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The CNSI Innovation Workshop is comprised of the main facilities in Elings 3430 and the machining hub in Elings 2442. The Innovation Workshop is used by a wide group of students, staff, and external users in order to reach their fabrication goals. We have 3D Printers, a laser cutter and traditional machine tools in addition to a variety of more specialized tools, such as polymer casting equipment for PDMS microfluidics and our custom CNC glass/silicon cutter.
This Wiki has information about: becoming a workshop user; safety, reference, and training information for the workshop tools; Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs); chemical safety references; and other generally useful reference material for working productively in the CNSI Workshops.
Workshop wizards are undergraduate students who maintain the labs, provide training to users, design new tools, and build parts for users. Dr. Brian Dincau is the workshop manager. Please feel free to contact any of us with questions or ideas that you want to discuss.
Lab Announcements
05/08/25
The lab manager has returned from vacation and is preparing next week's training schedule. There are currently about 30 outstanding requests and we will do our best to accommodate everyone asap.
If you posted limited availability (less than 2 timeslots per weekday), you may have to wait longer.
04/07/25
There will be no internet in Elings this week on Wednesday and Thursday. Our local connection should still work, so tools will function, but if you need to transfer data you must bring external (USB) storage.
Ensure that you log your reservation in FBS. If you typically make reservations from within the lab, please remember to do so beforehand or immediately after. Thank you!
03/31/25
The lab manager will be out of the country from 4/20 to 5/5. During this time, there will be no new user orientations. Expect training, jobs, and tool maintenance to move a little slower than usual.
If you need an orientation (required for swipe access), I recommend requesting training ASAP using the form below the announcements.
03/27/25
There will be an all-campus power outage tonight around 9pm. Power will remain off until tomorrow morning. We are powering off several tools in preparation for the outage.
Since tomorrow is a holiday (Caesar Chavez), no one will be around to respond to any lingering tool issues until Monday 3/31. I recommend waiting until Monday to resume lab work in 3430.
02/11/2025
As some of you may know, we recently installed a new laser cutter. It's much more powerful than the Trotec, with a larger bed and a more effective air assist. This means it can cut a much wider range of materials. You can learn more about the new laser cutter here
We are currently phasing out the old Trotec. If you need to laser cut, please request training on the new laser cutter asap. The Trotec will no longer be available for regular use. You can find the training request form below the announcements.
Hotlinks for Submissions and Requests
Job Submission Google Form
The job submission form allows you to upload files or request correspondence to get a part made by our workshop wizards.
Training Request Google Form
The training request form includes the new user orientation, which is required to become a user of these labs.
Access to the Workshops
Please visit this page for information about becoming a new user and gaining card-key access to the labs.
Contact Information
Please reach out to Brian and/or the workshop wizards with questions or concerns about the lab and its tools!
Lab Manager
Brian Dincau: Elings 3217; bdincau@ucsb.edu; (805) 724-0426
Workshop Wizards
Yanis: yanis@ucsb.edu
Rachel: rylin@ucsb.edu
Colin: ckwok520@ucsb.edu
Jason: jwei@ucsb.edu
Remy: remywong@ucsb.edu
Kenneth: kennethkho@ucsb.edu
Elaina: epace@ucsb.edu
Grace : grace_zhang@ucsb.edu
Flynn: flynnirvine@ucsb.edu (In Edinburgh until Winter quarter)
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