CERN Accelerating science

Prototyping

Fast forward through prototyping

Everyone - researchers, EU project collaborators, students and guests - is welcome to take advantage of our space to put innovative ideas to the test.

Over 200 CERN personnel use IdeaSquare’s space every year. With easily accessible 3D printers, laser cutters, and interactive smartboards, CERN users can quickly build and experiment with prototypes. Use of our facilities is free of charge, unless larger volumes of materials are required.

We promote Design Thinking methodology as the basis for the ideation process. As the innovation space at CERN, we encourage all IdeaSquare users - scientists and students alike - to have a bias towards action. We have the space and tools required to be experimental and inventive.

IdeaSquare has 700m2 office space, with 5 meeting room containers and 2 meeting rooms in our famous double decker bus (history of this here!).

contact us!

Ideation Space - Step 1: Ideate

Multiple student teams have been experimenting with Design Thinking methodology at IdeaSquare. This has been the basis for ID2 to research new learning methods and take the next steps towards a new era. The Ideation Space is an open area where all tools needed for presentations and ideation are available - to allow for generating ideas to solve challenges. With digital smartboards, whiteboards, markers and post-its it has everything the team needs in the ideation phase of their projects.

We encourage everyone using ID2 to have a bias towards action.When the ideation phase has yielded it is time to move on to prototyping, making, as soon as possible.

The labs - Step 2: Make it real

The machine shop is all about hardware, and the place where ideas take on physical shape.

Here we invite our community to bring ideas into the physical world through prototypes, mock ups, and physical objects. There is everything you need for drilling, cutting, gluing, and assembling. Additionally there is a laser cutter and water jet cutter. For rapid prototyping, these machines allow the user to create precise parts out of plastic and wood in minutes.
Equipment:

Drill Press
Power Tools
Prototyping Materials
Sewing Machine
Nuts and Bolt
Laser Cutter
Water Jet Cutter

To use one of our labs please

contact us!

The Electro shop is set up to allow users to create, program, and test their electronic creations.

It has everything needed for working with electronics and mechatronics with equipment for soldering, assembly and testing of electronic circuits as well as Micro Controllers and Micro Processors.
Equipment:

Soldering Stations
Osciloscope
Multimeter
Variable Power Supply
Electrical components

To use one of our labs please

contact us!

The studio is equipped with different 3D printers.

There is an FDM that adjects filaments with a tool head, and an SLA that uses a laser to cure resin. We also have a 3D scanner for making digital copies of prototypes. Coupled with our VR equipment we can see the prototypes into new environments and situations difficult to reproduce in the workshop.
Equipment:

Prusa SL1
Prusa CW1
Prusa i3 MK3s x 2
Creality CR20 PRO x 2
Creality CR10S PRO x 2
Formlabs Form1
BCN3D Sigmax R19
Formlabs Form 3
Ultimaker S5 Pro Bundle

To use one of our labs please

contact us!

The Light Lab is set up to provide a semi-clean room environment equipped with an optical table, PC controlled stereo-microscope, and radioactive sources.

A small setup to perform tests at kelvil level is also available. The Light Lab is currently dedicated to the R&D&I projects hosted by IdeaSquare.
Equipment:

Leica M205C stereo microscope
Thorlabs Optic Table
Radioactive Sources
Power Supplies
Digital Multimeters
Picoammeters

To use one of our labs please

contact us!

 

 
Prototyping
 
Do you work at CERN and want to use our prototyping facilities?

To book one of the workshops, you will need to have a training course for the specific workshop. We will put up courses every month.

After you have had the course, you can request to book the workshop.

Send an appointment to prototyping.i2 [at] cern.ch.

The title has to be the workshop you are interested in booking (3D studio, Machine shop or Electro shop). Give a description of what tools you want to use and what the project you are using it for is. See example below:Graphical user interface, text, application, email

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If the appointment gets approved, the booking is complete.

If the appointment gets rejected, we will contact you.

Note: by using the workshops, you agree to be contacted to be a judge in the panel of the final presentations of our student groups. A final presentation will last for about 2 hours and you might be asked once in a 3 month span.

The calendar can be found here.

If you have any questions, please ask Dina Zimmermann (dina.zimmermann [at] cern.ch).