Proposal for a new

Lawrence Technological University Engineering Design Lab

Eric G. Meyer, Associate Professor

Mansoor Nasir, Assistant Professor

June 28, 2017

Executive Summary

“Engineering is practice. It’s designing things that can improve our quality of life, things that can solve some of our problems.” Linda Katehi, University of California, Davis 1

The proposed Lawrence Technological University Engineering Design Lab (LTU_EDL) will provide a space for learners to design, prototype and deploy solutions to real-world engineering challenges. This would be a collaborative maker space, open to the Lawrence Tech community. Students, faculty and staff may use the resources and equipment without a need for a membership, and will be able to use a variety of tools and machines on their own, with little to no required training. The LTU_EDL will provide a project-based learning environment where students from all courses and programs of study have an opportunity to understand how innovation and creativity can lead to academic, economic and social advancement. This exposure will encourage entrepreneurial thinking among our students in an environment where these ideas can be nurtured, developed, funded, and commercialized.

This proposal is well supported by current LTU students (see letter and survey comments in Appendix) and aligned with the College of Engineering mission and plan “to significantly increase their prestige in the region by redesigned cutting-edge technological programs, pedagogical and technological innovations in delivery, an engaged faculty, active applied research and first rate facilities”. It also supports the mission of the University “to be a preeminent private technological university producing leaders with an entrepreneurial spirit and global view”. LTU is implementing comprehensive transformations of the engineering curriculum to instill an entrepreneurial mindset in students. These developments, funded by the Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network (KEEN), included an entrepreneurial programs and re-developing courses with active students engagement which includes project based learning (PBL) and active collaborative learning (ACL). These teaching pedagogies require students to work on group projects and by extension require spaces where students can collaborate, share ideas and innovate.

With a few modifications the lab E108 can become the location of the LTU_EDL in the engineering building to enable student access to common design/maker supplies and equipment. The vision is to create a comfortable and functional space with controlled access but where students are actively engaged in design and ideation. The space also holds the potential for a showcase area for outreach activities to demonstrate student collaborative work and projects. This proposal will also describe how a large percentage of the resources are already available or can be acquired with current grant funding of BME faculty.

Background

The traditional pedagogical approach in engineering starts with building a strong foundation in math and sciences before introducing laboratory coursework that demonstrates these principles though representative theoretical and experimental models. Students learn deductively and appreciate the careful caution exhibited by a developer in ascertaining that the solution is reliable and accurate. Although the learn-implement-build-test technique is necessary for communicating large amounts of technical information, it lacks the real-world relevance and use of available

1 Educating Engineers: Preparing 21st Century Leaders in the Context of New Modes of Learning: Summary of a

Forum. Steve Olson, Editor; National Academy of Engineering. 2013, ISBN 978-0-309-26770-0.

resources necessary for engineering design. Furthermore, technical competence is not enough to address the practical considerations successful engineering design.

Recent developments in the maker movement have opened the door for hobbyists, inventors and hackers to turn concepts into products by focusing on technology gaps and customer needs through rapid prototyping. The end products demonstrate the entrepreneurial spirit and on-demand learning through repeated trials and failure, which is in contrast to a more calculated engineering approach. The LTU_EDL will promote an inductive pedagogy and experiential learning that follows a design-build-test-reflect technique and develops many of the characteristics of the maker movement.

The engineering industry and many universities have supporting this trend by building new design/maker facilities to increase students’ skills and experience developing preliminary designs, creating prototypes, testing and refining functionality, communicating social and economic values, and developing business models. This proposed design lab would incorporate aspects of maker movement, and would provide space for a number of existing courses as well as new courses that would be developed to address a gap in the current engineering design coursework at the Junior level (Figure 1). Starting with freshman2, the College of Engineering at Lawrence Tech is currently in the process of creating a cohesive, four-year multidisciplinary engineering design program focused on creating entrepreneurially minded engineers capable of; inquisitive initiative, societal and self-awareness, impact on society, excellent communication, and exemplary project implementation. Additionally, student feedback in exit interviews and course evaluations has indicated a desire by students to learn from hands-on activities with opportunities to learn basic computer-aided design, prototyping, manufacture, electronics and programming skills. This need has been recognized by the Biomedical Engineering program and the College of Engineering, and resulted in updates and revision of several courses in the BME and other engineering curricula.

Figure 1. The vision for design experiences for engineering students at LTU.

Current Facilities and Equipment

Most on campus facilities, particularly within the BME Department, serve the purpose of instructional spaces (traditional classrooms and recently “studios”) and labs for experimental analysis. Students also have access to many lounge areas which are heavily utilized for working on homework and other assignments. However, for many course projects student teams require access to space that is not only setup for collaborative work but also has access to basic tools that can be used for rough prototyping and simple data acquisition/analysis.

Department Specific

Design Studio (BME 3113)

2 Gerhart AL, Carpenter DD, Fletcher RW, Meyer EG. Combining discipline-specific Introduction to Engineering

courses into a single multi-disciplinary course to foster the entrepreneurial mindset with entrepreneurial minded learning. Proc ASEE Annual Conference, 2014, Indianapolis, IN.

In 2013, the E109 space was reorganized to create an “engineering design studio” for a new multidisciplinary freshman projects course. Currently, the Taubman Complex building project also includes a large studio for a multidisciplinary sophomore entrepreneurship course. Senior projects students in various engineering programs are heavy users of the many other College of Engineering facilities, such as the metal shop, new prototyping lab, robotics lab, materials lab (ME), electronics lab (EE), CIMR (CE), and wood shop (AE)..

Engineering Design Process and Resources In various courses throughout the curriculum, engineering students are required to perform simple design projects that include building a prototype that is 3D printed or made of cardboard, wood, plastic, metal, mechano sets, lego, anatomical models, and/or open electronics. The students also need to share ideas for possible solutions to medical needs and use a whiteboard to demonstrate possible designs. The capstone experience for the undergraduate engineering programs is for seniors to prove their ability to successfully complete a multiple semester group-based project that utilizes the engineering design process. Senior Projects requires building of iterative prototypes and testing to validate functionality (recent examples in BME are provided in the Appendix). The success of the project relies on repetitive troubleshooting during prototype development. Effective troubleshooting processes often require tools for rapid prototyping and testing in a manner that facilitates as many design iterations as possible. This emphasis on the development of a tangible product typically forces students to “leave their comfort zone” while becoming familiar with important University resources. In general, University resources utilized by senior design students include some combination of fabrication, testing, and computational analysis equipment, all of which align with common industry resources and tools. Seniors in recent years have been increasingly engaged and vocal about the resources that they need and want to be available at LTU (see 2015-2016 student letter in Appendix).

In a newly developing Junior level design course, BME will offer a “Wearable Technology Design Studio”, that is focused on product design with targeted skill building related to prototyping before students start Senior Projects. Wearable technology is reducing the barriers for companies and individuals to create new products for fashion, sports, lifestyle, computing, and health industries. The best product experiences combine fit, style and function. However, experienced designers are required, who have the broad vision and skills to deliver these results. Recently, there have been extensive hardware and software development kits and support from leading technology companies (Intel, Apple, Google, Arduino, SEEED) that engineers and makers can use to apply technology in new and creative ways. The course will introduce various aspects of wearables to students, with minimal prerequisites, by a team of multi-disciplinary faculty from engineering, game design, psychology, industrial design, information technology, and humanities. Using an experiential learning pedagogy within the framework of the entrepreneurial mindset, this course will espouse curiosity and build self-confidence in students that is necessary to emphasize innovation skills (associating, questioning, observing, experimenting, and networking) and the variety of roles (designer, manager, maker, professional, role model, and value creator) necessary in entrepreneurship.

The Engineering Design Lab would be a suitable place for many of these activities. It should be noted that these projects are performed and worked on by students outside of class hours without constant and direct supervision of the instructors. Students would also use this space to store and keep their prototypes that are subsequently used for design revisions and demonstration purposes. The proposed Engineering Design Lab would bring this common prototyping and testing equipment into a single non-intimidating space where students can use their time most effectively.

Benchmarking Analysis

Maker spaces started at MIT in 2001 and are a part of the recent work to revolutionize the current engineering educational system by providing an extracurricular means for students to engage in more hands-on projects and develop a large range of the skills that are currently being underdeveloped. Maker spaces go beyond the traditional machine shop environment familiar to colleges of engineering, by offering access to rapid prototyping equipment and conceptual design spaces coupled with a unique culture that can be transformative to its users.3

University Maker Space List4 1 Arizona State University Tech Shop https://asunews.asu.edu/20140115-asuchandler-innovation-center

2 Boise State University The Kitchen Venture Lab http://cobe.boisestate.edu/ent/thekitchen/

3 Boston University BUILDS http://builds.cc/

4 University of California, Berkeley SuperNode http://supernode.berkeley.edu/index.php?title=Main_Page

5 University of California, Davis Makerspace http://www.davismakerspace.org/

6 University of California, San Diego QI Prototyping Lab http://prototyping.ucsd.edu/

7 California Polytechnic State University Innovation Sandbox http://cie.calpoly.edu/programs/innovation-sandbox/c/10.aspx

8 Carnegie Mellon University IDeATe http://www.cmu.edu/homepage/creativity/2014/summer/space-for-innovation.shtml

9 Case Western Reserve University Think[box] http://engineering.case.edu/thinkbox/

10 Colorado State University http://cnseoc.colostate.edu/makerspace.html

11 Columbia University Columbia Makerspace http://engineering.columbia.edu/web/newsletter/room_innovation%E2%80%94school_opens_new_makerspace

12A University of Colorado Boulder CINC http://www.colorado.edu/envd/resources/cinc

12B University of Colorado Boulder ITLL http://itll.colorado.edu/about_us

13 Dartmouth College Unified Projects Laboratory http://engineering.dartmouth.edu/esc/designlabs/

14A Drexel University ExCITe Center http://www.drexel.edu/soe/facultyresearch/researchinitiatives/rigee/creative-initiatives/

14B Drexel University Drexel MakerSpace dLab http://www.drexel.edu/soe/faculty- research/researchinitiatives/rigee/creative-

initiatives/ 15 Duke University Duke Co-Lab https://colab.duke.edu/

16 Georgia Institute of Technology Invention Studio http://inventionstudio.gatech.edu/about/

17 Harvard University Guerilla Maker Space http://guerrillamakerspace.squarespace.com/#what-is-gms

18 Johns Hopkins University DMC Makerspace http://digitalmedia.jhu.edu/resources/dmcmakerspace/

19 Lehigh University http://www.lehigh.edu/ip3/available_labs_resources.pdf

20 North Carolina State University Hunt Library Makerspace http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/spaces/huntlibrary-makerspace

21 Northwestern University Segal Design Institute Prototyping Lab http://segal.northwestern.edu/about/prototyping-lab-facilities.html

22 Oregon State University http://eecs.oregonstate.edu/education/3dprinter/index2.php

23 Princeton University Keller Center Maker Space http://kellercenter.princeton.edu/create/maker-space/overview/

24 Purdue University BoilerMaker Lab https://tech.purdue.edu/facilities/boilermaker-lab

25 Rice University Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen http://oedk.rice.edu/

26 Stanford University Create:Space https://acomp.stanford.edu/techlounge/createspace

27 Syracuse University SU Makerspace http://news.syr.edu/su-makerspace-isopen-for-business-will-host-open-houseoct-10-41663/

28 University of Maryland John and Stella Graves MakerSpace http://www.lib.umd.edu/tlc/makerspace

3 Forest CR, Moore RA, Jariwala AS, et al. The Invention Studio: A University Maker Space and Culture.

Advances in Engineering Educaiton. 2014;4(2):1-32.

4 Barrett T, Pizzico M, Levy BD, Nagel RL, Linsey JS, Talley KG, Forest CR, Newstetter WC. A Review of

University Maker Spaces. ASEE 2015.

29 University of Michigan Wilson Student Team Project Center http://teamprojects.engin.umich.edu/about/

30 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign MakerLab http://makerlab.illinois.edu/

31 University of Nevada DeLaMare’s Makerspace http://www.unr.edu/nevadatoday/news/2014/makerspace

32 University of Texas at Austin Longhorn Make Studio http://makerspace.engr.utexas.edu/

33 University of South Florida X-Labs http://www.eng.usf.edu/dfx/index.html

34 University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee Digital Craft Research Lab http://www.frankieflood.com/dcrl/uwm/home.html

35A University of Central Florida Harris Corporation Gathering Lab http://today.ucf.edu/creativity-bolstereducf-new-maker-space-labs/

35B University of Central Florida Idea Lab http://today.ucf.edu/creativity-bolstereducf-new-maker-space-labs/

35C University of Central Florida Texas Instruments Innovation Lab http://e2e.ti.com/blogs_/b/designproject/archive/2014/09/23/unique-innovation-

labat-university-of-central-florida-bringshard-and-soft-sciences-together 36 University of Mary Washington ThinkLab http://umwthinklab.com/

37 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill http://library.unc.edu/makerspace/

38 Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt Mobile Makerspace http://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2014/10/24/mobile-makerspace-

sparksimaginations-vanderbilt-childrenshospital/17812695/

39 Washington State University Fab Labs http://sdc.wsu.edu/sdc/ourspaces/fabrication-labs/

40 Yale University Yale CEID http://ceid.yale.edu/about-us/what-is-theceid/

The idea of a Makerspace is to bring all the technologies that allow for creativity and innovation from

students, faculty and young minds alike. They should foster a network of collaboration between others

and allow for an idea to be followed from pen and pad to prototyping under one roof. These technologies

include any of the following; 3D printing, laser cutting, wood shop, metal shop, electronics shop, textiles,

computers and white boards (Table 1). Although LTU has some of the equipment used in most Makerlabs,

there is not a cohesive arrangement that eases engineering student access to these resources.

Typical Makerspace Features

3D Printers

3D Scanners

CAD Software

Computer Programming

Laser Cutter

CNC Machines

Vinyl Cutters

Sewing Machines

Soldering Irons

Circuit Scribe

Injection Molding Machine

Electronics Kits

Organized Storage Area

Student Work Storage Area

PCB Printers

24/7 Access via membership

3D Printers

LTU College of Engineering has at least five 3D printers; 3 Makerbot Replicator 5th Gen and 2 larger

Gigabot 3D printers that are located in the Prototyping Lab. There are also 3D printers located in the

Robotics Lab, Sophomore Studio, Bioinstrumentation, ACRC Print Lab, and Engineering Technology.

These are predominantly used by the students in those programs, with the benefit over the Prototyping

Lab, that they are accessible anytime and without requiring payment for material. Student feedback has

also indicated that the 3D printers in the Prototyping Lab are frequently being used or serviced, such that

students may have difficulty finding one that is available. Another problem is simple organization and

planning. The process for getting something printed on one of the 3D printers around the school is pretty

simple, students create their print file, hand it over to the worker in the prototyping lab and have it printed.

But this process requires scheduling and coordination for them to know if the printer is being used or not,

or when the print is done. Other makerspaces use a similar process, but may have an online calendar much

like google calendar which can be shared with users. On the calendar they have the number of 3D printers,

the times they are free or in use, the expected print completion time and allow for reservations of the

printer ahead of time, as well as times for maintenance or when a printer is out of order. The LTU_EDL

would have multiple 3D printing tools (Figure 3) that are appropriate for small and medium size projects.

Figure 3. 3D printing equipment in the LTU_EDL.

Laser Cutter/CNC Milling

The Toltec 3000 laser cutter was part of the Wood Shop that was moved out of the Engineering Building.

It is an older model with a moderately powered laser and work space (17x28 inches). BME has also

installed a new Full Spectrum Hobby Series 20x12 in the Biomaterials Lab and Carbide 3D Nomad 883

Pro desktop CNC mill in the Bioinstrumentation Lab (Figure 4). Laser cutting and milling require students

to have more training and experience. These equipment are managed by staff, so students can only access

it while they are available to help, which leads scheduling problems. The laser cutter and CNC mills could

also be incorporated the scheduling system along with the 3D printers. The LTU_EDL would have

multiple laser/CNC cutting tools (Figure 4) that are appropriate for small and medium size projects.

Figure 4. Laser cutter and CNC equipment in the LTU_EDL.

Wood Shop

In addition to the laser cutter, the Wood Shop in the College of Architecture and Design also includes high

quality wood saws and other tools available for cutting, joining and finishing wood or other soft materials.

Large projects can be completed quickly, safely and with the ability to control dust. The LTU_EDL would

have only limited cutting, joining and finishing tools that are appropriate for small projects in a relatively

clean environment.

Metal Shop

In addition to the 3D printers, the Prototyping Lab and Metal Shop in the College of Engineering also has

computer aided manufacture (CNC) equipment for doing subtractive manufacture of CAD files. There are

also extensive equipment and tools available for cutting, shaping, joining and finishing metal or harder

materials. Large projects can be completed quickly, safely and with the ability to control debris and waste

materials. The LTU_EDL would have only limited cutting, shaping, joining and finishing tools that are

appropriate for small projects.

Electronics Shop

The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department maintains multiple labs for building and testing

analog circuits and electronics as well as digital electronics and networking equipment. The LTU_EDL

would have basic soldering and electronics equipment (Figure 5) that are appropriate for “open

electronics” type projects.

Figure 5. Electronics starter kits for learning and prototyping.

Textiles

It is unclear what equipment/tools are available for engineering students to work with textiles. Recently

the BME Department purchased a basic sewing machine that has been used for Senior Projects prototypes.

It is anticipated that more tools for working with this material will be purchased by the BME Department

and included as part of the LTU_EDL for future offerings of the Wearables Technology Design Studio.

Computer Aided Design

While all engineering students have CAD software on their laptops and access to the computer labs,

frequently they are hesitant to use CAD for coursework due to a lack of training/expertise with these

resources. Recently, the BME Department obtained 3D scanners systems (Figure 6) to digitize objects for

CAD. Additionally, BME students are familiar with MIMICS software through their training to use 3D

medical images like CT and MRI to create CAD models based on anatomy. This software is also powerful

for cleaning up and smoothing 3D scanned data in the .stl file format. There may also be the possibility to

include virtual/augmented reality systems in the EDL for visualization before prototyping or other

computer design projects. The LTU_EDL would provide a helpful space for students to work together or

participate in additional CAD training.

Figure 6. 3D scanners and MIMICS CAD capabilities in the LTU_EDL.

Brainstorming/Group Work

Engineering students in many courses, such as EGE 1001 and EGE 2123 and senior projects are expected

to work in groups on homework projects, but may only be given limited time to work together in class.

The LTU_EDL would provide these students with space and a positive creative environment to work,

including white boards and other collaborative tools (Figure 7).

Figure 7. Georgia Institute of Technology maker space, “Invention Studio”.4

Proposed Location and Layout

With a few modifications the lab E108 can become the location of the LTU_EDL in the engineering building to enable student access to common design/maker supplies and equipment. The vision is to create a comfortable and functional space with controlled access but where students are actively engaged in design and ideation. The space also holds the potential for a showcase area for outreach activities to demonstrate student collaborative work and projects.

Figure 8. Anticipated group work in the LTU_EDL.

Appendix

Other Examples of Uses

Outreach and Recruitment The LTU_EDL would be involved in many outreach activities, such as Summer Camps and Exploration

Day. Whenever there is a tour of the engineering building, the Design Lab would be a great place to

show students actively engaged in projects as well as examples of student work. The availability of

current students makes this a highly interactive experience where parents and prospective students can

inquire about specifics of different programs, students life and campus facilities.

BME Projects Examples

AUTO-Trac: Adam Gohl, John Peponis: Extensive testing, fabrication, and computer modeling was performed throughout the development of this senior project, the majority of tasks were conducted in E108. Testing equipment included thermistors, multimeters, function generators, and oscilloscopes. Significant amounts of time were dedicated to writing of device code in conjunction with analog circuit design and integration with the Arduino Uno microcontroller. The structural components required for this project were all printed using the prototype lab’s Makerbot 3D printers. In addition, SolidWorks CAD software was used to perform static simulations of stress, deformation, etc.

Better Braided Suture: Thomas Brudny, Ryan Reed, Colin Thompson: The Better Braided Suture senior projects group spent countless hours in E108, mostly dedicated to device fabrication and optimization. This group experimented with the 3D printing of various gear teeth sizes, gear diameters, and filament type before eventually deciding to have the gears custom-machined from metal.

Fold & Go Single Knee Scooter: Nick Colarossi, Kevin Mozurkewich, Muntha Issa: The Fold & Go Single Knee Scooter group also dedicated much of their time to prototype fabrication. Like most other groups, they used E108 as a team meeting space while also using E108 for certain product assembly operations. Additionally, SolidWorks FEA was used to analyze cross-member mechanical strength and force distribution.

Active Heat Guard: Justin Pilarski, Nathaniel Yuen: Unlike the other groups, team “Active Heat Guard” was required

to use sewing machinery to construct an ergonomic and safe temperature regulation blanket. This project combined knowledge

of materials (textiles), ergonomics, proper sensor-actuator control/testing, analog circuit design/testing, and device fabrication

(sewing).

Wearables Technology Design Studio Wearable technology is experiencing immense growth with exciting entrepreneurial activity and a bevy of new products that are technologically sophisticated, yet accessible to consumers. These devices can provide functional solutions for a variety of different industries, but the nature of a wearable product is more intimate than other technology and therefore requires higher standards of fit, form, finish, and style. Therefore this ecosystem includes opportunities for student learning of technical components such as, sensors, data processing, wireless communication, manufacturing and testing, as well as broader soft skills related to industrial design, prototyping, aesthetics,

ergonomics, and communication of social and economic benefits. This proposed course, incorporating aspects of maker movement, fills a gap in the current engineering coursework that motivates the next generation of students to make preliminary models, create prototypes, find limitations and develop business plans with targeted markets around the novelty in a new product. The studio format will utilize inductive pedagogy and experiential learning that follows a design-build-test-reflect technique and develops many of the characteristics of the maker movement.

Orthopedics Students complete practical experiences to investigate the technical challenges that face clinicians. This includes class activities, clinical practicums and research or design projects to solve clinical problems with new technology or by applying existing technology in innovative ways. Example projects have included building a model of the anatomy of the leg, using said model to perform surgical procedures like ACL Reconstruction, Bone Fracture Fixation, Total Hip Replacement. They also did Spinal Fusion, Dental Implant Placement, and Design of a Custom Skull Implant.

Student Feedback Letter: BME Projects II, Spring 2016 To whom it may concern,

LTU’s emphasis on “practice” relies on productive student-student and student-faculty

interactions. These become essential in developing the collaborative and socially competent students the

university wishes to cultivate. A physical space that enables these interactions benefits students and

faculty alike. Dedicated work environments for student use foster creative freedom and collaboration in

a way that promotes not only learning, but the development of new professional skills and relationships.

They also allow faculty to directly assess and aid the progress of student work.

BME Seniors over the past year have spent an increasing amount of time in the Engineering

Building’s Experimental Biomechanics Lab, E108. E108 has served as a pleasant and productive area

where BME students can meet with other students (BME or otherwise) to discuss common difficulties

with classes, projects, and non-school related work. Many times it facilitated group meetings, study

sessions, device fabrication, experimental design testing, and data analysis. An additional benefit of student use of E108 is the close proximity to faculty which made quick and

useful communication effortless.

E108 is a rare example of an effective collaborative space and it would be a shame for future

students to lose its unique advantage. Our request, as former seniors, now alumni, is that this space be

kept available for future BME students, despite the moving of many department offices and labs into the

new Taubman Complex.

Signed, Recent BME Alumni:

Adam Gohl (agohl@ltu.edu)

John Peponis (jpeponis@ltu.edu)

Fatmah Alhaji (falhaji@ltu.edu)

Thomas Brudny (tbrudny@ltu.edu)

Nathaniel Yuen (nyuen1@ltu.edu)

Kevin Mozurkewich (kmozurkew@ltu.edu)

Allaa Nori (anori@ltu.edu)

Student Feedback Survey: Summer 2016

Response Have you used the 3D Printers on campus?

If you answered yes to the previous question, what do you like about it?

What do you dislike?

Have you used the laser cutter on campus?

If you answered yes to the previous question, what do you like about it?

What do you dislike?

1 No

Yes Ease of use Cost

2 No

Yes Quick to cut Difficult to set up

3 No

Yes Quick and easy, staff explained limitations and ran equipment well

Everything was fine

4 No

No

5 No

No

6 No

No

7 No

No

8 No

Yes It's convenient and a nice resource

9 No

No

10 Yes Easy rapid prototyping

The speed (it's slow)

No

11 No

No

12 No

No

13 No

We need more and maybe make it more known that we have 3D printers.

Yes That students from all majors can go their and get projects cut.

n/a

14 No

Yes Convenience The fact that there's only one

15 No

Yes Kind of convinent

Long queue

16 No

No

17 No

Yes There was never a line when I went in to use it

The size constraints were too small for one of my projects.

18 No

No

19 No

No

20 Yes Easy to use. Convenient. Cheap

Faulty. Not all printers are always available

No

21 No

No

22 No

No

23 No

Not enough info on how we can access them and when they are available

Yes Proximity to campus; easy to use

Sometimes availability

24 Yes The versatility the machine has

Expensive, Takes a long time

Yes Quick, Efficiency, Makes high quality results

Can get expensive

25 No

No

26 No

Yes It does good work

The waiting line and difficulty

27 No

Yes I like how accurate the laser is.

I don't like that sometimes the workers set up the project wrong and then a whole bunch of material is wasted.

28 Yes I like that it is available to students for prototyping projects.

I wish that it was free to use if you are working on a project for a class.

No

29 No

No

30 No

No

31 No

Yes The convienience and accuracy that the laser cutter has

Having to pay to use it with such hogh tuition already

32 No

Yes I worked in the woodshop so I'm very familiar with the laser cutter. I like how simple it is to use with just audocad lines and how you can even etch things from photos like jpgs. It is reasonably quick also.

The laser doesn't cut through things it is suppose to, like 1/8" acrylic and 3 ply chipboard and 1/8" wood. Also the size could always be bigger, but I guess that's why we have a CNC. The price is too expensive for students.

33 No

No

34 No

No

35 No

Yes clean and accurate

time consuming

36 No

No

37 No

No

38 No

Yes Convenience, cost.

Bed size. Cut depth. Not being trained to use it

39 No

Yes Speed Size

40 No

Yes Fast & easy, help is available if there are any questions

Only one laser cutter available (last time I checked, at least, a few years ago)

41 No

Yes Clean exact cuts

Burn edges on white material

42 No

No

43 No

That I don't use them

No

That I don't use them

44 No

No

45 No

Yes Easy Needs more programs for it

46 No

Yes

47 No

No

48 No

No

49 No

No

50 No

Yes Works well and accurately

Table is too small, only 1 cutter available for use

51 Yes

Yes

52 No

I don't know how to use it

No

I don't know how to use this either

53 No

Yes It is relatively fast

There is only one so it is hard to get cut time when finals roll around.

54 Yes How convenient it is and you get to make your own creation.

how expensive is can be, same with printing things too.

No

55 No

Yes It's quick to use and the people who work it are very helpful.

56 No

No

57 No

No

58 No

Yes

It's not as big as I'd like, or have previously used. But also during finals week it's so crazy busy that getting time for it is a hassle.

59 Yes Cheap prices Lack of standards to set up files, information posted about print size, speed, not access late at night near finals.

Yes Cool employees Same as above, availibility near finals, print bed size is too small

60 No

Yes Its lit Nothing

61 Yes It 3d prints objects

Poor quality, could be better

No

62 Yes No worries. Can drop off file and pick up product later

Workers were less knowledgeable than I was about 3d printing

Yes On campus Prove is too high for quality and consistency

63 No

People interrupting print jobs, they break down easily and during printing

Yes

Having to pay and having to make appointments

64 Yes Quick turn around. I'm on the formula SAE team and we used this to print smaller systems and components to understand proper packaging and assembly. It was a huge help to have a prototype to ensure proper designs.

I wish the machines were able to print larger parts. Having to assemble larger components (over 8 inches tall/long) needed to be glued together.

No

65 No

Yes Very quick Can not make reservations for it. Stressful if you need something cut and you're not sure if it will be open or not

66 No

No

67 No

No

68 No

No

69 Yes The fact that it was provided for use

It is of low quality, and rarely works as well as ones that one can acquire or build for themselves

Yes The fact that it is provided

What it can cut is relatively limited. It would be nice if another one was acquired by the school with a larger cut bed and/or the ability to cut through thicker material.

70 No

No

71 Yes The new ones are very nice, bigger and don't jam much

The waiting lists Yes Convenient The fact they don't calibrate it before uses