Fabrication Underground

The Fabrication Underground provides the U-M community access to resources to transform ideas into physical reality. You will find work surfaces, hand tools, several types of 3D printers, a laser cutter, a small CNC printed circuit board cutter, 3D scanners, and electronics workbenches ready to handle a variety of activities. If you are looking for class support, have questions, or need a little help, knowledgeable staff are available to assist you.



Hours:
Monday, 9 am-6 pm
Tues – Thurs, 9 am – 9 pm
Friday, 9 am-6 pm
Saturday & Sunday Closed
Walk-ins Welcome!

Spring Break Hours:
Feb 24 – March 3
Mon – Fri, Noon – 3 pm
Saturday & Sunday Closed

Location: B430 (Lower Level) Duderstadt Center

Contact: (734) 763-3665
dc-fabrication@umich.edu

Emergency Contacts


3D Printing Service

The Fabrication Underground’s 3D printing service is available to support the university’s research and educational needs. We have four different industry-standard printers available to cover a variety of materials, sizes, colors, and other features such as translucence and variable Shore A ‘Softness’ values. 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.


3D Printing for Instructional Support

  • Ultimaker(s) – A collection of reservable entry level desktop 3D printers available to faculty to support classroom instruction only. Students who are to operate the equipment must complete the Ultimaker certification course on Canvas prior to use. The course will help them learn how to set up a build, and how to safely operate the equipment. Those who complete the course will  receive a ‘Certificate of Completion’ in the PDF format which can be submitted with an assignment. For details please see our Ultimaker page.
     
  • BigRepA large format, dual print head, 3D printer capable of printing objects up to 1 meter across. The BigRep Blade software slicer is built on Cura allowing easy progression from the entry level Ultimaker to the BigRep. The BigRep is available as part of the 3D Printing Service and is available to faculty from contributing colleges who would like to incorporate large format 3D printing into their coursework. Be sure to plan ahead as large prints can take quite some time to complete. For details please see our BigRep page. 

U-M Community Resources

Looking to get hands on with the equipment? We got you covered! Simply earn your certification and reserve time. Available resources include:

  • Work Surfaces and Hand Tools – A collection of handtools and four hardwood work surfaces to support project assembly and light fabrication.
  • Laser Cutting – A high quality Epilog Fusion Pro laser cutter.
  • 3D Scanning – Laser and probe based 3D scanners.
  • Bantam CNC – A desktop CNC milling machine.
  • Solder Station – A workbench and a soldering iron setup to get you up and running quickly on your soldering project.
  • Electronics Workbench – Two workbenches equipped with many of the common tools needed for your electronics project.
  • Woodshop – The woodshop is equipped with a variety of hand tools, rotary tools, and battery powered tools for basic woodworking projects.

3D Printing Club

Are you a student interested in learning the basics of 3D printing, working on a personal project, or advancing your current skillset? 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.


Training and Certification

Access to Fabrication Studio resources requires the appropriate training, certification and equipment reservation. Certification materials and tests are available through our comprehensive Canvas course.

Be sure to plan ahead as it will take 1-3 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 Studio 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

Additional learning materials, manufacturer’s instruction manuals, and more are available in the Ground Connections (GC) Knowledge Base.