MIC Lab Coordinator Training

This Wiki is intended to be a source of information specific to the Innovation Center, that is not included in the General LC Training Modules.

The Lab Coordinator of the Innovation Center should take steps to ensure that all of the staff, volunteers, machines and jobs are properly managed in order to help fulfill the goals of Terrapin Works. Among the laboratories Terrapin Works manages, the Innovation Center is the most accessible consumer-grade 3D manufacturing resource to the Campus Community

Some key responsibilities include:

• Ensuring that job requests pertaining to machines residing in the Innovation Center are being completed consistently and on-time
• Enabling basic and advanced training on machines and workflows in the lab space for staffers, volunteers.
• Redirecting clients to appropriate lab spaces where appropriate
• Managing staff members to ensure that no knowledge is lost on any machines or processes
• Improving the workflows and processes in place for machines, staff, and customers
• Advocate for staff learning about other spaces at Terrapin Works

This list is not exclusive. A crucial part of the role is seeking out and addressing needs of the lab space, which may expand your responsibilities.

There are many tools and techniques detailed through this wiki that will help with these responsibilities, and should serve as a bit of a reference during any unique circumstances.

Technical Supervisors are beneficial to the successful operation of the Innovation Center. The LC is responsible for using the SLMs to accomplish certain tasks, and it is NOT EXPECTED for the LC to do all of the ‘high-level’ work. An LC must learn to lean on their support network, and the SLMs are a key part of the support network.

Technical Supervisors can be used to:

• Conduct New-Staff onboarding
• Expand the LC’s knowledge and perspective of lab operation
• Answer/handle helpdesk questions
• Ensure that complex/bulk job requests are handled properly
• Manage lab improvement projects where applicable

When correspondence is not intended to be private, the LC uses #mgmt-mic, a Slack channel that includes Innovation Center SLM’s and other appropriate staff. When you onboard new SLM’s, add them to this channel to improve communication.

Technicians are critical to the basic operations and request fulfillment. They are indirectly critical to the LC support network. Most of the time, the LMs should be serving as part of the SLMs support network, so it is encouraged to go utilize LMs through the SLMs. This ensures that the SLMs are developing healthy work relationships with the LMs, and that the LC is not the single person that is being contacted for every little issue.

Utilizing the help of an LM through an SLM can be accomplished by handing off a problem, project or making a request of an SLM, and encouraging them to involve an LMs in their process.

Terrapin Works Operations Manager

The Terrapin Works Operations Manager is usually the first person to go to for issues in the MIC, and will be able to point you to any other people who may be better suited.

Lauren Rathmann - 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. She is also the FTE responsible for the MIC until the Operations Manager position is filled.

David Kriesberg - 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.

Andrew (Andy) Gregory - Terrapin Works Safety Officer

Andy will play a role in the Safety Training part of Onboarding. The LC will most likely communicate with him over Slack.

Richard (Rick) L. Blanton - Director of Technical Operations

The Innovation Center LC does not typically need to contact Rick, but External client relations (and issues) can be elevated to his level. Rick has expertise in Lasers and Electrical Engineering.

Advanced Fabrication Lab

The Innovation Center and AFL are both a part of the Additive Track within Terrapin Works. Staffers in the Additive Track should be able to function in the front space in the AFL as well as the Innovation Center as a whole. More advanced requests that come into the Innovation Center should also be sent over to the AFL.

Design Team

The Design Team and Innovation Center will (tentatively) eventually be in a common space. This means that the Design Team will have easy access to the use of the FDM machines in the Innovation Center. The Design Team will often send prototyping or fabrication requests to the Innovation Center for design projects.

The LC is responsible for ensuring that these task are completed. If you discover a new need during your term, please add it to this list.

• Keep an eye on filament levels
• Submit weekly MIC Procurify order if necessary
• Review helpdesk tickets, follow up with stalled tickets

• Filament Audit: Cross checking that the filament we have in the lab reflects the number in the Asset Management System
• Printer Calibration

• Updating the @micstaff, @micslm, & @mictrainees user groups on Slack
• Semester Kick Off & Wrap Up Events
  • Updating the slides to reflect the current management and plans for the semester

A significant number of tasks must be completed twice per semester for onboarding. This will be described in the onboarding section.

• Weekly meeting with an FTE to go over any high level MIC topics and projects
• Weekly LC meeting to go over any high level department topic
• Meetings with SLMs as needed to discuss project progress

The Innovation Center and the Advanced Fabrication Lab are responsible for onboarding any new hires that choose the Additive Track. This training should take place during the first month of each semester.

Orientation is where the trainees will be introduced to the space and those who regularly staff the space. Update this Slide Presentation each semester to reflect who is in the lab, and what the goals are for the semester.

Orientation is also when the TAP safety tour will take place.

Scheduling should be done in tandem with the AFL. There is only one shift in the Innovation Center, and should take place during the first week of training. Ensure that all trainees have been scheduled for their Innovation Center shift on Paycor.

Following their Additive training, new hires will split their shifts between the Innovation Center and AFL.

There are a number of tasks that the LC needs to complete outside of Orientation and Scheduling for Training to run smoothly. Most of these tasks should be completed in tandem with the AFL LC

• Ensure that all Additive Trainees have been added to the training Slack channel, Dozuki team, and Terrapin Works Google Drive
  • DO NOT REQUEST ACCESS TO THE GOOGLE DRIVE; ADD THEM THROUGH MANAGE MEMBERS
• Ensure that Trainees have scheduled PDMs with the appropriate FTE at the end of training

You are responsible for procuring materials for the lab using Procurify. A few links are provided below for common consumables.

• 1.75 mm Build Series Filament
• Makerbot Buildtape
• Extruder Insulation
• Poly Bags
  • 6x10: S-10849
  • 9x12: S-1907
  • 4x6: S-1308
  • 14x20: S-12264

The bins below the 3D Printers in the lab will gradually fill up over time. When the contents are deposited into large plastic bags, the scrap plastic is to be shredded for potential future uses. The spools are also recycled, as they are sometimes made of ABS plastic.

• This should be occurring weekly until all of the filament and rolls are shredded
• Stored behind the printers for the foreseeable future
• Speak with David Kriesberg to learn how to use the granulator
• Add anyone who is interested to #mic-pla-shredding