Design Labs
Bring your ideas to life! The Design Labs are a network of fabrication facilities across Lehigh's campus that give students the resources to craft projects from a variety of materials. From the flagship wood shop equipped to craft beautiful furniture to the prototyping lab that houses everything from small CNC routers and mills to large-scale metal fabrication equipment and welders, there are few things that can't be made and few materials that can't be manipulated in the Design Labs. Along with the large-scale shops, there are several additional support resources such as the laser cutters and CNC routers that round out the capabilities.
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Woodshop
There is something about the smell of sawdust that gets people excited. Immerse yourself in its intoxicating aroma and surround yourself with the beauty of nature's finest building material in the Design Labs Wood Shop. A fully outfitted furniture shop, students and faculty can create exquisite works of art or fully functional prototypes. In addition, the professional and student staff who maintain the shop have also created some amazing furniture from salvaged trees that have come down on campus. Serving the needs of the Art, Architecture and Design department, this shop also serves as the primary studio for Three-Dimensional Design Foundations (ART 4) and the Furniture Design series of classes. All students wishing to use the shop must go through the Design Labs certification process.
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Prototyping Lab
Spanning technologies, this lab has both embraces traditional machine tools as well as modern, small-scale digital fabrication machines. With the ability to cut and bend both sheet and structural steel as well as Stick-arc, MIG, and TIG welding capabilities, the Design Labs Prototyping Lab can help students fabricate things both big and small. The digital fabrication tools including a small CNC router, CNC mill, and two state-of-the-art laser cutters, break down the barrier of entry into a shop setting, requiring little safety training beyond short tutorial videos. When combined together, students can unleash this vast resource to bring their ideas to life. Like all Design Labs facilities and the Powerhouse itself, the shop is open to all students, faculty, and staff campus wide.
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Laser Room
What happens when creativity meets the precision of a laser cutter? The answer is: just about anything! The Design Labs offers students campus-wide access to some of the best laser cutter/engravers available. A production-grade Universal Laser Systems 75watt laser cutter is staffed by Design Labs shop monitors and files are cut on a first come first serve basis. Materials ranging from cardboard to plastic to wood, no larger than 32"x18" can be cut with an amazing degree of precision. Coming soon, a professional grade Glowforge laser cutter will allow students, faculty, and staff across campus direct access to the laser cutter. For more information on file setup and prep and what materials can and can't be cut, please see the info card below.
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CNC Router
Laser cutter not big enough? Material too thick? CNC router to the rescue! A newly acquired, state-of-the-art, CAMmaster Stinger II CNC router allows furniture students, product design students, and anyone at Lehigh with a need for precise, repeatable, machining to take their work to the next level. With a 36"x 48" cut area, large scale pieces are no problem. From drilling perfectly spaced holes to creating complex 3D topology, this tool excels at both speed and precision. For more information on how to prepare your files and tools paths, please see the info card below.
