Safety
Safety is top priority at the Lab. In order to use any machine you MUST read the safety document and complete the quiz for those machines that require it. Those that do not, require that you confirm you have read the information for that machine:
When removing parts from a glass, try to avoid using knives. Attempt twisting of the print to break parts loose.
Don’t use the printers unless you have been trained
Don’t attempt to modify or fix a printer without approval
Extruder and motors are HOT during operation
Extruder and motors may be HOT at any time
PINCH POINTS while machine is moving
Removal tools are SHARP
If you must use a knife or scraper, ask a manger first. With supervision, always push away from yourself. Never put your hand or any part of your body in the potential path of the sharp object.
CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF
Inform a manager of machine errors or damage
Inform a mentor of missing tools or supplies
Ask a mentor if you have any questions or concerns
Exercise caution when using cleaning tools
If drilling for an extended period of time, wear ear protection.
Before drilling, clamp the material being drilled to a solid surface.
When drilling, consider where you are pushing, and where it will cause the bit to go, should it break through the other side of the workpiece or slip. If it will go into you or someone else, STOP. Re-evaluate what you are doing before you proceed.
Consider how the drill will spin if the drill bit binds in the hole. Stand clear of the path of the body of the drill. This is especially important in confined spaces.
Never use a cordless drill to break overtightened fasteners loose. Use a hand tool with a long handle.
When inserting and tightening fasteners into any material, set the clutch accordingly. Never use the drill setting for fasteners.
Never touch the bit while it is spinning.
The trigger on the drill controls the speed and torque. Use the proper amount of “squeeze” for the materials you are working with.
If a bit binds in a hole, release the trigger immediately, then switch the direction of the drill and slowly back the bit out.
Use two hands to hold the drill during use. You do not need to use your other hand to hold the material, because you followed rule 3 and properly clamped your material to a solid surface.
When drilling holes in harder materials, center-punch the holes first.
When drilling large holes, drill a smaller pilot first.
When drilling into sheet metal (anything under ⅛”), do not use twist drill bits. Use the step bits, the chassis punch set, or a metal-cutting hole saw
Before drilling, look up the correct drilling speed for your tool and material. Set this speed before drilling by changing the belts under the top cover.
Always clamp your work before drilling, never ever hold a workpiece with your hands while drilling.
Before turning the spindle on, make sure the drill is not cockeyed. Spin the chuck by hand and look for excessive runout. Reset the drill if necessary.
If the drill bit jams in the material or causes the material to come loose from the fixture, turn off the spindle immediately. Hold the upper ring of the spindle (not the chuck), and turn the spindle backwards by hand to release the drill from the material. Do not resume drilling without first removing the tool from the material.
When drilling holes in sheet metal, use a step bit if the hole size is large enough. Twist drills grab in sheet metal, and large twist drills are especially dangerous for sheet metal because of this.
Use proper drilling technique for the material you are drilling. Ask a manager for advice, particularly if you are drilling stainless steel or copper.
When drilling metal, use the proper cutting fluid and/or coolant for the tool. Again, talk to a manager if you are not sure.
Position yourself and the safety shield so the shield sits between yourself and the drilling operation. The shield is there to protect you from flying chips and broken drill bits, and to create a separation from the operator and the revolving chuck.
Keep all limbs outside the guarded area unless the spindle is stopped. This includes times when the power switch is off, but the spindle has not yet come to rest.
1. Only cut and/or engrave materials on the approved materials list. Certain materials such as PVC and Fiberglass emit toxic gases and must not be cut or etched under any circumstances.
2. If you would like to use a material not on the list, a full-time staff member must approve the material for use. This will only be done after careful research and testing.
3. Do not leave a job unattended.
4. You must get approval of design before you can print it on the laser.
5. You must focus the machine before sending your design to print.
6. For round objects you have to use the rotary attachment.
7. If there is a fire, calmly get a manager quickly.
8. To cut, your desired lines MUST be RED and Hairline
9. Make sure your design does NOT have hidden hairlines because they will be cut out during printing.
Keep your hands clear of the sanding surfaces. Never wear gloves while using the sander. If a piece is too small to grip safely with your hands, use grips to hold it at a distance.
Only sand on the half of the disc that is rotating down into the table. This will tend to hold the workpiece down instead of throwing it into the air.
Do not use excessive force. If the sander is slowing down due to the amount of force you are using, ease up.
Do not use a torn belt or ripped disc. Find a student worker or full-time staff member to change it for you.
Only student workers and full-time staff members should change sanding belts or discs.
Angle the workpiece down and into the belt sander, or straight in, resting the workpiece against the table; this will prevent the sander from grabbing and pushing the workpiece down.
The E-stop button does not immediately cease motion of the sander; it still takes time to slow down. For this reason, it is vital that you use extreme caution in keeping your fingers out of the machine.
Ensure the tool rest is no further than 1/16” from the belt or the disc. If you notice it is farther, find a teaching assistant or a full-time staff member to fix the issue. The danger is that the gap will be larger than your part, and the belt will pull your piece into the machine, causing damage either to the machine, your part, or yourself.
Be conscious of where you are pushing the material. Keep hands out of the path of the needle!
Shopbot Gantry (CNC Router) *Applicable to Shopbot Desktop
The ShopBot PRS Alpha is a CNC machine that allows users to cut, drill, carve and machine wood, plastic, aluminum and other materials along 3 axes, X, Y, & Z.
You MUST wear ear and & protection when in the ShopBot room with machine running.
Clean up your space after every job session, and leave 10-15 minutes for cleanup prior to shop closure.
NEVER leave a machine unattended while in operation.
WALK AROUND the ShopBot to make sure there are no wires or items on the ShopBot bed OBSTRUCTING the machine or gantry.
Dust Collector MUST be on while the machine is running.
Material must be screwed or clamped to the table securely. This also applies to parts as they become separated from the base material. In this case, screws or tabs must be used to prevent parts from becoming free, as they can be flung by the spinning cutter.
Toolpaths must clear all screws that are holding the material to the table. Preferably, screw holes should be made using the ShopBot itself, since they will then be visible in the drawing.
Whenever touching the spindle, it must be completely disabled. This can be done in one of two ways: removing the spindle interlock key, or completely shutting down the ShopBot with the main power switch.
Only enable the spindle when you intend to use it. Otherwise, remove the key from the interlock switch.
Always calculate speeds and feeds for the tool and material you are using. Don’t rely on the default speeds and feeds to be correct! Use the provided chart, not any other resource.
The ShopBot’s spindle is not necessarily as rigid as the tooling chart assumes. These speeds should be treated as an upper limit; if the tool is chattering excessively, the cutting speed must be reduced.
After starting the spindle, but before beginning the cutting, verify that the spindle is rotating at the correct speed. If not, cancel execution of the file and try again.
The spindle must be re-enabled (via the key) at least ten seconds BEFORE a toolpath file is loaded. This allows the motor drive time to boot up and be ready to receive the command that sets the spindle speed. Failure to do so will result in the spindle speed defaulting to 12,000 RPM.
Never use a broken or damaged tool. Always inspect tools before mounting them in the machine.
Any time the ShopBot is cutting, there must be at least one other person in think[box], though they do not have to be in the wood shop. In case of an emergency, they must be available to call for help.
You must remain at the ShopBot while the tool is spinning.
You must hold the E-stop pendant in your hands while the ShopBot is cutting. If, for some reason, you must step out, either pause the job and disable the spindle, or have a trained person take over for you.
Keep in mind that there must always be at least two people in Brady Fab Lab while the ShopBot is cutting, so even if you do have a trained person take over, there must still be another person in Brady Fab Lab, or the job must be stopped until you return.
Never leave anything but the material you intend to cut on the table when running the machine.
During Z-zeroing, place the plate under the tool, then remove yourself from the machine envelope before running the routine. Have your hand on the spacebar or E-stop in case the tool misses the plate.
Before running the XY zeroing program, raise the spindle to prevent crashing the tool or spindle itself.
Whenever you are finished changing the tool, lower the chip guard so that its bottom is flush with the lower end of the tool.
Never go under the machine while it is operating.
Always use the right size collet for the tool. Never force a tool into a collet that is too small.
The ShopBot uses ER25 collets, which are good from their rated diameter to 1/32 inch smaller.
The router bit goes into the Collet
Always use the silicone pad to change the tip, even if you think the iron is cold.
Don’t touch the tip of the iron.
Wash your hands after you are done soldering, or wear gloves during soldering.
SHARP BLADE - when handling the blade (eg. to adjust or change caps for different thickness) take care not to cut yourself
TRAPPING - The head and roller of the machine are moved by programs in the machine's memory. Be careful when near the machine, it will possibly move even if the PC is off. Always keep the cover closed when cutting
Avoid reaching into the working area of the machine while it is running. The cutting head moves quickly and somewhat unpredictably.
Place material rolls back on the rack with a clamp when not in use.
When using a knife to weed out the design, close the knife when not in use.
Tidy up (both tools and scraps) when you are finished
Carefully set the cut depth (blade protrusion). Do NOT cut deeper than necessary.
If using a new material, test your settings carefully with the test button on machine pad.
When designing, keep in mind, it should not have a fill and only a hairline (outline). The machine may pick up the fill and outline to cut a double lines.
