Makerspace Evolving With More Room, Additional Labs, New Training

Changes are afoot in the campus makerspace, with plans coming together for adding new equipment and laboratories, provisioning the 10,000-square-foot expansion and developing more kinds of training.

The main space opened in December 2017, replacing an older facility known at various times as Campus Manufacturing Services or Factory of the Future. It now has three full-time employees and 10-15 student workers depending on requirements and schedules. Construction for the new section should be done by the end of this semester, with an opening to follow when more staff are hired.

The new area has three floors. The first floor will include a front lobby, training room, project room and open collaboration area, said Dan Brateris, director of experiential learning in NJIT's Newark College of Engineering. A mezzanine level will contain two project rooms and floor space for 3D printers, tools and prototyping technology. The top floor will have three more project rooms and a large open area for more 3D printers, laser cutters, computer-controlled machining, vinyl cutters, and equipment for electronics testing and measuring — that's the floor which will probably be busiest, Brateris predicted.

Brateris said he hopes to add laboratories for painting, photography, welding and woodworking as resources allow. The current space has laboratories for abrasives, machining, metalworking, metrology and 3D printing.

A constant challenge is how to train students, which can also include faculty and university employees, to use all of this equipment. There are three in-person training courses offered throughout each semester. Makerspace 101 covers basic tools and policies, Makerspace 102 addresses laser cutting/engraving and Makerspace 103 is all about 3D printing. All of the courses emphasize safety. Courses teach strategy and details of using such machines. Users gain hands-on experience when they come in to do their own projects, explained Justin Suriano, makerspace manager.

The demand for training outweighs the number of courses offered, plus there will be all-new training needed for the various laboratories and new equipment. Makerspace staff are planning to fix this. Proceeding cautiously to cover all legal and safety matters, "We are going to move to a video format for some of our training, namely 3D printing and CO2 laser cutting, so that we can get people trained ASAP," Suriano said.

There are several machines which, in most cases, may only be operated by makerspace employees on users’ behalf because of complexity and safety. The users observe and learn. Some of these include a water-cutting machine and 3D printers that use metal instead of plastic. Training options for these could develop as resources are freed up from moving simpler courses online. "As for larger equipment training, we are developing that as well. Makers are expected, however, to research the equipment in the space on their own, or can ask staff about equipment. The equipment page on our website is also quite robust in terms of informing users on what it does, and where to find out more information" Suriano noted.

Perhaps the most commonly used makerspace tools are 3D plastic printers. Before operating them, users need to have a solid grasp of any modern computer-aided drafting software, as the Makerspace 103 course assumes that knowledge. Suriano said CAD may soon be its own training course or a workshop session. Learners can get free CAD software from Parametric Technology Corp. through the NJIT Information Services and Technology department or from AutoDesk Inc. through that company's education website.

One maker's first time using a 3D printer, with a design for a small Lego-compatible brick, met with mixed results. The print used a type of plastic called PLA which is very common in 3D printing. Real parts from Lego are injection-molded using ABS plastic. The test print attached to an authentic Lego brick in some directions but not others, indicating that the user's CAD design needed adjustments. Dianna Amaro-Torres, a makerspace student assistant and senior mechanical engineering major, helped the user with printer setup and operation. Like any other skill, she observed, it takes practice.