PHYS 451/651 - Modern Scientific Instrumentation: Design & Fabrication

Paul Ellison – Instructor / Research Design Engineer
UNLV Physics & Astronomy Department - Office BPB132
paul.ellison@unlv.edu
702-895-3469
Hours Available Mon thru Thurs - 10am-2pm

Course Description: This section of the course covers the basic principles required for the design/machining/fabrication of scientific apparatus. This course will cover safety, material selection, design, drawing, fabrication and inspection of scientific apparatus.

Course objectives: Students after completing this course will be able to:
1. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of shop safety practices.
2. Demonstrate responsible housekeeping.
3. Understand the importance of specialized apparatus design and fabrication in physics research.
4. Identify common machines used for fabrication and their components.
5. Have a basic understanding of design and drawing which will allow them to properly express design intent.
6. Demonstrate the proper use of mathematics required for design, machining and fabrication.
7. Identify common tools and their use.
8. Understand the limitations of various machining and fabrication devices.
9. Identify different metals and polymers, and understand how to select the right material for research use.
10. Properly select the machinery for fabrication and safe work holding in a machine.
11. Identify, use, and care for measuring tools.
12. Understand feeds and speed in machining operations.
13. Effectively communicate between peers, engineers, and technicians.

Instruction:
1. Safety and housekeeping
2. Basic hand tools
3. Formulas and surface feet calculations
4. Conversion of Metric to Imperial units and vice versa.
5. Joining materials
6. Precision measuring
7. Holemaking, turning, milling, grinding and other machining operations
8. Materials and material properties
9. Design and Drawings
10. Physical principals of mechanical design
11. Types of constrained motion

Lab Work: Students will have multiple opportunities to practice and apply what they have learned in a hands on environment. Students must successfully design, create and apply a scientific apparatus to a planned research experiment.

Writing assignments: Students will design a research apparatus and make a basic drawing of that scientific apparatus which is understandable, practical and properly dimensioned.

Required Materials: Building Scientific Apparatus (Fourth Edition) by John H. Moore (ISBN 978-0521878586)
Safety glasses, pencils, notebook, and scientific calculator.

Student Conduct: No student shall interfere with another student’s opportunity to learn. Verbal or physical abuse WILL NOT be tolerated. Any student who becomes an unnecessary distraction will be asked to leave.

Safety policy:
1. Safety glasses must be worn at all times when in the lab.
2. No loose-fitting clothing or open toed shoes are allowed.
3. No jewelry can be worn when using machinery.
4. Long hair must be tied back.
5. Absolutely no horseplay will be tolerated in the lab.
6. If you do not understand something, ASK!!!
Ignorance around machinery can lead to severe injury of one’s self or others. There are no stupid questions!

Evaluation and grading: Students will be graded on multiple measures of performance. An assessment will be made as to a student’s performance based on the understanding of course material as well as lab work.