ioLab Policies
Access
A student must be currently enrolled in an ATS class or be an ATS grad in order to be eligible for access to the ioLab. Special access may be given by on an individual project basis by the ATS Coordinator (Noah Coleman) or Assistant Director of Facilities (Anna Yu). Students may access the lab only during posted hours.
Authorizations
All users must attend an authorization before using any of the equipment in the ioLab. Authorizations and access are valid until the end of the semester in which they are received. All ioLab users must be authorized on the equipment they are using. The authorizations are organized by machine/process:
- FDM 3D Printing (Flashforge Creator Pro, TAZ6, Rostock)
- SLA 3D Printing (Form2)
- Othermill PCB
- Shapeoko Basic
- Advanced Milling (Shapeoko & Othermill)
- Plotter/Cutter
- NextEngine Scanner
Schedules for authorizations will be posted after the add/drop deadline. If you are not able to attend any of the posted authorizations, please inform the student worker.
Emergency Procedures
In the event of any emergency
Fire
In the event of a fire alarm, please proceed calmly to the nearest exit located on the west side of the building. Turn left out of the ioLab, and turn left when you reach the main hallway. Follow the stairs down until the first floor and exit the building.
First Aid
The ioLab does not have any first aid supplies. If a student is not seriously injured, they can go to the nurse’s office or security and receive treatment. If a student is seriously injured, contact Security by pressing the orange emergency button on the phone.
File Types
What file type you need depends on what machine and what process you are going to use.
- 3D Printing- .stl, .obj
- CNC Milling- .stl, .dxf, .3dm, .svg, .ai, .nc, .gcode
- Vinyl Cutting/Pen Plotting- .ai, .svg
- Circuit Board Milling- .brd, .gtl, .cmp, .gbr, .svg, .png
Materials
The ioLab is a BYO-Material space. We do not provide any materials for student use. We do have a small amount of scrap and surplus materials on hand for tests. Many materials are available for purchase from Resale. Some materials have negative effects on the equipment and/or the humans operating that equipment. For this reason, there are lists of approved, conditional, and prohibited materials. These lists are subject to change at any time. If you have questions about a particular material or would like to get approval for a conditional material, please contact the ATS Coordinator. See the current approved materials list herePreview the documentView in a new window. See a list of places to get materials online and in Chicago here.
Long Prints
You can print overnight in the ioLab, however, there are no guarantees that your print will finish properly. You are responsible for mitigating any risks associated with a long, unobserved print.
Reservations and Walk-ins
Use of the lab equipment is limited to walk-in only; there are no reservations at this time. Users must run jobs themselves with the supervision of a lab monitor.
Storage
We have very little storage space. Any filament, prints, projects, or personal items left in the lab for more than 2 business days will be discarded or donated to Surplus.
Tools
Students may use the hand tools in the ioLab any time the lab is open. These tools stay in the lab at all times and are not to be loaned or given out to students except for appropriate use in the lab.