Shop Rules

MACHINE SHOP RULES AND REGULATIONS

General

The College of Engineering Machine Shop was established for support of student course work and
research. Every effort will be made to make the shop available for these projects. Students of
Engineering, or other programs on campus, who desire to use this equipment for educationally-related
activities are required to abide by the following rules and regulations.

Rules and Regulations

1. Students are not allowed to use the equipment in the Shop without going through safety training check-
out on each of the machines to be used, passing a written safety test, and completion of the “Student
Request for Machine Shop Use” form (with appropriate approvals). Upon completion of the above a
student will be given one of the following badges:

Limited Access (Yellow)

Access is only during the times there is an authorized supervisor on duty in the lab. Prior approval of all
jobs is required. A yellow badge with approved equipment listed must be worn when working in the lab.
As an individual progresses through the lab and is safety briefed and trained on individual machines
he/she may have unsupervised access to only those machines on which they have been checked and
verified.

Normal Access (Green)

An individual will be awarded a green badge indicating he/she has completed safety checks on all
machines and has also been briefed on the current policies concerning lab operations. Prior approval of
jobs is not required but drawings or sketches must be present at the work area.

Limited TA (Blue)
This teaching assistant wears a blue badge and must be thoroughly trained and approved by the shop
supervisor. He/she is authorized to “open” the lab after hours for not more than four students. This person
would typically be a member of a project team. The team members would be the only people normally
working under this TA’s supervision.

Unlimited TA (Red)
This TA will wear a red badge. He/she is authorized to open the lab after hours. The Unlimited TA is
given the authority and responsibility to correct lab activities they consider dangerous to persons or
property.

Faculty/Staff (White)
He/she is authorized to open the shop after hours. The Faculty/Staff member has the authority and
responsibility to correct shop activities they consider dangerous to persons or property.

This access badge must be displayed while using shop equipment.

The safety check and policy review is required every semester. All safety tests and Request for Shop Use
forms (PE-002A) must be turned in to the Shop Supervisor’s office before semester break. No badges will
be issued after semester break.

Form PE-001B 1
March 2000
Shop Rules

2. Students requiring the use of the major machine tools (lathe, mill, grinder, cnc machines, etc.) must
sign out for the machines. The student must present his/her access badge to the Shop Supervisor to get a
key to the machine and a key to the toolbox assigned to that machine. In times of increased usage, such as
when senior projects are due, usage will be limited to three hours at a time, unless special requests are
made and can be approved.

3. Students using machines must obey all safety restrictions, either posted or made part of this document.
Major restrictions are:
* Safety glasses or goggles MUST be worn at all times in the shop area. * Long
hair, loose items of clothing, jewelry, etc., shall be constrained so as not to be a hazard near rotating or
otherwise moving machinery.
* All safety features of the machinery shall be properly utilized.
* Exercise extreme care when using compressed air to blow chips off machines. DO NOT
use compressed air to blow off clothing or skin.

4. No one is allowed to use machinery alone. If the Instructor is not in the Shop, students are required to
work in pairs. This is particularly important when using the machines after normal working hours.

5. The user of a machine shall be responsible for cleaning each machine after use. Cleaning consists of
taking all chips off the machine, wiping the machine down with shop cloths, sweeping the floor area, and
disposing of all chips and mess created by the user. Making it look like the user was never there. The user
is responsible for returning all tools to their appropriate locations. The user is also responsible for
returning the machine key and toolbox key to the Shop Instructor. Violation of this rule will get the user
suspended from the shop.

6. All tools or equipment taken from the Shop area must be signed out for and returned promptly after
completion of the job.

7. The Shop is not a depository for junk. Any project or other material left in the Shop will be discarded,
unless special permission is obtained from the Shop Instructor.

8. Students are responsible for their own tooling. Although the Shop contains certain standard tooling
(drills, end mills, etc.), as a general rule a student working on a project should be prepared to purchase
his/her own tooling, as required. If tooling belonging to the Shop is broken, the student is required to
notify the Machine Shop Instructor ASAP.

9. Students are responsible for providing their own materials. Although there is a limited stock of
material in the Shop area, it belongs, in general, to specific projects. This stock may only be used with the
explicit approval of the Shop Instructor.

10. Students are required to follow all instructions given to them by the Shop Instructor or other
authorized individuals.

11. IF IN DOUBT............. ASK !!!

12. Any person found misusing the equipment will be subject to disciplinary action.

Form PE-001B 2
March 2000
Shop Rules

After Hours Procedures

1. No students are permitted to operate power tools in the lab alone.

2. Students must display their access badge while they are in the lab
3. After hours, the stock room and many of the tools are secured. Arrangements for access to the required
tools and materials should be made with the lab supervisor during normal hours.
4. Students should not remove tools from the lab unless prior arrangements have been made with the lab
supervisor.
5. Keys to the machines and toolboxes must be returned by 8:00 am the following morning.

Safety Items

Following is a list of some of the safety items in the machine shop. This is a partial list only. This does not
include all safety issues.

General
1. Safety glasses must be worn at all times while in the shop area.
2. Long sleeved shirts or loose clothing should not be worn while running machinery. Moving parts of
machinery can catch them.
3. Never wear gloves while operating machinery.
4. Never use rags to hold parts while machining.
5. If you have long hair, you must tie your hair back to keep it out of the way of moving machinery parts.
6. Before you operate a machine make sure that the floor area is clean and dry, make sure the work is
securely held, and remove all tools and other items from the machine.
7. It is okay to use shop air to blow off parts and machines, if you use extreme caution. Never use shop
air to blow chips or dirt off clothing or hands.
8. Replace or sharpen any tool that becomes dull or chipped.
9. Keep flammable liquids and material away from machines. Flammable liquids and materials should
be kept in the explosion proof cabinets when not in use.
10. Always clean chips and dirt off of parts/devises that are going to be mounted together.
11. Cutting oil is for cutting. Lube oil is for lubricating. There is a difference.
12. If you spill oil on the floor, clean it up.
13. Do not do repairs to the machines. If the machine does not run properly, turn it off and contact the
shop supervisor

Grinders / Sander
1. Do not grind aluminum, brass, wood or plastic on the pedestal grinder. Grind only steel or iron on the
pedestal grinder
2. Aluminum, brass, wood, plastic, and steel may be sanded on the belt sander.
3. Quench parts that may become hot in water. DO NOT use gloves or rags to hold parts while grinding
or sanding.
4. The tool rest on the pedestal grinder should never be more then 1/8” away from the wheel.

Saw
1. Use coolant when running the horizontal saw unless you are cutting wood or other porous material.
Form PE-001B 3
March 2000
Shop Rules

2. The adjustable saw guide for the vertical saw should be as close to the work piece as possible.
3. When sawing steel and thin materials (under 1/8”), use a fine toothed blade.
4. When sawing aluminum or thick material (over 1/8”), use a course tooth blade.
5. When sawing round material on the vertical saw, use a vise to hold the work piece.
6. When sawing thin material, use a piece of scrap wood under the piece being cut.
7. Use a pusher block on work pieces that are small.
8. NEVER put your fingers close to the blade while the machine is running.

Lathe
1. Turn cams on the cam lock spindle clockwise when mounting chucks.
2. Never leave a chuck wrench in the chuck. Do not take your hand off the chuck wrench until the
wrench is out of the chuck.
3. Do not stop the spindle by hand. Let the chuck coast to a stop or use the brake.
4. Always wipe off chips and dirt from mating surfaces when you change chucks, collets, drill chucks,
centers, tool holders or any other mating parts. Mounting tooling with chips present can cause
permanent damage.
5. When removing chucks from the lathe, place a board across the ways. This prevents possible damage
to the ways. If the chuck is stuck after loosing the cams, rap briskly with a SOFT FACE hammer.
6. Before turning on the spindle, make note of all pinch points, remove tools from working area and
disengage power feeds.
7. While sanding or filing in the lathe, keep your left hand toward you and your right hand to the back of
the machine. Never sand or file with your body over the spinning chuck.
8. Remove stringy chips with pliers while the spindle is off. Never remove stringy chips while the
spindle is rotating. Never remove stringy chips with your hands. Chips can have razor-sharp edges.
9. DO NOT use parting tools as turning tools.

Mill / Drill Press

1. Make note of all pinch points before tuning on the spindle.
2. Never stop the spindle by hand. Let it coast to a stop or use the brake.
3. Never take your hand off the draw bar wrench until the wrench is removed from the draw bar. NEVER
LEAVE THE WRENCH ON THE DRAW BAR.
4. Never leave a drill chuck key in the chuck in the tightening position. Always remove the chuck key
after tightening the chuck. When storing the chuck, place the handle of the key in the chuck.
5. Most of the time the spindle will be run clockwise (looking down from the top). Because some tools
were made to run counter-clockwise, spindle rotation will be determined by the cutter design.
6. Clean dirt and chips from mating parts when changing cutters, collets, drill chucks, vises, rotary
tables, or any other devise.
7. DO NOT mill with a milling cutter in the Drill Chuck.

Unsafe practice or obvious abuse of equipment constitutes a danger to people and damages equipment.
Therefore the lab supervisor will stop unsafe practice in the lab. Students violating any of these rules will
have their Shop privileges revoked for a period of at least two weeks. Longer periods may be assessed,
depending upon the judgment of the Shop Instructor and the Precision Engineering Laboratory Director.

Form PE-001B 4
March 2000