The Physical Metallurgy Laboratory Facility (or Metlab for short) is a Shared Experimental Facility at MIT within the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Please contact the lab manager, Dr. Shaymus Hudson (swhudson@mit.edu), for any questions regarding training, lab access, maintenance, supplies, equipment reservations and scheduling, etc. Appointments should be made at least two days in advance.
The current equipment log form is here.
Parts of the Metlab, Hours, and Rates:
4-421: Polishing Room (Open 6am-9pm Every Day)
- Buehler Isomet 4000 Linear Precision Saw: $20/hr
- Struers Rotopol and Tegrapol Grinders: $20/hr
- Buehler AutoMet 250 and 250 Pro Polishers: $20/hr
- Struers Prontopress-2 Mounting Machine: $20/hr
- Buehler Simplimet 4000 Mounting Machine: $20/hr
- Cold Mounting Station: $20/hr
- Microscopes: $20/hr
- Metallographic Etching: $20/hr
- Struers/Emco-Test DuraScan Automatic Hardness Tester: $35/hr
- LECO Vickers/Knoop Hardness tester: $35/hr
13-5016: Furnace Room (Open 24-7)
- Box and tube furnaces: $15/hr to a flat fee of $500 per calendar month
- Hydrogen (CM) furnace: $40/hr to a flat fee of $500 per calendar month
- O2-H2 torch/Quartz Ampoule Encapsulation Bench: $45/hr
- Rotary ball mill: $15/hr to a maximum of $60 per use
8-241: Mechanical Testing Room (Open 24-7)
- Instron Mechanical Testing Machines: $30/hr
- Fatigue Dynamics Roating Beam Fatigue Tester: $30/hr
There is a 50% additional charge for assisted use and for training. Use of equipment for personal or non-MIT activities may be performed at the discretion of the lab manager. All rates are subject to change every fiscal year.
If you use the facilities without logging your time, we reserve the right to ban you from the lab, or bill your account extra. If you leave the lab especially messy, we reserve the right to bill your account for our time spent cleaning it up. Please endeavor to leave the lab cleaner than you found it.