College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Machine Shop
Services
The shop is a source for custom part prototyping and machine part problem solving. Its services include machining, fabricating, welding, design and precise measurement of mechanical parts and assemblies.
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CAD/CAM Design
AutoCAD/CAM, Inventor and MasterCAM are used to design parts, assemblies, mechanical drawings, and create programs to control the CNC machines. CAD is also used to view most part models or drawings that were made in a different CAD program.
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Machining
Computer numerical control (CNC) machining is a method for automating control of machine tools using software embedded in a microcomputer attached to the tool.
Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is a non-traditional method in which material is removed from a workpiece using thermal energy. Much like processes such as laser cutting, EDM does not need mechanical force in the removal process.
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Welding/Fabrication
- Brazing/soldering
- TIG/MIG welding
- Sheet metal bending and forming
- Fixture Design
- Heat treating of materials
Equipment
- 5 CNC milling machines
- CNC lathe
- Four manual lathes
- Drill presses, saws, welding equipment, sheet metal fabrication equipment
- Measuring tools calibrated yearly by standards traceable to NIST per the guidelines specified in the latest revisions of ANSI/NCSL Z540-1 and ISO/IEC 17025.
Materials
- Metals including steel, aluminum, and titanium
- Plastics
- Garolite
- Specialty material
Additional Services
- Carpentry
- Laser plastics
- Water jet cutting
- 3D Printing
Student and Faculty Use
The Machine Shop staff provides training for students and faculty to work on manual milling machines, lathes, CNC milling machines and in CAD/CAM. Students can get hands-on experience working on projects in the shop and further their knowledge of machining technolgy. The Student Machine Shop in 108 VAN is available by appointment by calling 319-335-1890.
Rates
$86/hour University of Iowa clients; $100/hour external clients
UI ProtoLabs
The machine shop collaborates with UI Protostudios a state-of-the-art, rapid-prototyping facility located at MERGE coworking space in downtown Iowa City. Focusing on biomedical and electronics prototyping, Protostudios helps Iowa entrepreneurs create prototypes and advance their research or business
Customers
The shop supports many University of Iowa Department of Physics and Astronomy projects, including space physics, high energy physics, plasma physics, and astronomy, but also collaborates with other departments across campus. External clients include:
- Penn State University
- CERN
- JPL
- NASA
Contact
Brian Busch
brian-busch@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-1845
UI Clients: submit work requests to phys-machine@divms.uiowa.edu
Machine Shop Staff
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Brian Busch
William Crile
Matt Miller