Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the hours for the MILL?

A: The MILL is open 10am-5pm on weekdays, except on institute holidays.

Q: Where is the MILL?

A: The MILL is located in the Love, J Erskine Jr. Building on Georgia Tech campus. The main facility is on the first floor in Love 176.

Q: Do I need to pay money to use the equipment?

A: The equipment in the MILL is free to use by anyone at GT.

Q: Do I have to be trained to use equipment?

A: You need to have taken the basic trainings Lab Safety 101 and Right to Know to enter the MILL and use all equipment. For some equipment, you will also need to complete X-Ray Safety Training (for x-ray characterization equipment). RTK training is found here, and Lab Safety 101 is found here.

There are also equipment trainings where you learn how to use a tool specifically. If you do not have this training for a piece of equipment, you may work with a trained staffer to use the tool. Many staffers are certified on pieces of equipment, so they can train you to use these pieces of equipment on your own. Additionally, you can contact the TOs for each piece of equipment if you want to be taught by them.

Q: What do I need to wear to be at the MILL?

A: You should wear long pants, closed-toe shoes, and bring safety glasses if you can, but glasses are also provided at the door for borrowing. Some equipment also requires you to use nitrile gloves, also located on the door. Using our fume hood necessitates bringing and wearing a lab coat. 

Q: How do I get involved with the MILL?

A: You can come to the MILL any time it is open: 10AM-5PM, M-F. Additionally, you can apply to be a staffer at the beginning of each semester. You can also join an L&D team at the MILL to get experience working in the MILL without staffing.

Q: Where can I learn about how a piece of equipment works?

A: SOPs on the MILL website provide the steps for how to use a piece of equipment. Additionally, you can reach out to the TO on the piece of equipment to be trained to be able to use the equipment. The MILL Wiki is also a great place to look for the theory behind all of the instruments and is a great place to look to understand the inner workings of a piece of equipment. 

Q: Can I get priority access to any instrumentation?

A: You can reserve instruments using our form found on our website or here. If you reserve the instrument, you are entitled to access over a walk-in user. If you would like to reserve the equipment for more than 3 hours, you must fill out the Facility Usage Request form. Otherwise, you are limited to 3 hours of reserved time.

Q: Do I need to be in MSE to use the MILL?

A: The MILL is open to people of all majors and anyone interested in materials is encouraged to take a look at the MILL.

Q: Who do I ask for help when I am at the MILL?

A: Look for which team your equipment you need help with is part of, and look for someone with a name tag who has that team name on it.

Q: How do I set up a tour at the MILL?

A: Please contact our CCO (themillgt+CCO@gmail.com) to set up a tour.

Q: Do I need to wear something specifically if I want a tour of the MILL?

A: You should wear long pants, closed-toe shoes, and bring safety glasses if you can. If you forget to bring eye protection, there are safety glasses at the entrance. 

Q: How do I 3D print?

A: You need to come into the space (wearing PPE with the proper lab safety and RTK trainings) with an STL file of what you would like to print and speak to a Processing staffer.

Q: How much can I 3D print?

A: Everyone is given an allowance of 200 grams per week of filament to use for 3D printing.

Q: Where can I pick up my 3D Prints?

A: When you print something, you will provide your email, and the processing team will notify you where your print has been placed (typically in one of the lockers outside the space). However, if you believe your print has been misplaced, enter the MILL and provide your information to a processing team member, who will look you up in the queue and find your print.

Q: Can I use all of the MILL’s equipment via walk-in?

A: Equipment that is not located in the main area (Love 176) can only be used through directly contacting the TO and setting up a time to use it. 

Q: How do I access the Microscopy Lab/Polishing Lab?

A: These spaces are no longer part of the MILL. Contact Dr. Masood Ebrahimi (me2019@gatech.edu) to use.

Q: Why are some staffers not qualified to teach everything?

A: Being a lab space, we have some instruments that are complicated and go a bit more in depth than what an average user needs: for example, the Instron has compression and tensile testing, but it also has more complicated tests like a 3-point bend test. We have TOs (Technical Officers) for each piece of equipment who are qualified to perform and train users on a wider range of testing.

Q: Where can I contact the TOs?

A: Their contact information can be found at the top of the SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), which are found through QR codes by every instrument or on our website here. They can also be found on the List of TOs.

Q: What general trainings do I need to enter the MILL?

A: You need Right to Know (RTK) and Lab Safety 101 to enter the MILL. If you plan to use x-ray equipment, you need the X-Ray Safety Training. All of these trainings can be taken in this portal.

Q: Are there any special trainings for specific machines?

A: For tools such as the SEM, XRD, and XRF, you’ll need x-ray training. This can be found here.

Q: Is there a place I can find instructions for how to use a machine?

A: All the instructions on how to do most things with machines are on the SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), which are found through QR codes by every instrument or on our website here. There’s also contact information for the Technical officers. You need to be trained in-person to use the equipment, but you should also look at the SOP.

Q: What do I do if I want to store materials/chemicals in the MILL for my experiment?

A: Please fill out the chemical storage request form.