Additive Manufacturing Laboratory

What it does

The Additive Manufacturing Laboratory is a laboratory based in the College of Engineering & Technology. Its focus is polymer and metal additive processes, design for additive, and qualification.

Inside the lab

The lab houses filament, resin, powder-bed, and metal printers, plus post-processing and inspection, and supports coursework, faculty research on process–property relationships, and industry projects to prototype or qualify a printed part.

Who works there

Its people are mechanical and manufacturing engineering faculty and a lab technician, with student operators. Undergraduates are involved as paid research assistants, for course credit, or on capstone and practicum teams — applied research experience is a core part of the mission, not a side effect.

Partners

Recent and ongoing partners include aerospace and medical-device suppliers, and a tooling company. Organizations interested in a project usually start through the Discovery Center or by contacting the lab directly; student teams are matched by fit and timeline.

Connected programs

Students most often reach the lab through this department and this department, and through the courses those departments teach. See Research for the university's other centers and the undergraduate research program.

Getting involved as a student

There are three common routes in. The first is a paid research-assistant position, posted through the department and on the campus job board, usually 8–12 hours a week during the term. The second is course credit — an independent-study or research-methods registration tied to a specific project and a faculty supervisor. The third is a capstone or practicum team assigned to a partner problem the lab is hosting.

No route assumes you already have research experience; the lab expects to train students in its methods and tools. The best time to ask is the term before you want to start, so a project and a supervisor can be lined up.

Common questions

Can a company or agency bring a project? Yes. Most partner work starts through the Discovery Center, which scopes the problem, matches it to the lab or a course team, handles the agreement and intellectual-property terms, and manages the schedule. A typical engagement runs one to two terms.

Is the work paid or published? Both happen. Student RAs are paid; partner deliverables belong to the partner under the agreement; and results that can be shared are sometimes presented at the undergraduate research symposium or a regional conference.