L3 CNC Machine Shop

The CNC space will be closed from November 23rd-26th, Thursday to Sunday. Our hours will be 10-6pm from November 20-22nd, Monday to Wednesday. The Lab will also be closed for the winter break Monday, December 18, 2023, to Sunday, January 21, 2024. 

All CNC Shop orientations are closed for the Fall Semester 2023.

CNC Orientations and Technician Consultations are now held in RM L305 facing the elevators.

Due to limited stock and equitability, each student may only purchase up to three full sheets of plywood and MDF per semester. We no longer carry pink foam in our material store.

If your file requires a large amount of material, you must provide your own material.

Max thickness is 2″ for wood and MDF on the 4X8 Alpha.

Students and faculty are required to complete an orientation before using the L3 CNC Shop.

Tier 1 woodshop orientation and working knowledge of CAD is a prerequisite for taking the CNC orientation.

The CNC orientation includes two parts: online and in-person. The online orientation is available via Canvas: sign into the “Making Center Trainings and Authorization” course in Canvas and complete the “CNC Shops (Digital Tools)” module; upon the completion of online orientation, you will be able to schedule the in-person orientation at the end of Canvas training.

You must complete both the online and in-person orientation in order to gain access to L3 CNC Shop. 

Faculty interested in class orientations: The lab does not offer class orientation, however we do offer a limited amount of 30-minute lab introductions. During the introduction we briefly go over all aspects of the lab. This is NOT a training period. Because the lab is busy we cannot guarantee every class this accommodation. Faculty are expected to attend the introduction. Please give us one to two weeks advance notice so we can clear the calendar. To request a lab introduction email the lab at cnc@newschool.edu.

After you have completed the orientation, you must schedule a consultation each time you want to write a CAM file and submit to the queue. You must have a finished CAD model before making a consultation. One student per consultation. Refer to the “Project Submission Protocol” section for details. A consultation is a 90-minute meeting where we will:

• Review your CAD model
• Write your CAM file
• Discuss material/machine options
• Submit your file to the queue
• Pay for material (if purchased from CNC)

Roland consultations

We do not carry materials for the Roland in our store, meaning that you will need to prep/outsource your own material. Please do so beforehand and bring the material in for consultation due to the limitations of SRP Player (Roland CAM program).

Note: Processing will take 1-3 days when we’re not busy and up to 2 weeks during midterms/finals. Please plan ahead!

If you miss your appointment or you’re 30+ minutes late, you will receive a warning. 3 warnings, you lose access to the CNC space for a week. 4 warnings, you lose access for the rest of the semester.

CNC reserves the right to reject submissions, especially if they can be processed in another shop.

If using the 4×8, your file MUST include a 1” border to secure your material to the bed.
If using the Roland, your file MUST have an additional 4” of material (3” on one end, 1” on the other) to properly be secured to the machine.

Softwood and hardwood MUST be planed.

Projects are processed in the order they are received. Please check the log below for current status.

Walk-ins: stop by any time to talk about material choices, file preparation or problems you might be having. Walk-ins are NOT meant for writing CAM.

Aspire and SRP Player have been added to the computers next to the 3D Print Lab (L200-PMC05 and L200-PMC07). Students are allowed to create their CAM files here, but still need to book a consultation to review their file and submit to the queue.

Max Material Dimensions: