Innovation Labs

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A engineer making a project.
iLabs
Innovation Labs connects tomorrow's engineers to real-world tools.

Mission

The hands-on knowledge imparted in the iLabs enhances student success with both academic coursework and extracurricular projects. And it gives our graduates a clear advantage in entering the workplace as well-rounded, technically savvy engineers. In addition, iLabs staff support the work of MIME faculty and others across campus by designing and fabricating parts and components needed for teaching and research.

Register for Qualification Training

iLabs is available to any student who is a member of the College of Engineering (COE). To gain access to iLabs spaces, students must complete a series of qualifications to ensure proper training. iLabs Orientation and Shop Basics is the first qualification for all iLabs users.

Register

Training Schedule

In order to recieve updates as to when new qualifications are added or changed, please subscribe to the calendar.

Research

There are a variety of research projects in progress year-round in COE. The iLabs provides a place for students to explore the many aspects of research, including design, machining, and final assembly. With our skilled staff, outstanding training courses, and excellent equipment, we are able to produce parts that meet or exceed the high level of precision demanded by research.

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A reseracher showing a robot hand.
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A group of students working on a project.
Student Projects

From pre-engineering to graduate level, COE students utilize iLabs facilities and expertise for completing course assignments, capstone design projects, research activities, and more. Such efforts may involve a variety of manufacturing techniques including welding, machining, CNC machining, rapid prototyping, and sheet metal work.

Knowledge Base

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Lathe manufacturing process.

The machining process designed for precisely machining relatively hard materials. A lathe is a tool that rotates the workpiece on its axis to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling, or deformation, facing, turning, with tools that are applied to the workpiece to create an object with symmetry about an axis of rotation. They were originally designed to machine metals; however, with the advent of plastics and other materials, and with their inherent versatility, they are used in a wide range of applications, and a broad range of materials.

Lathe Manufacturing Process

The machining process of using rotary cutters to remove material from a workpiece by advancing or feeding in a direction at an angle with the axis of the tool. Milling processes are operations in which the cutting tool rotates to bring cutting edges to bear against the workpiece. Milling machines are the principal machine tool used in milling. It is one of the most commonly used processes in industry and machine shops today for machining parts to precise sizes and shapes.

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Industrial manufacturing saw.

The machining process primarily used to part material such as rough-cutting excess material away before machining or cutting curved patterns in sheet metal. Sawing machines substitute mechanical or hydraulic powered motion for arm motion to achieve the speed necessary for production operations. The cutoff operation is usually one of the first requirements in any production process before any machining, welding, or forging is done. The saw blade has individual teeth that "track" through the workpiece, each tooth deepening the cut made by the preceding tooth in the direction of feed. The saw or work may be fed and by controlling the direction of feed, either straight or curved cuts can be made. 

The available procedures and links related to aforementioned processes can be found here.

Saws Manufacturing Process

Cold Saw Cutting Guide