The Advanced Output Center is The School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s printing and prototyping lab specializing in digital input and output. The AOC’s facilities include laser cutting, large format 2D scanning and 3D printing and scanning.
The AOC is run by the Computer Resources and Information Technologies department, but works very closely with AIADO.
Announcements |
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Temporary Material Reduction! | We're planning on buying a new Dimension 3D printer which uses an incompatible material from our current machine. To reduce potential waste, we are limiting any new orders to white ABS only. When the new machine is installed, we'll have all previous options open again. |
| New event! | Sign up for our first equipment demonstration. On March 13th we'll do a short demo at 12:30pm to show off the new Trotec camera and how it can be used to register printed media. Click here to sign up!. The link will ask you to join a Canvas page called AOC Demo Schedule which will show you any available events. |
| Objet price changes: | We now receive Objet materials from Stratasys at a reduced cost. We're passing this savings on to you. We're also reducing material choice to clear. This removes the excessive purge required for material changes. This further brings the cost down to $0.30/gram from the previous $0.50/gram. You'll see the impact immediately. |
Get Certified for Laser Cutting
View Resource ScheduleHours | ||
| Front Lab: | 24 Hours | |
| Staffed Lab: | Spring Schedule: January 24 - May 12 | |
| Monday to Thursday Friday Saturday and Sunday | 8:45am to 9:00pm 8:45am to 5:00pm 10:00am to 4:00pm |
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| Summer Schedule: May 13 - August 27 | ||
| Monday to Friday Saturday and Sunday | 8:45am to 5:00pm Closed |
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| Upcoming Holiday Closures: | ||
| Spring Break Memorial Day Independence Days | March 14th to 17th May 27th July 4th and 5th |
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Access
With very few stipulations, the AOC’s services and facilities are available to currently enrolled students, active faculty and staff at SAIC; some services are open to alumni as well. Please see the individual resource sections for details.
All users must attend an certification prior to using the laser cutters or 3D scanners. The devices are self-service and are available for use during regular operating hours. See the Laser Access Policy or 3D Scanner Access Policy page for details.
Certifications
Certifications are available online and can take about 30 to 45 minutes to complete. Certifications are good for two calendar years at both the Advanced Output Center and the Columbus Digital Fabrication Studio.
To request a class tour, contact the AOC at advancedoutput@saic.edu or 312.629.6688.