UNT CVAD FAB LAB

In 2017, I was hired by the University of North Texas to manage the Digital Fabrication Lab for the College of Visual Arts and Design. My time at the school was deeply rewarding on a number of levels and I had the opportunity to fill a variety of interesting roles while I was there. This particular entry is meant to shine a light on one aspect: my experience with the equipment and the facilities.

In addition to my core duties coordinating daily operations and managing personnel, I was also tasked with the impending move into a brand new facility. When I arrived, all the equipment was crammed into a poorly-ventilated swing space near the boiler room in an aging art building. Two years later we were running at full capacity, with a mix of legacy and new equipment spread out over 4 rooms comprising 4800 square feet. I was responsible for most everything that happened in between.

During early visits to the construction site, I worked with specialists to dial in details such as function of control panels, location of outlets, and proper CFM flow volume in ventilation ducts. As we neared substantial completion, I led a team of grads and undergrads in our efforts to break down, relocate and rebuild operations in the new space, including some major additions to our machine lineup. At the time of completion, the list included: 4 48”x36” Epilog Fusion Pro Laser Engravers, plus a Helix and a Zing to round out the lineup of CO2 lasers. 3 Shopbot PRSAlpha 48”x96” CNC mills, two with a vacuum hold down system, one with an extended z-axis and the last with a 4th-axis rotary extension. 1 Shopbot Desktop 24”x24” CNC Mill for teaching purposes. 1 Lincoln Torchmate 48”x48” CNC Plasma Cutter. 2 Formlabs Form 2 3D Printers. 1 Creaform 3D Scanner.