At this page, we've collected codes of conduct, general information, instructions and tutorials to the use of Umeå School of Architecture's Workshop Facilities and our machines. At the bottom of the page there's new video tutorials, for example to the 3D-printer, Plotter Cutter and Laser cutter.
The doors to the workshop are open 07.45 - 17.30. At other times during student access hours to the building you will need your UmU card and PIN-code to access the workshop. Machines can be used 08.00 - 17.00. The power to the machines is cut off during the remaining time. You can still operate hand tools and smaller machines during all student opening hours (220V outlets).
All new students need to get an introduction on how to use the machines before they can start to use the workshop. Classes to get the workshop license are held for new students in the beginning of the fall semester. Please contact your year responsible if you don't have a license.
Never work alone in the workshop!
Cardboard and wood materials can be purchased in the workshop. Ask Håkan Hansson or Kent Brodin for more information.
There are litter bins for combustible waste on each floor.
A paper recycling bin can be found next to the printers on level 3 (the white box). More recycling bins are located in the corridor next to the workshop on level 1. You can dispose of concrete, stone, metals and large objects in the big green dumpster outside the workshop. Wood materials are collected in the workshop. Glass, chemicals, batteries and electronics are collected in the workshop. Never dispose of electronics and chemicals with combustible waste!
If you have any questions, please ask Kent Brodin or Håkan Hansson.
All tools with red color labelling should always remain in the workshop and never be brought up to studio spaces etc. We also have other tools that are not colored which can be borrowed. If you wish to borrow a tool, contact a workshop technician for direct permission.
Prepare as much of your work as possible in the studio before beginning your work down in the workshop.
Always wear protective glasses and earmuffs when working in the wood & metal workshop. Never wear loose clothing that could get stuck in the machines.
Always make sure to clean and return all the tools used when finished with your project.
If you need to continue your work the next day, place a pink work-in-progress label with your details written on it next to your working station to avoid your work being thrown away. If you need somewhere to store your work we have a shelving system in the assembly room.
In order to use the laser cutter or plotter machine you must have taken the laser and plotter introduction course with a workshop technician (please note, this is not the same as the general workshop introduction course). Contact a workshop technician for information on how to register for the course (we prefer groups of 3-4 students).
Some general reminders and things to keep in mind when using the laser:
- The maximum material size is 1000x600mm
- Material is limited to Paper, Plastics, Acrylics, Wood boards (MDF, Plywood etc)
- NO REFLECTIVE MATERIALS or PVC plastics.
There are two laser cutters and they generally work in the same way. For any exceptions, see the instructions at the desk next to the specific computer that you are using down in the laser room.
Please take care of any leftover materials and either place it in the leftover material bin outside or throw it away if it's too small or damaged. Don’t leave any material in the laser room.
General procedure for using the laser cutters:
1. Prepare your Illustrator file so that it’s ready to be transferred directly to the laser cutter software without having to make any changes down at the computer in the laser room:
a. Control the colors: Cutting = Red. Engraving = Black.
b. Control the line thickness: Should be 0.1pt. (Concerning the cutting)
c. All colors should be RGB not CMYK.
2. The file is easiest transferred to the laser cutter computer using a USB stick, the school server or online storage (Google Drive etc).
3. Turn on the ventilation to the laser cutter (white switch on the wall above the laser cutters).
4. Turn on the laser cutter by turning the key on the machine.
5. Sign in on the computer using your UMU account.
6. Launch Job Control.
7. Connect to the laser cutter
8. Place your material inside the laser cutter.
9. Set the vertical position of the material using the small tool that is attached to the laser head.
10. Open up your file in Illustrator. If Illustrator asks you to sign in:
a. Write umu.se and then sign in using your UMU account.
11. Transfer the file to Job Control through the Print function in Illustrator. Select the laser cutter as the printer, check the ignore artboard option, and press print.
12. Go back to Job Control and insert the drawing.
13. Click the eye-icon up in the action bar in Job Control to see your drawing.
14. Adjust the position of your drawing to match with your material.
15. Set the correct material setting in the drop-down menu up to the left in the action bar in Job Control.
16. Press the start button in Job Control.
17. Stay in the room until the laser cutter has finished. It is forbidden to leave the laser unattended. Pause the laser cutter if you have to go away before the laser is finished.
18. Wait at least 30 seconds before taking out your material for all of the toxic smokes to disappear.
19. When you are done:
a. Close all the applications on the computer and sign out of your user.
b. Take out all the materials from the laser cutter.
c. Turn off the laser cutter using the key on the machine and the white switch on the wall.
d. Make sure not to leave anything inside the room.
e. Leave any leftover material in the material collection just outside by the recycling stations. Throw away any trash/material which is not suitable for reusing.
Some general reminders and things to keep in mind when using the plotter:
- The maximum material dimensions are 1500 x 1600 mm
- Material is limited to Paper, Foamboard, Cardboard, Soft thin plastic (up to 1mm, PETG, ABS), Wood boards (up to 3mm).
General procedure for using the plotter:
1. Prepare your Illustrator file so that it’s ready to be transferred directly to the laser cutter software without having to make any changes down at the computer in the laser room:
a. Control the line colors: Cutting = Red. Pen = Black.
b. Control the line thickness: Should be 0.1pt.
c. All colors should be RGB not CMYK.
2. The file needs to be transferred through a USB stick as the plotter computer doesn’t have any internet connection.
3. If the computer and Plotter is turned off:
a. Start the computer and sign in with the details that are written on the computer chassi.
b. Turn on the main switch on the plotter.
c. Start the Aristo cutter control program and follow the instructions in the
program.
d. Press the green button to reset the alarm message.
e. Press the button to the upper left and let the machine find the zero point on
the table.
4. On the computer make sure the three required software are open:
a. Cutter Control Panel
b. Flexiletter (FX)
c. Production Manager
5. Open your file in Flexiletter.
6. In Flexiletter, press the Cut-Plot button located up in the toolbar to create a Plotfile.
7. Go to the options tab and make sure the right color is assigned to the right tool. (cutting = tool 1, pen = tool 4)
8. Press send down in the bottom right corner to generate the Printfile.
9. Save the file to the desktop by pressing Spara (save).
10. Minimize the production manager window (Do NOT close it as it will interrupt the process and you will have to start over)
11. Minimize Flexiletter.
12. Open the Cutter Control panel application.
13. Choose the Plot memory tab and drag and drop your newly generated plotfile onto the memory window.
14. Go to the preview tab to see how your file is oriented on the cutting table. The small red square represents the right downside corner on the cutting table. Please make sure you see the red square before proceeding, if not you need to go back to flexiletter and generate a new plotfile.
15. Click the tool parameter button to set the settings for your material.
a. The most common velocity setting for tool nr1 (the cutting knife) is 5cm/s for all softer materials (cardboards, paper etc). 2cm/s for thicker materials. More information and default settings can be found in the manual down in the plotter room. Please contact a technician if you can’t find the right settings for your material.
b. Remember to press enter for the change to be registered.
16. Place the material on the cutting table. The blue tape is no ruler but guidelines.
17. Head to the laser pointer tool to see where the plotter head is located.
18. Move the laser pointer to the starting point on the material and where you would like the bottom right corner of your file to be located. (See the red square in the Cutter Control panel for reference)
19. Check carefully that the tool nr 4 (pen) doesn’t touch any high spots on your material.
20. Press the right yellow button to set the Zero-point (origin).
21. Open the valves in parallel to your material on both sides of the cutting table. Green = Open. Red = Closed.
22. Press the fan icon next to the play button to start the fans.
23. Press “Play” to start the plotting.
24. Please clean the plotter table when you’re finished plotting and delete all your files from the computer.
Please contact a workshop technician for more information if you are interested in using any of these machines. Please be aware that these machines take up a lot more of the technichins time but we are happy to discuss your project and give you feedback on how to prepare it for the different machines. There are usually many different ways to use the machines. Files should in general be either STL, STEP or IGES.
In the five videos below, made by student assistants Kenneth Eriksson and Jonas Eltes, the workshop and the advanced workshop technology are introduced. Three of the videos contains specific tutorials/guides to the use of the Plotter cutter, the Laser cutter and the 3D printer. All videos have the possibility to turn on English subtitles.
This video is an introduction to the instructions for students at Umeå School of Architecture (UMA) to the Workshop facilities at the department. The video is purposed for use internally at the department and is available for current students via the students web. The video is made by students/teaching assistants Kenneth Eriksson and Jonas Eltes who are also seen in the video giving the introduction. The video is connected to four other videos guiding users to the plotter cutter, laser cutter, 3D printers and the CNC machine. All videos are provided with english subtitles. The videos where created early spring semester 2022.
This video is a CAM introduction for students at Umeå School of Architecture (UMA) to the Workshop facilities at the department. The video is purposed for use internally at the department and is available for current students via the students web. The video is made by students/teaching assistants Kenneth Eriksson and Jonas Eltes who are also seen in the video giving the introduction. The video is connected to four other videos; a workshop introduction video and three more specifically guiding users to the plotter cutter, laser cutter and 3D-printer. All videos are provided with english subtitles. The videos where created early spring semester 2022.
This video is an instruction to the use of the 3D-printer for students at Umeå School of Architecture (UMA) to the Workshop facilities at the department. The video is purposed for use internally at the department and is available for current students via the students web. The video is made by students/teaching assistants Kenneth Eriksson and Jonas Eltes who are also seen in the video giving the instruction. The video is connected to four other videos; a workshop introduction video, an introduction to advanced technical equipment and two more specifically guiding users to the plotter cutter and laser cutter. All videos are provided with english subtitles. The videos where created early spring semester 2022.
This video is an instruction to the use of the Laser cutter for students at Umeå School of Architecture (UMA) to the Workshop facilities at the department. The video is purposed for use internally at the department and is available for current students via the students web. The video is made by students/teaching assistants Kenneth Eriksson and Jonas Eltes who are also seen in the video giving the instruction. The video is connected to four other videos; a workshop introduction video, an introduction to advanced technical equipment and two more specifically guiding users to the plotter cutter and the 3D printer. All videos are provided with english subtitles. The videos where created early spring semester 2022.
This video is an instruction to the use of the Plotter cutter for students at Umeå School of Architecture (UMA) to the Workshop facilities at the department. The video is purposed for use internally at the department and is available for current students via the students web. The video is made by students/teaching assistants Kenneth Eriksson and Jonas Eltes who are also seen in the video giving the instruction. The video is connected to four other videos; a workshop introduction video, an introduction to advanced technical equipment and two more specifically guiding users to the laser cutter and the 3D printer. All videos are provided with english subtitles. The videos where created early spring semester 2022.