Workshop facilities
The School of Chemistry has several in-house workshop facilities, which provide services to staff and students. These include the electronics and mechanical workshops, as well as the glassblowing workshop, which is one of the few internal glass blowing facilities at an Australian University Chemistry Department.
Science Technical Workshop
The Faculty of Science Technical Workshops (Electronic, Glass & Mechanical) are located on the ground floor in the Physics building (David Caro bld. 192) in room 167. For any inquiries please contact the workshop team leader Michael Zammit on ext 45427 or by email zammit@unimelb.edu.au.
The hours of operation of the science workshop are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Each job request requires a job sheet to be completed and submitted. If required the decontamination form must also be submitted.
Electronics workshop
The electronics workshop manages all the electronics equipment in the teaching and research laboratories at the both of the School of Chemistry's precincts at the Masson building and at Bio 21. Staff are also responsible for regular electrical testing of equipment. The workshop also undertakes a limited amount of work for other departments.
The workshop manages a large volume and diverse range of equipment. The equipment maintained includes X-Ray Diffractometers, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), various spectrophotometers, LASER systems, Electron Spin Spectrometer, pH and conductivity meters, various heating apparatus, Atomic Force Microscopes (AFM) and potentiostats. The staff who maintain this equipment possess a broad range of expertise, including advanced electronics design, manufacturing and equipment modification.
Novel designs undertaken by workshop staff include: repetitive accurate determination of steel ball position displacement in a pressurised rolling ball viscosity apparatus, various single liquid drop generator apparatus, modulus n PLL system for LASER locking, solenoid valve pulse systems and a specialised stepper motor control system with firmware to control LCD and press buttons.
Mechanical workshop
The Mechanical Workshop is part of the Science Technical Workshop. The workshop's brief is to provide an effective support service to the School's teaching and research activities, at both Chemistry precincts at the Masson and Bio21 buildings. The workshop also provides a maintenance service for the teaching and research laboratories servicing vacuum pumps, heater stirrers and steam baths.
Tasks include the design, modification or repair of equipment, ranging from simple to specialized, or unique. This range of work requires various trade disciplines such as milling, turning, drilling, welding, forming, carpentry and sheet metal work. Work is also performed using various materials including timber, different ferrous or non-ferrous metals, polymers and machineable ceramics.
Resources
CAD software is used to assist design. The workshop also has a computer operated milling machine to enable the manufacture of complex shapes.
Our staff have expertise in vacuum technology and material selection as well as a long history of providing workshop support in teaching or scientific establishments.
We liaise and work with staff from electronics and glass workshops when required for particular projects.
Glass blowing workshop
Les Gamel provides a glassblowing service for the manufacture and repair of scientific instruments required by research and teaching staff at the School of Chemistry. This service is also extended to other University departments, depending on the need and scope of their requirements.
Les creates standard glassware for use in laboratories, as well as unique pieces to detailed specifications. Les has been at the University since 1992 and finds the job of assisting staff and students with their research very rewarding.
He is the only in-house glassblower employed at a Victorian University and one of the few working within the Australian university system.