Facilities and Equipment
The labs contain state-of-the-art equipment that meets or exceeds industry standards for work on 3D imaging, reverse engineering, product design, automation, and additive manufacturing in both polymers and metals, CNC and laser machining, component integration, product testing, and 3D printing capabilities in our MakerCAT Space.
The College of Engineering's offices, classrooms and laboratories are located in the Belk Building. Additional labs are located in the Center for Applied Technology.
Automation Laboratory
Our assembly system employs levels of automation ranging from PLC-controlled pick-and-place robots to machine vision and TCP/IP control networking. This laboratory also houses a variety of both vertical and horizontal type industrial robots.
Construction Management Design and Analysis Laboratory
This laboratory includes workstations for each student with high-end modeling and CAD software to support students in learning about the application of information technology in Construction Management. This laboratory is also equipped with an instructor's station and projection equipment, as well as wide-format CAD printers.
Engineering Design Laboratory
The Engineering Design Laboratory is designed for optimum interaction between instruction and computer-aided applications. It is equipped with engineering workstations and large flat-panel monitors. Overhead projection facilitates instruction and group work. This lab has high-end computer workstations with CAD and modeling software.
Materials and Manufacturing Processes Laboratory
This laboratory is fully equipped for teaching and research involving a broad range of traditional and leading-edge construction materials and methods. The facility supports both hands-on experiential instruction and large-scale testing operations.
Advanced Machining Laboratory
This laboratory houses industrial quality Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining centers including both vertical mills and lathes.
Rapid Prototyping and Metrology Laboratory
Additive manufacturing equipment in this facility includes Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), UV Polyjet, and Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) technologies. Metrology equipment includes a CNC-controlled Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM), white light scanning system, and CNC video measuring system.
Structures Laboratory
Equipment in this laboratory ranges from simple 鈥淧ing鈥� or frequency screening tools that can be used to resolve natural frequencies to a scanning laser vibrometer that can perform non-contact full-field vibration mapping of structures. An electro-dynamic shaker system can be used for high cycle fatigue testing and advanced vibration analysis.
Optoelectronics Laboratory
Capabilities include analyzing the polarization dependence of optoelectronic devices, measuring the spectral characteristics of tunable lasers with subpicometer resolution and testing the bit error ratio at transmission rates up to 12.5 Gb/s.
Vannoy Construction Management Classroom
This laboratory supports a range of instructional and research activities, including surveying, materials and project management. Flexible space, ground-level access through an overhead door, and provision for handling large and bulky materials allows for a broad range of construction-related activities. This classroom is named in recognition of a gift from Vannoy Construction, a premier commercial general contractor covering the Southeast region and beyond. Headquartered in Jefferson, NC, the company was established in 1952.
Virtual Machine Environment
The Virtual Machine Environment allows College of Engineering students and faculty to access software located on campus from anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day, all year long. That means they can work on assignments and class projects whenever and where they wish.