Fabrication Labs

FAB LABS

The School of Design and Construction Fabrication Labs offers 3500 square feet of maker-space, conveniently located next to Carpenter Hall. Digital fabrication services (CNC milling, laser cutting, 3D printing) are provided by trained shop technicians. Analog machines are available for use by students with appropriate training. Some hand tools are available for short-term checkout

Fab Lab I (‘The Big Shop,’ Daggy 253) is our 2700 sf full-scale prototyping facility, with loading dock access via an 11’ x 10’ x 16’ 10,000 lb. capacity freight elevator. Digital fabrication includes a 3-axis CNC router capable of milling up to 96” x 48” x 6”, in wood, wood-composites, foam, and plastic. The Big Shop has a complete suite of industrial-grade analog machines, for fabricating wood, wood-composites, and plastics. Vacuum forming for plastic, and vacuum pressing for wood is also available.

Fab Lab II (‘The Model Shop,’Daggy 257) is our 650 sf model-scale prototyping facility. Digital fabrication services include: laser cutting (up to 36” x 24”); 3D printing (up to 10” x 6” x 6”); and desktop CNC milling (up to 36” x 24” x 4”).

The Model Shop is also equipped with model-scale analog machines, for modeling and prototyping work in wood, wood-composite, and plastics. Hot-wire foam cutters are available for short-term checkout.

The SDC shop fee (paid by all certified SDC design students) covers the cost of using most of the machines in the Fab Labs. There is a nominal additional charge for 3D printing, which includes materials, and nominal hourly charge for CNC use, which covers the cost of tooling. Students may be expected to provide their own materials though a wide selection of model-making materials is available for purchase in the model shop. Plywood, foam, and other materials for full-scale fabrication can be purchased or ordered though the big shop.

Access to the Fab Labs requires completion of safety orientation, with additional safety training required to use tools and machines. Additional training for model shop tools is available on an as-needed basis during regular lab hours.

Access to the big shop requires completion of the SDC 300 Introduction to Fabrication Lab Practice course. This 1 credit course lasts 4 weeks and is offered multiple times during each semester. Some sessions emphasize use of analog tools.

SHOP FEE + GUIDELINES

Students that are a certified major or graduate student in one of the design programs at the SDC are charged a shop fee of $120/semester ($240/year). Fees are applied to student accounts at the beginning of each semester and provide access to high-quality equipment and supplies for both digital and traditional model-making, prototyping, and large-scale fabrications.