The following governance and use guidelines provide Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) researchers, Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) members, and external (industry and government) partners with guidance that outlines the safe and efficient use of space and resources, establish protocols for partnerships and project execution, provides guidelines for partner interactions, and ensures that all work at Mill 19 meets the objectives of MFI and CMU.
Individuals directly involved in research of approved projects will be granted card access to the main building. Users will also be granted card access to specific areas including the additive manufacturing lab, high bay, low bay, and mezzanine areas as required by the project. In each case, the faculty PI will submit a request for access including the names, Andrew ID, and CMU ID number for each person to the Mill 19 facility manager. Final approval is given by the facility manager, advanced manufacturing engineer (AME), and director.
Carnegie Mellon faculty, staff, and students who have received building access and activated their CMU ID card may enter Mill 19 without signing in on the guest registration log.
Guests and CMU faculty, staff, and students who have not activated their ID card must sign their name and organization affiliation into the guest registration log at the main lobby front desk.
The front desk attendant maintains the attendance log, which can be accessed by building staff.
During special events, the front desk attendant will be notified in advance about the event, including which organizations and the number of attendees to expect.
To ensure that all users are prepared for safe operations in our laboratories, everyone seeking to work in the labs must complete the orientation process and BioRAFT training. Individuals must also seek and obtain approval to work in the labs and have an appointment to use the equipment. Additional training and requirements must also be completed for users to gain varying levels of access in the additive manufacturing (AM) laboratory at Mill 19.
Once an individual has been designated by a CMU faculty member to work in the Mill 19 AM lab, the new users must:
*Information about the lab tour, BioRAFT certification, and respiratory training will be provided during the orientation program.
In order to work alone in the Mill 19 AM lab, users must:
In order to work alone with powder in the Mill 19 AM lab, users must:
In order to work alone on the TruLaser Cell 3000 in the Mill 19 AM lab, users must:
Submit the Mill 19 Machine Shop Request form to request machine shop services including computer-aided design, metrology, wire EDM, and 5-axis CNC.
Emergency communications and evacuation procedures are posted in the building. Occupants should familiarize themselves with these documents. Raise any concerns, questions, and suggestions to PIs, lab managers, Mill 19 staff, or EHS.
Special health and safety protocols are implemented for the health, safety, and well-being of all individuals using Mill 19. All health and safety protocols defined by CMU, including those implemented in response to special conditions such as COVID-19, must be adhered to. The leadership at Mill 19 will communicate and ensure implementation of the required protocols. Violation of University policies may result in disciplinary action, including loss of access to the facility.
A culture of individual responsibility and project team ownership is needed to maintain a clean, healthy, and safe work environment. The Mill 19 facility is a shared space for CMU faculty, staff, students, and our ARM Institute partners. CMU, MFI, and the ARM host meetings, tours, and events with dignitaries, partners, government officials, community leaders, etc. The impression they have of our organizations and the facility is very dependent on how we care for the facility and our work environment.
The University provides tools such as portable cleaning cart/caddy stations in the lab areas, common collaboration areas, and kitchen to enable everyone’s involvement in achieving and sustaining a clean, healthy, and safe environment. Conference rooms, team rooms, and cubicle workstations are made available to project teams and individuals. These resources are used flexibly as needed, during the length of the projects. Mill 19 housekeeping guidelines apply to these areas as well.
Mill 19 custodial contract does not include housekeeping services in the high and low bay lab areas, mezzanine, machine shop, or workforce training room following events. Project teams are responsible for the housekeeping in the areas they are using.
Due to the sensitivity of equipment, processes, tools, and information in research environments, cleaning and trash removal is not handled by an outside service in lab spaces. Project teams are therefore responsible for the following housekeeping tasks:
Please contact Charlie Matous with questions or special requests.
Source: Carnegie Mellon University's College of Engineering
To initiate a new research project at Mill 19, the Principal Investigator (PI) should contact the director of MFI at Mill 19 (Mill 19 director) to discuss project details and complete a New Project Initiation Form. Projects may be initiated at any time and project approvals are evaluated on merit and resource availability. The Mill 19 Director is responsible for making a recommendation to the Mill 19 Space Utilization Working Group (defined and described in Governance section of this document) and securing final approval for the project.
It is important to establish clear communication with all stakeholders regarding project scope, timing, space, furniture, equipment, processes, utilities, EHS, materials involved, size of research team, special support and facility needs, investments required and sources of funds, dissemination of project equipment and facility modifications after project is complete, project reviews and frequency of communications, industry partners and special considerations (i.e., intellectual property, data management, access control, etc.).
The project execution phase begins after final approval is received from the Mill 19 Space Utilization Working Group. Detailed planning for the start of the project may take place in parallel with the approval process, at the discretion of the PI and Mill 19 director. Agreement will be reached on action items, responsible persons, schedule, and funding to prepare for the project start. The PI and Mill 19 director will maintain regular contact, no less than once per month, to ensure progress, identify issues and opportunities, amend original agreements, and reduce the potential for surprises.
The PI and Mill 19 director will meet periodically to evaluate progress and discuss and document changes (if any), to the original project agreement as defined in the New Project Initiation Form. An example New Project Information report is provided in Figure 2. All changes to the initial project information and agreements will be documented by the PI and Mill 19 Director through revisions to the original agreement.
The project closeout phase will be led by the PI and Mill 19 director and result in a brief documentation of the project experience at Mill 19 including lessons learned and opportunities for improvement. Final disposition of equipment and related costs will be completed per the original project information plan and approvals. Our intent is to continuously build and improve capabilities for research at Mill 19, which will require investments in equipment, processes, and infrastructure and will be made in such a way as to maximize reconfiguration and reuse. It is our desire for equipment to be made available to as many researchers, project teams, departments, and colleges as possible, regardless of the initial funding source. These will become important topics of discussion at the project initiation and closeout phases.
The Mill 19 governance structure is comprised of three components. At the highest level, a governance committee provides strategic coordination and direction on a quarterly basis. The second governance level is the Space Utilization Working Group (SUWG, pronounced “soog”), which will review and approve new projects at the tactical level. A set of Guiding Principles outlines a two-tier approach to aid decision making within the SUWG.
Once a request to conduct research at Mill 19 has been initiated with the MFI director at Mill 19, the SUWG will conduct an opportunity assessment to determine availability of space and resources, assess the project’s ability to serve the MFI mission, and grant approval of the research project.
While MFI leadership hopes to accommodate all requests, the SUWG will make decisions if it becomes necessary to prioritize the use of Mill 19 resources and associated projects. If disagreements escalate, the governance committee will resolve any disputes.
The Mill 19 governance structure consists of CMU and ARM leadership and is comprised of three main tiers of interaction. At the highest strategic level, a governance committee provides strategic coordination and direction on a quarterly basis. Governance committee members include:
At the tactical level, the Space Utilization Working Group (SUWG, pronounced “soog”) provides agile decision-making and approval authority for Mill 19 resources. The SUWG members include:
Further formal participants may be added; however, the intent is to be small and agile while engaging with stakeholders that relate to the topics at hand. The SUWG discusses and develops space utilization plans for the building and fit-out discussions with the execution teams. Implicit in this discussion are decisions regarding what projects and people will be performing work in the building. Disagreements or disputes at the SUWG level will escalate to the governance committee for resolution.
A two-tiered approach to weighting factors will be used in opportunity assessment at Mill 19.
The first-tier weighting factors will evaluate the primary business objectives of CMU and ARM, including:
We may consider the primary question answered by the First Tier Weighting Factors to be: Are the business objectives being achieved?
The second-tier weighting factors include what types and degree of advanced manufacturing technologies and processes, including machine intelligence technologies, will be employed. Factors such as the mix of CMU faculty and department involvement, technology readiness level, and commercialization readiness potential will also be considered.