diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6e0e882
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+name: CI Wheel building test
+
+on: 
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [main, develop]
+  push: 
+     branches: [main, develop, ci_build]
+
+jobs:
+  build_linux:
+    runs-on: $${{ matrix.os }}
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        python-version: ["3.9", "3.10", "3.11", "3.12", "3.13"]
+        os: ["ubuntu-latest", "ubuntu-24.04-arm"]
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: set up python  ${{ matrix.python-version }}
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        with: 
+          python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
+      - name: Install ubuntu dependencies
+        run: |
+          sudo apt-get update
+          sudo apt-get install -y build-essential cmake libhdf5-dev libtiff-dev
+      - name: Configure Cmake and build
+        run: | 
+          cmake  -D mcnptools.python_install=User .
+          cmake --build . --config Release
+      - name: Test C++ side
+        run: ctest --build-config Release
+      - name: build wheel
+        run: |
+          cd python
+          pip install build
+          python -m build .
+      - name: test install wheel
+        run: pip install python/dist/*.whl
+      - name: Upload build artifacts
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with: 
+           name: wheel-linux-$${{ matrix.os }}-${{ matrix.python-version }}
+           path: python/dist/*.whl
+      - name: Upload Source tar bal
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        if: ${{ matrix.python-version == '3.12'}}
+        with: 
+           name: linux_source
+           path: python/dist/*.gz
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 00bdb77..94b4d66 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,40 @@
 *~
 *.bak
 *.sw?
+
+# cmake artifacts
+CMakeCache.txt
+CMakeFiles/
+CTestTestfile.cmake
+*.tcl
+Makefile
+*.cmake
+*.a
+*.so
+*.unix
+
+# testing artifacts
+Testing/
+git-submodule-packages/
+lib/
+libmcnptools/tests/
+*.vts
+
+
+# python build artifacts
+python/build
+python/dist
+python/setup.py
+python/setup.py_configure
+python/mcnptools.egg-info
+
+# Build executables
+libmcnptools/include/mcnptools/MCNPTools_Config.hpp
+utils/l3d2vtk/l3d2vtk
+utils/l3dcoarsen/l3dcoarsen
+utils/l3dinfo/l3dinfo
+utils/l3dscale/l3dscale
+utils/mctal2rad/mctal2rad
+utils/mergemctals/mergemctals
+utils/mergemeshtals/mergemeshtals
+utils/meshtal2vtk/meshtal2vtk