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Machine Certification

You need to be certified on a machine before you run it on your own. The machines that need certification are listed below. Hand tools and the sublimation printer don't.

The CNC, laser cutter, and drill press are Upper School only. Middle School students aren't certified on them.

How it works​

  1. Read this site's page for the machine.
  2. Run a job with June guiding you — a small, real job.
  3. Run a job correctly with June watching, not guiding. That's the certification.

If you're already confident on a machine, you can skip step 2 and go straight to showing June.

June keeps the list of who's certified on each machine. Ask for a certification slot when you're ready rather than waiting to be scheduled — the CNC has one machine and a whole class behind it, so early is better.

General shop expectations​

These apply on every machine:

  • Correct PPE for the task, on before you start.
  • Closed-toe shoes.
  • Nothing loose — hair tied back, sleeves up, no dangling jewelry or lanyards.
  • No gloves near anything that spins.
  • Clean up your station and the machine before you leave it.
  • Tell an adult when something breaks, jams, or sounds wrong.

CNC router (Shapeoko)​

Upper School only.

Workflow on Running the CNC.

You'll show that you can:

  • Name the PPE this machine needs and why hearing protection applies to bystanders too.
  • Secure stock so it cannot shift, and explain where the clamps are relative to your toolpath.
  • Install a bit and tighten the collet correctly, with the router unplugged.
  • Initialize the machine, then check the router height before zeroing: show me that every wheel on the Z carriage is still on its plate at the bottom of the cut, and that the retract height doesn't reach the top of Z travel.
  • Say which way you'd move the router in its holder to get off the bottom, why that pushes you toward the top, and why this check comes before zeroing.
  • Set X, Y, and Z zero — and say what happens if Z zero is wrong.
  • Load a job, check the preview, and confirm the job's dimensions actually fit the stock you clamped down.
  • Start a cut, stay with it, and stop it. Show me the stop.
  • List the sounds and signs that mean stop immediately.
  • Shut down, retrieve parts, and vacuum the machine and floor.

Laser cutter (Epilog Fusion Maker)​

Upper School only.

Workflow on Running the Laser Cutter.

You'll show that you can:

  • Start up in order — Filtrabox, laser, air assist — and say why the Filtrabox comes first.
  • Check a material against the settings sheet, and name what never goes in the laser.
  • Set cut lines to 0.1 pt or thinner, and say what happens to a line left at Illustrator's default.
  • Place material near the center of the bed, and explain why the edges throw off camera alignment.
  • Choose a focus setting, and explain why "off" is the wrong default and when Thickness gives the wrong answer.
  • Print a job to the laser from Illustrator and stay with it while it runs.
  • Point to both extinguishers, say which one you'd grab first, and why.
  • Keep the lid closed for the one-minute Filtrabox run, then check the piece for smoldering before you move it.
  • Shut down in order, with the Filtrabox last.

3D printers (Bambu Lab)​

Only needed if you're slicing and printing yourself — sending a print through the print queue doesn't require it. The same rules apply in both makerspaces. Workflow on 3D Printing Workflow.

You'll show that you can:

  • Slice a file in Bambu Studio with the correct printer and filament profile selected.
  • Read the sliced preview and identify supports, the first layer, and the estimated time.
  • Close the tent before starting, then send a job and confirm it started correctly.
  • Pull a finished print the right way: pause any other prints in the same tent remotely, wait the full twenty minutes with the timer, open up and remove your print, then zip the tent back up and restart the prints you paused. Details on 3D Printing Air Quality.
  • Remove a print from the plate without damaging the plate.
  • Recognize a failed print early, stop it, and describe what went wrong.
  • Explain why you don't reach into a printer mid-print — the nozzle and bed are hot, the gantry moves, and the enclosure is holding fumes.

Vinyl and cardstock cutter (Silhouette Cameo)​

Workflow on Vinyl and Cardstock Cutting.

You'll show that you can:

  • Load a mat and material squarely.
  • Choose the correct blade and material setting, and run a test cut first.
  • Handle and change a blade safely.
  • Explain why vinyl never goes in the laser cutter.
  • Weed a cut, and apply adhesive vinyl with transfer tape.

Heat press​

Details on Makers Tools.

You'll show that you can:

  • Find the temperature and time for your material on the sign by the presses, and set the press to match.
  • Apply heat-transfer vinyl, cut mirrored and pressed face-down.
  • Transfer a sublimation print.
  • Let the piece cool before you handle it, and keep your hands off the hot parts of the press. Gloves are optional.

Handheld drills​

Details on Hand Tools and Joinery.

You'll show that you can:

  • Clamp the work before drilling it.
  • Select the right bit for a hole a screw passes through versus a hole a screw bites into.
  • Back up the exit side so the far face doesn't blow out.

Drill press (WEN)​

Upper School only.

Details on Hand Tools and Joinery.

You'll show that you can:

  • Clamp the work before drilling it.
  • Work with bare hands — no gloves, no loose sleeves.
  • Select the right bit for a hole a screw passes through versus a hole a screw bites into.
  • Back up the exit side so the far face doesn't blow out.

Staying certified​

  • Certification lasts one school year. Recertify at the start of each year. If you're ready, skip the guided job and go straight to showing June.
  • Safety lapses mean recertifying. Skipping PPE, walking away from a running job, or working around a safety step after being reminded means you recertify before running that machine on your own again. One mistake you correct when reminded doesn't.
  • Feeling rusty? Ask for a refresher run.

Questions​

Ask June Peters (jpeters@universityprep.org) to schedule a certification or recertification, or if you're unsure whether you're cleared to run something.