Part Request Information Page

The Bray PALLS machine shop now offers job shop services.

We are staffed by a small team of graduate and undergraduate students workers, all with our own responsibilities and workloads outside the shop. Please have patience, and we will get to your parts as quickly as we can.

Cost

Materials must be covered by the requester. For example through research or course project funding.

Currently, there is no hourly charge for part requests or lab experiments.

General Steps

1. Read through this page for necessary details
2. Complete your Bray User Profile
3. Submit one Part Request Form per part [link at bottom of page]
4. Upload part files [instructions in form]
5. An employee will review your request and contact you shortly via email.
6. If applicable, drop off material within 24 hours after receiving notification that your request was approved. Instructions below.
7. Pick up completed part within 24 hours of receiving notification that your part is complete.

Part Statuses

Below are the statuses your part will be updated through. You will receive an email each time the status of your part is updated.

COMPLETION PROCESS:

1) Part Request Submitted:
Your part has just been uploaded and is awaiting review by admin.

2) Assigned to Staff:
Your part has been assigned to a Bray staff member. They will reach out soon with clarification questions or approval for your part. Work has not started on your part yet.

3) Corresponding with Requester:
We might need more information or clarification from you to make this part. This may include updating dimensions, organizing drop-off of raw materials to the RED contactless drop-off bin by the front door to the building, redesigning some aspect of your part, or more. This step may be carried out over email or Zoom if necessary.

4) Approved:
Your part’s design has been approved for fabrication by our staff, but we have not begun work on it yet.

5) In Progress:
One of our staff has begun directly working on your part. Shorter jobs like quick 3D prints or laser cuts may skip this step and just be marked as “Complete” when finished after being “Approved”.

6) Complete:
Your part is completed and ready for pick up in our YELLOW contactless pick-up bin by the front door to the building. Please do so within twenty-four hours.

POTENTIAL OBSTACLES:

a) Cancelled:
If you no longer need your part for any reason, update your part’s status to “Cancelled”. This is the only time you (rather than a Bray staff member) should update your part’s status.

b) Denied:
Your part has been denied. Bray staff will reach out to you to explain why it was rejected and potentially what you can do to fix it for a future request. If the shop is simply unable to accommodate your request, we will try to direct you to somewhere else that can help you.

c) Denied: Metric Units:
Your part has been denied because its design was not submitted in imperial units. The job shop will not accommodate or convert metric drawings for handmade parts. This a common mistake, so we have a special “Denied” status for it. Please re-dimension your drawing using the correct units, and the review process will begin again.

d) On Hold:
Your part is going to be delayed because of machine malfunction/service in the shop, staff scheduling issues, waiting for more raw materials to work with, or some other reason. Bray staff will reach out to you to explain why.

Uploading Files

Please upload:

1. A photo of your part (.png or .jpeg)
2. A part file. Typically we require a .dxf or .stl file.
   You are welcome to submit both if you are uncertain.

Typical rule for deciding between .dxf or .stl file:

Machines and Part File Types

We use different file types with different machines.
.dxf file parts can be made the fastest

Machine File Type 3D Printers .stl Laser Cutters .dxf or .ai Shopbot CNC Router .dxf or .stl Waterjet .dxf Haas CNC Mills .sldprt or sldasm Lathe .pdf or .dwg of engineering drawing Hand and Power Tools .pdf or .dwg of engineering drawing

Material Drop-Off (Red Bin)

• Label your material with your full name
• Bray Lab is located at 504 Boston Ave. Medford
• The Red Drop-Off Bin is at the front door of the building, along Boston Ave.
• Although Bray Lab is not responsible for stolen material, rest assured materials will be obtained from the bin throughout each weekday.

Part Pick-Up (Yellow Bin)

• Receive notification that part is complete
• The Yellow Pick-Up Bin is located across from Red Drop-Off Bin at the front door of the building.
• Bray Lab is not responsible for stolen parts.
• Please pick up your part within 24 hrs.

How long will it take to make my part?

No two requests take the same amount of time to complete. Factors such as the type of machining operations, the number of sub assemblies, required precision, accuracy of submitted dimension drawings, and the number of parts currently in queue all affect how long it will take to complete a part request. Below are a few examples of past requests and the length of time taken to complete them.

Important Notes

• You will be receiving email updates from bray.part.request@gmail.com
  • If the part request is denied
  • If the part request is approved
  • When the part is completed
• We are a small team with immense responsibility this semester, your patience and support is greatly appreciated

Part Request Form