IFL Lab Coordinator Training

Our Goal: The IFL (Instructional Fabrications Lab) is the “hands on” lab here at Terrapin Works. The majority of our interactions with students and researchers is to...

1. Help them learn and train on the use of the machine tools in the lab
2. Help them with projects, by suggesting ideas and methods to accomplish their goals
3. Process part requests made by students and researchers

Remember that the IFL is a space that is meant to be open to everyone in the University, not just the engineering school and/or engineering students.

The role of the Lab Coordinator (LC) is first and foremost to be a mediator and a communicator. You will be the person that the lab managers (LMs) come to if they cannot resolve a problem with a customer, student, or researcher. You are responsible for making sure that critical information is communicated to the lab managers, full time employees (FTEs), and Terrapin Works management. You are also responsible for communicating issues, plans, and goals to the rest of the IFL.

The LC’s second responsibility is to help the FTE with the management, expansion, and improvement of the IFL, these tasks may include…

1. Scheduling staff for the semester
2. Making sure the IFL is stocked with the necessary supplies
3. Representing the IFL at meetings with the other LCs and management
4. Brainstorming how to improve and expand the IFL
5. Alleviating pressure on the FTE of the lab

While this list is not exhaustive, it summarizes the main things you will be responsible for right off the bat.

The general lab coordinator training is a Dozuki course that has been created to run you through some of the general tasks/information you will need to be responsible for as a LC. If you have not done so already Action Item 1 is to set up your dozuki account and request access to the general LC training.

Some of the important information covered in the general LC training is...

1. How to schedule staff for a semester (Paycor)
2. How to order items for the lab (Procurify)
3. How to create, manage, and organize goals for the lab (Jira)

As mentioned earlier, the main role of the lab coordinator for the IFL is to act as a mediator and a communicator. You are the intermediate point of contact before the FTE, and are the representative for the lab in lieu of the FTE for the lab.

As one of the front facing labs for Terrapin Works, and as the main “hands on” lab, the IFL has the most interaction with customers in the intermediate steps of their project. In essence, the IFL is not just a lab that just gives customers their completed parts, but instead a lab that also focuses on the nebulous intermediate step where people are trying out ideas and may need help figuring out how to do things. This means that you as the LC will have to know how to interact with researchers, students, and external customers.

We want to be courteous to everyone that walks through our door, and along with that we in general want provide help to anyone who asks for it. The following list of Do’s and Don’ts should serve as an outline for customer interaction, but is not exhaustive.

• DO assist clients with their projects
• DO answer technical questions the client may have
• DO direct clients to other resources if you do not have a solution
• DO attempt to create a solution to the best of your ability
• DO inform clients when they are violating space rules

• DON’T make promises with clients that you or the lab cannot keep
• DON’T allow unsafe client interactions to continue
• DON’T allow clients to leave the room a mess or damage equipment
• DON’T allow clients to collect parts or services without confirming payment

As a general note, you are allowed to not help clients that do not treat you with basic courtesy, nor is the lab obligated to complete a client’s order if they are uncooperative. All violations related to the safety and health of clients or staffers are unacceptable, and will result in removal of lab use privilege.

Generally, the order of issue elevation goes as follows…

Lab Manager -> Senior Lab Manager -> Lab Coordinator (you) -> Full Time Employee

Meaning that you as the LC are responsible for the problems that the LMs and the SLMs cannot solve. These issues usually can be broken up into three categories.

1. Technical Issues
2. Administrative Issues
3. Interpersonal Issues

The most common type of issue that you end up seeing as the IFL LC are technical issues, which can include anything from machine functionality to helping figure out how to machine parts. Usually, these should be able to be resolved by your LMs or SLMs, but in the off chance they do not know the solution to a technical issue, you will need to assist them. If you do not know the technical solution to the problem, then you will need to elevate the issue to the FTE.

The second most common type of issue that you will see as the IFL LC are administrative type issues. These often involve communicating with customers and staff about the status of machines (like the Waterjet) as well as pricing for jobs. You may also need to replace broken equipment and buy material needed for machine maintenance.

The least common type of issue, and most problematic, are interpersonal issues, which involve conflicts with customers or staff. These can come about through many avenues, such as unwillingness to pay for services rendered, refusal to follow appropriate safety protocols, causing an unsafe environment, and disrespectful or inappropriate behavior toward staff or other persons in the lab. While you as the LC are allowed to place restrictions on staff who act in this manner, these issues should be elevated to the FTE.

The IFL is one of the labs that is visited and toured by outside partners that are interested in Terrapin Works/the IFL, and by people who may be interested in learning more about Terrapin Works, the IFL, or just general operation of machine tools. It is important that you as the LC recognize the different types of visitors and are well prepared to address any event that comes up.

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The LC is expected to represent the IFL and Terrapin Works in many events and occasions, either internally or externally. Among these include…

1. Internal meetings among lab management
2. Semesterly gatherings among Terrapin Works staff
3. Events that Terrapin Works participates in

It is important to remember that while you are the IFL LC, you are also one of the representatives for Terrapin Works, and are a body of knowledge on how the labs operate, how Terrapin Works works, and what makes Terrapin Works exciting.

The LC is also responsible for the logistics management of the lab, these responsibilities can be broadly divided into 4 categories.

1. Staff Management
2. Project Management
3. Machine Management
4. General Lab Management

There are two major parts of staff management, scheduling and training.

In regards to scheduling, the IFL is one of the labs where it is important that it is staffed as much as possible. This is so that we can provide lab access without interruption. If you have not done so already, the scheduling dozuki runs through how this is done.

In regards to training, your role as the lab LC is to make sure there are sufficient trainers on all our machines, along with having sufficient trainees to allow for continuation of knowledge and experience.

The IFL at the current moment does not have a rigorous project management system.

You should make sure the the machines are maintained, and that critical parts are procured on time. Usually, the LMs and SLMs should be able to take care of the physical maintenance. More information on the maintenance of specific machines can be found in their dozukis.

For the lab, your responsibility as the LC mainly focus on making sure the lab has the necessary equipment and tools, and to replace ones that have broken, as well as making sure our stock and supplies are up to date.

possible creation of a material/tool tracker for the IFL as well as a procurement sheet.

possible creation of a machine maintenance tracker

As the LC, you should be aware of how the IFL defines the roles and responsibilities of the Trainees, LMs, and SLMs, as well as the advancement track for staff members.

A trainee is a lab staffer that is in the process of completing the IFL onboarding. They are your beginner step technical personnel and can be assigned some technical jobs.

There are no requirements to become an IFL trainee aside from being hired by Terrapin Works. It is possible for a staffer to both be training in the MIC and in the IFL simultaneously, but this is not a common occurrence.

The main responsibility of the IFL trainees are to complete their onboarding in the IFL. They may process some parts as part of their training, but the primary focus should be completing onboarding.

IFL trainees cannot train others on any machine, even if they have completed that shift in the onboarding. They cannot be assigned to help clients on projects, and cannot be assigned to conduct general lab safety training.

A lab manager is a staffer that has completed the IFL onboarding, and can train others on basic onboarding and lab safety. They are your intermediate step technical personnel, and can be assigned most technical jobs.

The requirement to become a IFL Lab manager is to have completed the IFL onboarding. While being trained on an intermediate level machine is not a requirement to be elevated to the LM position, all LMs are required to train on one of those machines.

The IFL LM has multiple responsibilities, which can be broken up into three categories: as a trainer, as a trainee, and as a technician.

Trainer: The IFL LM is responsible for training the trainees during onboarding and on lab safety. They are the primary trainers and should have a sufficient grasp of lab and machine operations.

Trainee: The IFL LM, as mentioned earlier, is required to train on an intermediate level machine (Datron, EZ-Router, Welding). This is to ensure that we have technicians capable of processing jobs on those machines and to prevent a loss of knowledge.

Technician: The IFL LM is responsible for processing orders on machines that they are trained on, and should make sure that orders are up to date. They should have sufficient technical knowledge to answer most machine related technical questions and to assist clients on projects.

IFL LMs have the primary restriction that they cannot train others on intermediate level machines. If they wish to become a trainer, they can come to the IFL LC to set up training with a SLM.

A senior lab manager is a staffer that has completed the IFL onboarding, has finished training on an intermediate machine (Datron, Welder, Router), and has trained to use an advanced machine (ex. Okuma) or is training/trained to be a trainer for an intermediate machine. They are your advanced level technical personnel, and can be assigned almost all technical projects and more complicated technical problems.

To become a IFL SLM, a staffer must have fully trained on an intermediate level machine and have either trained on an advanced machine (ex. Okuma) or is training/trained to be a trainer for an intermediate machine.

The role of the IFL SLM is primarily focused around being a trainer, being an advanced technician, or both.

Trainer: IFL SLMs that have the position as a intermediate level trainer are responsible for training LMs on the intermediate level machines. They should have a high level of comfort on the operation and maintenance of these machines. The IFL SLM should also be comfortable training others to be trainers, not just operators, of their machine.

Advanced Technician: IFL SLMs that have the position as an advanced machine operator are responsible for the operation and completion of jobs on that advanced machine. They should be comfortable processing most jobs on the advanced machine and answering most technical questions.

Generally: All IFL SLMs should be capable of processing orders in lieu of an available lab manager. They should also be able to answering almost all technical questions and be able to help with the majority of client projects.

The IFL SLM is only restricted in that they are not allowed to train other staffers on the advanced level machine. They can come to the IFL LC to set up training with a SME to become a trainer.

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Terrapin Works Operations Manager

Nate is usually the first person to go to, and will be able to point you to any other people who may be better suited. He’s also responsible for a lot of other things, so try to do as much as you can before reaching out to him, or if there is a more specific person that could help, contact them first.

Director of Technical Operations

Expertise in Lasers and Electrical Engineering. External client relations (and issues) can be elevated to his level. Rick also often brings tours through the lab, so some coordination for those may be required.

Terrapin Works FTE (Safety focus)

Andy is the go-to for anything safety and hand equipment related. He is the most common FTE to encounter in the AFL.

Design Team Manager

Any requests beyond the scope of “throw it in PaperCut” that may be more design or prototyping related should be passed off to the Design Team. Additionally, Lauren will manage all 3D scanning requests, from quotes through delivery.

Cypress Building Manager (Student Competitions)

Any student competition group relations can be handled through Ted, especially MOU’s, education (workshops), or introduction to TW resources. He will also be aware of student storage spaces, such as lockers.

Instructional Fabrication Lab Manager

Anything related to machine tools, or more complicated subtractive manufacturing needs (3D subtractive, manual machining). He also manages the machines over in the Terps Racing shop, and has a hand in the Leidos Innovation Labs. He is the main point of contact for the IFL.

In this section, you can find a summary of information on how to maintain each of the advanced machines that the IFL administers.

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Terrapin Works has an extensive support network to assist you in your journey of becoming a LC. If you ever run into any issues, you can always reach out to the outgoing LCs for your lab, the FTE in charge of your lab, or any of the other lab coordinators!