Haas Manufacturing Lab

Overview

The Haas Manufacturing Lab is located in Jacaranda Hall room JD 1624 and supports the activities of several senior design projects in the Mechanical Engineering department at CSUN. There are a number of on-campus and external entities that support the projects in this laboratory.

Access

The faculty members in the department as well as the students working on their senior design projects have access to this laboratory. The laboratory is open until 10 pm during weekdays and for limited hours on the weekends.

Tools, Materials and Resources

The laboratory contains three CNC machines, Haas VF-4, ST-20, TM-1, as well as a wire EDM machine.

Access & Usage Costs

The cost of the operation is paid through the department funds, and this lab is only available for use by the students working on their senior design projects.

Management

A senior faculty member manages this laboratory; he is supported by several students.

Training

The College runs a machining workshop to train the students prior to giving them access. Subsequently, the students are trained by the supervising faculty member.

Use and Activity

The space is used heavily during weekdays by students working on their projects in 4 different senior design programs under supervision of the sponsoring faculty.

Culture and Community

The outcome of the senior design projects is a great motivators for students to get engaged with hands-on design projects.

Challenges and Lessons Learned

Management, safety, and financial support of the lab have been challenging. Encouraging a team of faculty members to take ownership of the space is a key to overcoming some of the challenges. 

Advice to other Makerspaces

They would need to plan ahead and create a team environment to manage the space.