Fabrication Underground

The Fabrication Underground operates four industry-standard 3D printers to handle a variety of needs: small parts, big parts, full color parts, clear parts, and parts that require variable ‘Shore A Softness’ values. To learn more please see our 3D Printing Service page. To receive a quote, please submit your 3D computer model through our online 3DP Quote Request Form. For more information, visit our 3D Printing Service page. 

Our 3DP-TIPS service differs from a typical 3D printing service in that the students get much more ‘hands-on’ with the technology. We offer easy access to entry level, general purpose, and large format 3D printers. To learn more please visit our 3DP-TIPS page.

The 3D Printing Club is a Student Organization which organizes projects, competitions, and collaborative learning workshops to ultimately enhance the knowledge and increase interest in the field of additive manufacturing. If you are a student at the University of Michigan who is interested in 3D printing and working with like minded individuals, this organization is for you! 

The Workbenches in the Fabrication Underground can be reserved for workshops or to work on individual projects that require hand tools. When used properly, hand tools can be quite effective, safe, and easy to use. 

The Woodshop is equipped with the tools needed to support basic wood working projects and include: saw horses, hand tools, a jigsaw, drills, and Dremel rotary tools.

The Fusion Pro is the perfect tool to quickly and cost effectively cut or etch compatible materials such as acrylic and laser safe wood products. For more advanced users, a rotary drive is available to etch cylindrical objects.

The Fabrication Underground’s Electronics Workbench is equipped with most of the tools one would need for small scale electronics projects.

Multimeter | Oscilloscope | Function Generator | Bench Power Supply | Soldering Station | Solder | Hot Air Gun | Solder Wick | Solder Sucker & De-soldering Iron | Fume Extractor | Magnifying Lamp

From mills to lathes to industrial grinders, there are many types of CNC machines each with their own unique capabilities. The Fabrication Underground offers access to a Bantam CNC mill for cutting Printed Circuit Boards (PCB).

3D Scanning is the process of sampling physical objects to collect data sets which can be used to construct 3D computer models. Primary uses of 3D scanners include: design, engineering, mapping, virtual reality and more.

Access to Fabrication Underground resources requires the appropriate certification and equipment reservation. Online training materials are available through our comprehensive Canvas course.

Plan ahead as it will take 1-2 business days to create your account once your training is complete. If you get stuck, skilled student staff are available to assist.

Reserving equipment at the Fabrication Underground is a 3 step process:

1. Earn the appropriate Equipment Certification
2. Check the equipment availability on the Resource Calendar
3. Reserve equipment time using the Reservation Request Form

See the Ground Connections (GC) Knowledge Base for additional learning materials, material data sheets, manufacturer’s instruction manuals, and more!