Technical Information
Recommended Design Software
We can support designs from many different software packages. Users should work with project stakeholders to determine the most appropriate software. Makerspace has seen success with the following:
Parametric Mechanical Design:
- OnShape is accessed through the cloud. There is a free education version available.
- Autodesk Inventor can be obtained with a student license directly from Autodesk.
- Solidworks is provided through the UIC webstore.
For 2D design
- CorelDRAW
- Inkscape
- Canva
PCB design
- KiCAD
- Autodesk Fusion
- Altium
While we try to support a wide variety of software, we may not be able to help with using or teaching software we are unfamiliar with. It is the responsibility of the user to produce correct designs and to export to a common interchange file we are able to use.
3D Printing
For all types of 3D printing in the Makerspace we prefer .stl files. These files should be saved from your CAD program with a Fine Resolution Preset and millimeters as the units. Incorrect settings may lead to parts being printed out of scale or with poor quality.
Files should be single closed meshes that do not self-intersect. Please be aware that the .stl file format does not guarantee printability, and any mesh repair is the responsibility of the user. We will not print severely damaged or unprintable files.
We will not 3D print CAD files or saved project files from slicing software. Exporting to a proper format is the responsibility of the designer.
Printer build volumes:
- Voron Trident: 11.4″ x 11.4″ x 11.2″ (290 x 290 x 285 mm)
- Fusion3: 14″ x 14″ x 12″ (350 x 350 x 300 mm)
- Objet30: 11.8″ x 7.8″ x 5.9″ (300 x 200 x 150 mm)
- Formlabs Form3+: 5.7″ × 5.7″ × 7.6″ (145 × 145 × 193 mm)
Note: Not all parts can print in all orientations or with all materials. We have unlisted printers available for special cases and materials – consult with us to find out more.
Laser/Waterjet cutting
The laser and waterjet require vector information to cut. From CAD programs this is done by right clicking on a face that you want cut and going to Export Face as DXF. This will walk you through the steps of creating a DXF. Do not create an engineering drawing with projected faces – we will not cut these files.
You can also directly draw 2D shapes to be cut in a 2D Design program of your choice. CorelDRAW, AutoCAD, Inkscape, or Adobe Illustrator work well. Please make sure all extraneous marks are removed.
We can duplicate and nest parts if multiples are needed.
Build size
- Laser cutter – 36″ x 24″
- Wazer waterjet – 18″ x 12″
CNC PCB Milling
We support .brd and Gerber files. Gerber files must contain all layers for the top/bottom copper, drill, and edge cuts layers.
Recommended settings for KiCAD
PCBs intended for milling be designed with clearances and features specifically for CNC milling. We primarily support milling with a 1/32″ endmill (smaller tools are used only when absolutely necessary for fanout).
Boards should be single sided where possible. When a second side is needed we recommend using jumper wires instead of a double sided board. Vias are not plated and wire needs to be soldered into each via for connectivity. Alignment tolerance is 0.020″.
We cannot apply resist, silk screen graphics, or solder paste.
Maximum board size: 4″ x 5″
- 12 mil traces recommended / 6 mil traces minimum
- Configure a design rule file in your software to check for 32 mil minimum clearance between all features
- All soldered connections should be on the copper side of the board for access
- 1206 components are the suggested minimum size
- Minimize the board size where possible
CNC Milling
We can mill a variety of materials. Projects must be designed for CNC milling and work with available tooling and fixturing.
We need CAD file formats (.STEP preferred) and will generate toolpaths for the mills. We highly recommend consulting early on a project that may require CNC milling.
Vinyl Cutting and Large Format Printing
The vinyl cutter uses vector information. DXF or SVG files work best. The vinyl cutter is 24″ wide and material spools from a roll.
The large-format printer is controlled with CorelDRAW and can take many file types. Vector graphics work best but any image format works well too. We recommend images are at least 300 DPI at intended printing resolution. The printer can print 36″ wide.
Stickers require an image in either bitmap or vector format (300 DPI recommended with 1/16″ bleed) and a vector cut line. We can create the cut line for simple shapes.
Buttons require an image file. 400x400px recommended. Images will be cropped to a circle and will have slight variations in alignment.
Other Processes
Please contact us