Overview
During the prototyping phase, the need for various hardware components and materials will inevitably arise. Before needing to submit a purchase request, there are three primary on-campus resources to check:
1. Senior Design Lab – The back wall of the Senior Design Lab contains a variety of miscellaneous hardware including nuts, bolts, washers, and other commonly used items. Additionally, the lab maintains a selection of smaller fasteners (typically M3 to M5), which can be accessed with the assistance of a TA. The senior design lab also has both a laser cutter and 3D printers which can be used to quickly fabricate and test parts. For information and tips on how to setup and use the 3D printers head to the 3D Printing page, for using and setting up the laser cutter head to the Laser Cutter page (Links Below).
Scrap Material
Looking to save on costs? The ME basement (room B1002) has a large supply of scrap materials from past projects—free to use. You’ll find wood, aluminum extrusion, sheet stock, metal, plastics, and a variety of other materials ready for reuse. Additionally, the Snap-On toolbox houses aluminum extrusion hardware including brackets and bolts, and smaller pieces of extrusion.
2. Wendt Commons – Wendt Commons offers a wide selection of tools and machines to fabricate parts. For starters Wendt provides 3D printers and scanners, a CNC router, a water jet, and a laser cutter. For a complete list of machines and tools check ECB and Wendt Equipment. The makerspace in located on the second floor of Wendt Commons. Some of the equipment and tools requires special training to use. Follow instructions on the DI lab Training page, or follow links from the specific equipment you are trying to use found in the ECB and Wendt Equipment.
Wendt Mini Mart
The Mini Mart at Wendt in the DI Lab is full of various items for purchase using your senior design account. These include large sheet stock, electronics, fasteners, textiles and adhesives. Again, ask staff about their scrap material (great for small parts)!
3. Design and Innovation (DI) Lab at ECB – The DI Lab maintains a broad inventory of nuts, bolts, washers, and raw stock materials that can be machined or turned down as needed. This resource is especially useful for custom fabrication tasks. Hardware can be found in room #. You can reach this room by heading down the South stairs to the DI lab, turning left at the bottom of the steps and looking for a door labeled NAME. Inside there are various hand tools and hardware. For purchasing either hardware or stock material talk to a staff member and they will help you at the front desk. ECB also has a large collection of tooling and equipment for fabrication of various materials. For a complete list of what ECB offers check ECB and Wendt equipment. For an explanation on how to obtain training for the various machines check ECB and Wendt Training. In order to complete the training for many machines you will need to take a short canvas course alongside a quiz and finish with an in-person lesson. Follow instructions on the DI lab training pages and canvas course.
Additionally, if you need something manufactured that is above your machining skill level, you can use the Fee-For-Service program offered by the DI lab to have a member of the full time staff manufacture the part for you. To accomplish this, you will first need to have a design consultation with one of the DI Lab full time staff. Here you will talk over the design and manufacture method. Once that is done, you can have the part manufacturing charged to your senior design account budget.
If none of these locations have what your team needs, then submit a purchase request following the instructions on the Make a Purchase page.