Prototyping Studio

How to Submit 3D Printing Jobs

In order to submit items to be printed, please bring your 3D model files to the Prototyping Studio on a USB drive, preferably in .stl format. Patrons will be emailed when their object is completed and available for pick-up. Items may be retrieved from the pick-up location next to the door of the Prototyping Studio during our open hours. With this information in mind, here are the steps to getting your objects printed: 

1. We will not accept any files attached to an email. Please bring us a file in these formats:
   •  .STL (preferred format)
   • .OBJ
2. The student worker in the lab will open your design in Simplify3D and inspect it to ensure that your design prints successfully.
3. Once the student worker is satisfied that the design is ready for printing they will upload the design to our system. At this time we will enter the information provided by you in the survey, including your email to be used for notification when the print is complete.
4. Once the print is complete, you will receive an email letting you know that your print is ready to be picked up. Your print will be available on a table located outside the door to the Studio. 

We recommend printing your design in plastic first, before submitting a resin or metal printer job. Using the resin or metal printers to complete your project may incur additional restrictions and/or require approval from the studio manager. 

3D Printing Materials

Please note that none of our 3D printing materials are food safe. 

• PLA
• PETG
• Clear, white, grey, and black standard resin
• Tough resin
• Castable resin
• Flexible resin

How to Submit Laser Cutting/Engraving Jobs

In order to submit items to be laser cut, please bring your vector files to the Prototyping Studio on a USB drive. Preferred vector file formats are .ai, .svg, and .dxf. Laser jobs can sometimes be run by the student worker on the spot. However, it is operated on a first come first served basis, so patrons might get added to the queue if the laser is busy. Patrons in the queue will be emailed when their job is completed and available for pick-up. Items may be retrieved from the pick-up location next to the door of the Prototyping Studio during our open hours. With this information in mind, here are the steps to getting your designs laser cut.

1. We will not accept any files attached to an email. Please bring us a file in these formats: .ai (preferred format), .svg, or.dxf
2. The student worker in the lab will open your design in Adobe Illustrator and inspect it to ensure that your design will engrave/cut successfully.
3. If there is a queue of submissions for the laser cutter, you can only submit one job at a time up to 40" by 24" worth of material. 
4. Once the student worker is satisfied that the design is ready for the laser, they will upload the design to our system. At this time we will enter the information provided by you in the survey, including your email to be used for notification when the job is complete.
5. Once the laser job is complete, you will receive an email letting you know that your design is ready to be picked up. Your design will be available on a table located outside the door to the Studio.

How to Prepare Files for the Laser

For laser cutting, you will need a vector file. A vector file differs from a regular image file. A regular image file uses pixels to create shapes while a vector file uses mathematical equations. So, if your design requires cutting through the material, you’ll need a vector file. If you are submitting a laser job that involves only engraving and no cutting, image files such as .jpeg and .png will work. Make sure the image you plan to engrave has high contrast to get the best result. To prepare your files for laser cutting/engraving, cut lines should have a red stroke and engravings should be in grayscale. You can make that change in software such as Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape.

Laser Materials

The studio provides most of the material for you to use. You are allowed to bring in your own materials, but there are limitations on the type of materials you can bring in. For size, our laser cutter is 24”x40”, so any material brought in needs to fit within those dimensions. Additionally, all materials should be 6mm/.25in or thinner.

Materials You Can Bring In

• Wood (untreated)
• Glass
• Cardstock
• Chipboard
• Cardboard
• Fabric Cotton/Denim
• Anodized Aluminum (engravable only)
• Cork

Materials We Provide (and their max dimensions)

• Plywood (11.75”x23.5”/3mm and 6mm thick)
• Veneer Wood (11.75”x23.5”/5mm and 3mm thick)
• MDF (11.75”x23.5”/3mm and 6mm thick)
• Acrylic of Various Colors (24”x40”/3mm and 1.2mm thick)
• Other Laserable Plastics (24”x40”/3mm and 1.2mm thick)
• Leather (12”x12”/1.5mm thick)
• Cardstock (16.5”x11.75”/0.5mm thick)
• Cardboard (24”x40”/3.3mm thick)
• Anodized Aluminum (3.94”x2.38”/1mm thick) (engravable only)

How to Submit Jobs for the Laguna 8’x4’ Mill

In order to submit items to be milled, please bring your design files to the Prototyping Studio on a USB drive. The preferred file types are .f3d, .f3z, .step, .svg, .dxf, or .prt. We can accept .stl, .obj, or .3mf, but they are hard to work with and it will take longer to complete your request. The mill is operated on a first come first serve basis and goes down often, so it might take up to a month for a job to be completed. Patrons will be emailed once the job is completed. Due to the large size of most milling jobs, to pick up your completed request, you’ll have to come into the studio and ask the student worker at the front for it. With that information in mind, here are the steps to getting your design milled:

1. We do not accept file sent over email, please bring your file on a USB in one of the following formats: .f3d, .f3z, .step, .svg, .dxf, or .prt

2. The student worker at the front or our CNC technician will check out your design to make sure it can be milled. If it can be milled, they will collect some contact and project information from you.

3. Once the CNC tech is satisfied that the design is ready for milling, they will upload the design to our system. At this time we will enter the information provided by you, including your email to be used for notification when the job is complete.

4. Bring in the stock you wish to mill from (wood (untreated), foam, or acrylic). The depth of cuts is limited to the length of our tools. Maximum we can cut through is 1.25”. We use this stock for your job only.

5. You receive an email once the job is complete to let you know your design is ready to be picked up. The completed job will likely be stored in the backroom due to the size of most milled parts, so please ask the student worker at the front for assistance in locating it.

How to Prepare Files for the Laguna Mill

If you need a 3D cut or engrave, please use a software that can export as .f3d, .f3z, or .step. Fusion360 (free for personal use) is the only software that exports in .f3d and .f3z while also exporting in .step, so that software would be a good place to start if you don’t have experience or own other CAD software that can export as .step.

If you need a 2D contour cut, vector file formats such as .svg, .dxf, or .prt will work and are preferred over a 3D object file.

We will create the manufacturing file for you, so all you’ll need is the design you would like milled. The limitations to what the mill can cut and engrave are due to our tool library. The furthest depth we can cut/carve is 1.25” and the thinnest bit we have is 1/8”. It is best to consult a student worker or our CNC technician to confirm that your design will fit within those parameters.

Milling Materials

• 8x4 foot sheets of wood, high density foam, plastic
• 8x8x3 inch cutting volume for wood, plastic, foam, aluminum block

1. Before submitting a job for our metal printer, please first review the MarkedForged Metal X design guide.
2. After ensuring your design follows the guidelines, bring your .stl (preferred format) or .obj file on a USB and submit it to the fabrication worker. We will print your model in plastic on an FDM printer first to ensure it will print.
3. Once your part is completed in plastic, communicate with the studio's staff and manager to receive confirmation to be added to the metal printing queue.
4. Our metal printing process is more complex than FDM printing, so it may take months or even a full semester before your part is complete. If you can't afford to wait, please submit your parts for plastic printing instead of metal. 

Metal Printing Materials

• 300x220x180 mm build volume
• 17-4 PH Stainless Steel
• Copper
• H13 Tool Steel
• Inconel 625
• A2 and D2 Tool Steel

Hand tools and consumables are available upon request. Stop by the Studio and ask one of our staff members what we have available and where the tools are stored. 

• Butcher paper and pencils
• Foam carving tools
• Clay sculpting tools
• Wood chisels
• Cold chisels
• Dremels
• Standard hand tools (screwdrivers, cutting tools, etc.)
• Sanding supplies
• Compressor powered tools

• Raspberry pi 3 kits
• Arduino kits
• USB breakout boards
• Universal flash programmers
• Soldering stations
• Wiring kits
• General electronics kits
  • Various circuitry components
  • Breadboards
  • Sensors
  • Switches
  • LEDs
  • Small motors and servos

• Butcher paper and pencils
• Foam carving tools
• Clay sculpting tools
• Wood chisels
• Cold chisels
• CAD stations

• Dremels
• Hand tools
• Sanding supplies
• Compressor powered tools
• 3D Scanners