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The State University of New York at Buffalo engineering machine shop serves all disciplines
of engineering; bio medical, chemical and biological, civil,
structural and environmental, computer science and engineering, electrical, industrial and
systems, mechanical and aerospace. Shop resources and technicians are available to assist with
research projects, undergraduate and graduate course work, as well as student club projects.
Located in 105 Jarvis Hall, the shop is open from 8:00 am till 4:30 pm, Monday -- Friday
all year long. Morning hours are excellent times to get into
the shop to get work done as the afternoon hours can get busier.
Appointments are not necessary but you are required to sign in when using the shop. A
sign-in sheet is located on the front desk. This orientation has three main goals: to
relay important safety and procedural information, to familiarize you with what is available
in our shop, and to offer helpful suggestions so that you can make effective use of your
time in the shop. You will need to use the shop if you have a project that requires you
to fabricate or machine something. A wide array of power tools, hand tools and machines
are here at your disposal. We loan out certain types of tools and equipment
for use outside the shop as well. Shop technicians have many years of experience building and
fabricating on different types of equipment and are here to offer assistance and advice
as you build your project. Machine use is prohibited unless shop technicians have trained
you on a machine and given you permission to use it.
Since machine training is based on need, as you progress in building your project, shop
personnel will help you determine what machines you will need to use. You'll receive instruction
on how to use a particular machine until you are comfortable running it on your own. Safety
is always a top priority in the machine shop. When you are in the shop fasten long hair
or wear a hat, wear safety glasses at all times, never wear sandals, open-toed shoes,
loose clothing, or loose jewelry. Many of the machines in the shop operate at high speed.
Pay extra attention to the drawstrings if you wear a hooded sweatshirt in the shop because
if they hang down they could become entangled and cause a very dangerous situation. Note
the emergency shutdown switches located throughout the shop. When pushed, every machine in the
shop loses electrical power and comes to a stop. When you are in the shop and see someone
in an emergency safety or distress situation, hit this button and get shop personnel immediately.
Fire extinguishers are located throughout the shop as well. First aid kits, Material
Safety Data Sheets and the eye wash station are located at the sink in the main entrance
to the shop. There are 3 Fire exits from the shop, one at the main entrance, one at the
rear of the main shop, and one from the student shop.
Before you begin any physical work in our shop, it is helpful if you have some of your
ideas, drawings or sketches down on paper. Bring them in and consult with shop personnel
about your ideas. They may have some suggestions on your project that will make construction
easier and may also save you time and materials. Another suggestion you should consider is
to make a scale model of your project. Not all projects have to be made to full-scale
to demonstrate the principle you are trying to achieve. Speak to your professor about
this idea. Once preliminary decisions have been made
on your project, the next step is to make drawings for the parts you will construct.
These drawings will need to be legible and have dimensions. There are drawing programs
such as Solid Works or Auto Cad available for download at the UB Computing software
site. Though these formats are not required, it is a good idea to get used to using these
types of tools as future employers will require it.
All materials for your project will be provided by you, your professor or the club you are
a member of. Shop personnel can suggest several local distributors where materials can be
procured as well as catalog and online merchants that are reasonably quick with shipping.
The Wood Shop area of the shop includes a panel saw for large wood or plastic sheets,
a table saw for smaller cuts, Power chop saw for framing lumber, Radial arm saw, Drill
press, and Surface planers. The wood shop has a variety of cutting blades suited for
various equipment and materials. The fabrication area has equipment that allows you to perform
sheet metal rolling, shearing, bending, notching and spot welding. Welding area capabilities
include TIG, MIG, Stick, Oxy-Acetylene welding. There is a jig table for clamping structures
to prior to welding, a parts washer for degreasing, a glass bead blaster for metal prep and clean
up, and a surface grinder for precision grinding of ferrous materials. The shop includes a
main tool box that houses most hand tools such as wrenches, screwdrivers, hammers and
socket sets. If you need particular tools or measuring devises, consult with shop personnel.
It is located near the shop technician's desks. Certain tools and equipment can be loaned
out. Check with a shop technician and use the sign-out sheet located at the front desk
if you plan to take something out - usually for a 24 hour period. You must check with
a technician before using any machine, and make sure you have been properly trained in
its use. At times, machines might be down for repair or are in use with specific projects.
A Band saw can be used to cut raw material down to working size. Most saws are setup
to be material specific and are marked as such due to different types of blades required
for the different materials. Aluminum, Steel, Wood and Plastic all have different blade
types so it is important you use the correct saw for your material, and check with technicians
about cutting speed settings before use. When using the band saw to cut round bars or tubes,
it is important to secure the stock in a machine vise upside down so that the material is flat
on the table. This will prevent the stock from being able to rotate when coming in contact
with the blade; it also prevents the material from tipping if held in the vise right side
up. A drill press is used to cut a hole in various
thickness materials. Before using one, be sure to secure your material in a hand vise,
or clamp the material down to the table. Unsecured material can quite easily get stuck to a spinning
drill and quickly become a safety hazard. As with most machines, you should always consult
with shop personnel about the cutting speed of the machine before use. Lathes are used
for turning or cutting the outside, inside, or face of cylindrical parts. They can also
be used for drilling holes in the center of a rotating part.
Material on a lathe is rotated and the cutting tool is fixed for the most part with respect
to the material. The different lathes in the shop all perform the same operations but are
not as similar as the Bridgeport mills due to different manufacturers. So it is very
important to be familiar with the particular machine you are using. Milling machines are
used to make surfaces flat or parallel, cut slots, and drill holes as well as other operations.
A milling machine's cutting tool rotates while the material is fixed to the table.
Most of the Bridgeport milling machines in the shop are very similar, but again -- always
check with shop personnel if you are unfamiliar with any particular aspect of a machine. Computer
Numerical Control machines perform similar operations as manual machines except that
a computer program has been written to automate the steps needed to produce a part. The machine
shop includes a Haas CNC Milling machine, a Haas CNC Lathe and an older style Bridgeport
lathe. CAD or computer aided design software, produced by Delcam, entitled FeatureCam, creates
the program the Haas machines use to machine parts. As you design and draw your part and
answer questions about materials and raw stock, the software creates the program in the background.
FeatureCam is very similar to other drawing packages such as Solid Works and Auto Cad
and is available in our shop as well as on several computers on the 10th floor of Furnas
computer lab. You can learn how to use the software by taking either MAE 464 or IE 406.
Many students in clubs are self-taught by using the software in the labs. The student
shop is the area where most machining work performed by students is done. It is located
inside the Engineering Machine Shop. This shop contains Bridgeport milling machines,
Lathes, and drill presses, as well as work areas for students. Your project can be stored
in the student shop so that you don't have to transport it back and forth as you make
progress on it. Remember, shop personnel will familiarize
and instruct you with the operation of the machines so that you can use them by yourself.
Consult with shop personnel when you plan to use a particular machine. If you are uncertain
at any time how to operate a machine so that it performs to meet your requirements, you
must check with a technician. Using a machine without training, familiarity and certainty
about its operation could result in injury, damage the machine, and you could also ruin
a part you have invested a considerable amount of time and expense in. When you are through
using shop machines or tools, it is your responsibility to return any tools to their proper location
and clean up both the machine you used, as well as the surrounding area. There are always
brooms, dustpans, and vacuum cleaners available to assist with cleaning up. If your work piece
or machine setup is very complex, and you do not finish the task at hand before you
have to leave, check with shop personnel about leaving the part in the machine until you
can return to finish. These situations will be accommodated whenever possible, but there
are no guarantees that your job will remain in a particular machine, especially if you
are away for an extended time period. As always, clean before you leave. The State University
of New York at Buffalo engineering machine shop is a valuable resource for all University
at buffalo engineering students. We provide design and fabrication assistance utilizing
a wide variety of machinery and tools. Hands- on experiences available through the student
workshop offer undergraduate and graduate engineering students the opportunity to become
confident and skilled on various machines. Come in and familiarize yourself with our
shop and when you are ready to work, always abide by the shop safety rules and follow
shop procedures. Make the most of your shop experience by coming in to discuss your ideas
and goals with shop professional staff; we are here to assist, guide, and instruct.