CAP Fab Labs · Architecture Building

Laser Lab

CAP Students Only · Certification Required · By Appointment · Self-Serve

The Laser Lab in the Architecture Building is a self-serve, CAP-students-only facility for model making. Once you're certified, you schedule an appointment and cut your own work. Coming from outside the college? You'll need permission first, so reach out to CAP Dean David Ferguson.

Before you cut: you must be certified, hold a scheduled appointment, and have the Lens Responsibility Form on file. Not certified yet? Start with the Laser Cutter Training below.

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What You Need

CAP student status. The lab is CAP students only, and first-year students may not use the lasers.
Certification. Complete the online training, then get certified by a Makercorps student, your studio professor, or other faculty. Your certification links to your BSU ID, and it also covers the AT 141 and BSU CAP Indy lasers.
A scheduled appointment. Once you're certified you can reserve time, which is covered in Scheduling below.
Sign in and out at the check-in desk every visit. You'll write down First Name, Last Name, Class (e.g., ARCH 263), and your time of arrival.
Laser Lens Responsibility Form. Get this done before you cut anything (form →).
Stay in the room. Never leave a project unattended while it's cutting. If you walk out, the machine gets shut down.

Laser Cutter Training → Reserve a Machine →

Booking

Scheduling

Reserve through the WebCheckOut Patron Portal, which you can also get to on my.bsu under “Additional Tools.” Access to reserve a machine is granted once your training is on file. Need the step-by-step? See the reservation walkthrough.

Sign up for 1 hour per day, no less than 30 minutes in advance.
If no one is scheduled after you, you may stay beyond your one-hour appointment.
Arrive on time. If you’re 4 minutes late, your slot goes to the next person in line.
Missed appointments are noted by the Fab Lab attendant on duty.
No-shows and uncancelled appointments incur a non-refundable $10 fine to your Bursar account. Cancel under “My Account” in WebCheckOut.

Equipment

Available Machines

Four machines are available for scheduling, at 1 hour per day, per person. If a slot isn't reserved, it's first-come, first-served.

3 × Large

18 × 32 in bed

1 × Medium

18 × 24 in bed

Materials

What You Can Cut

The lab is for model making, and we provide material settings for everything in the permitted list below. Maximum thickness is ¼ inch. Anything thicker than that needs a different cutting method.

Permitted

Acrylic (from the CRC)
Mat Board
Illustration Board
Balsa Wood
Bass Wood
Chip Board
Plywood
Masonite

Not Permitted

Foam Core
PVC
Vinyl
Steel or any other metal
Cement or Concrete

Working with something that isn't on either list? You'll need special permission from Judy Kreiger.

Never leave a project unattended. While your file is cutting, stay in the room so you can make sure it cuts safely. If you walk out, the machine gets shut down.

File Prep

Laser Cutting Setup Guides

Not sure how to get your file ready? These guides walk you through it:

↓ Laser Cutter Setup Instructions for Adobe Illustrator ↓ Laser Cutter Setup Instructions for Rhino ↓ Rhino Template, ready to download

Not certified yet? Training is provided by Makercorps, your studio professor, or other faculty.

Laser Cutter Training →