, but there some limitations on what we may cut for time or safety reasons, and others that do not yield good results.
Capabilities
- Cuts material up to 10 cm thick
- ~10 μm positioning accuracy
- 1.0 m x 0.6 m cutting area
- Nozzle rises up to 15 cm vertically
- 0.02 mm / 0.3 m linear straightness accuracy
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Design Requirements
Your base material must have enough room around the part that you want to cut out so that it can be securely clamped down. You should have 5 cm of clearance along 2 edges for this.
We have two nozzles available, and their cutting ‘beams’ have a diameters of about 1 mm and 0.4mm. Internal corners sharper than that are not possible, and very fine features can be tricky.
Laser Cutting
Coherent Meta 2C
The Coherent Meta2C is a 250 W laser that cuts and engraves quickly and easily on materials such as acrylic, paper, wood, and thin steel.
The laser cutter is mainly used for organic materials with 250W of laser power at a wavelength of 10.6 micrometers.
This machine has a large cutting bed of 1.2m x 1.2m (4’ x 4’) which is great for large projects or layout.
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Acrylic
Acrylic is probably the most commonly used material on the laser cutter, but there are a few things to keep in mind. Not all acrylic is equivalent, and some is really quite bad to cut. If possible, choose ‘cast’ rather than ‘extruded’ acrylic. Special acrylics can also have some additive that can be problematic. Acrylic sheets typically come with a protective material on both sides. If this is a plastic film, it has to be removed before cutting, and the surface of the acrylic is likely going to be somewhat damaged during cutting. If the material is paper, then it can be left on and the surface finish will be far better.
Etching
The laser cutter can also be used to etch various materials. It is particularly good at etching dark anodization off of aluminum panels. For example, If you are making an enclosure or a control panel, labels for switches, buttons, and indicators can be made using the etching feature.
Design requirements
Choosing the correct size material for a part can end up being a bit complicated in some cases. Please contact use for guidance if you are not sure. For example, the cutting ‘beam’ lens has a focal length of either ~60 mm or 120 mm (depending on the situation, one of two different lenses can be used). The actual kerf generated by cutting depends on the thickness of the material and its composition.
3D Printing
At the APC we have three 3D printers, a Formlabs Form 3, a Dremel 3D20, and a Lulzbot Taz Pro. These are primarily for testing designs. We do not offer 3D printing as a stand-alone service. For standard 3D prints, we recommend one of the wide range of online services.
Software
For the Formlabs Form3: PreForm
For the Lulzbot Taz Pro: Cura
Tube Welding
We have a Swagelok M200 orbital tube welder with a variety of collets for welding stainless steel tubing for high purity gas services and vacuum systems.
Training
Wright Lab hosts regular workshops introducing capabilities and techniques for equipment found in the Advanced Prototyping Center (APC). For more information about Wright Lab’s facilities, please see the Facilities page.
Previous APC workshops are listed below.
APC Workshops
This one-hour workshop is for those who do not have much experience using or designing for 3D printers, and for those who would like to use the 3D printers housed in the Advanced Prototyping Center at Wright Lab. We will cover types of printers, capabilities, and some basics of design. After the workshop, you will have what you need to get started using 3D prints in your projects!
Dates offered: 03/01/2019, 10/02/2019
This one-hour workshop is for those who would like to use the laser cutter housed in the Advanced Prototyping Center at Wright Lab. We will cover basic usage and capabilities, and why laser cutters should be added to your arsenal of fabrication techniques.
Dates offered: 03/27/2019
This one-hour introductory workshop is for those who would like to use the abrasive water jet cutter housed in the Advanced Prototyping Center at Wright Lab. These machines use high pressure water to accelerate finely crushed garnet to three times the speed of sound. The resulting jet can quickly abrade its way through a wide variety of materials. We will cover basic usage and capabilities, some specific advantages and disadvantages, and why using a little bit of sand and water can accelerate your project.
Dates offered: 05/24/2019
This workshop is a quick-start guide to using the APC’s laser cutter and abrasive water jet cutter, and is ideal for those who have not used CNC cutters before and are interested in doing so. I will cover the workflow from design to fabrication as well as capabilities and limitations of the two techniques. Typical uses include cutting parts from sheets of material such as aluminum, glass, wood, and acrylic. However, we are always interested in new applications so feel free to come with questions and ideas.
Dates offered: 11/14/2019
This one-hour workshop is for those who would like to get started with using micro-controllers for their instrumentation needs. Advances in programming environments have made using micro-controllers easier than ever, and their cost is hard to beat. We will cover basic design, communication between sensors, and how to store data in a database. By the end of the workshop, you will have learned that including micro-controllers in your project can be an inexpensive and surprisingly robust way to collect data and control systems in many circumstances.
Electronics Prototyping
We have supported prototyping and development of electronics for instrumentation, in particular using micro-controllers and basic FPGAs for integration into larger projects. Please contact us for more information on current capabilities and resources.
Instrument Design
We have designed instruments and parts for groups across campus and across disciplines. Contact us for more information about how we can support your project.