Laboratories
Campus Labs and Resources
College of Engineering and Computer Science students have access to many campus labs and resources, such as:
- Computer labs across campus, including 1180 HPEC, 1170 HPEC, and 2026 ELB
- UPrint, a networked printing service for students
- UM-Dearborn Wireless Network throughout the campus
Learn more about UM-Dearborn's technology, support, and services from Information Technology Services (ITS).
Mechanical Engineering Labs
The laboratory is designed to provide students with hands-on experiences on the use of transducers and instruments to conduct sound and vibration measurements, as well as noise and vibrations control. The lab is equipped to support teaching and research activities including vehicle NVH testing and analysis, CAE simulation studies of structure dynamics and modal analysis, advanced sound quality and vibration control innovations, mechatronic system designs and applications. Equipment available in the lab includes NI ELVIS III prototyping electronics breadboards, measurement Parts Kits for NI ELVIS III, Arduino and PIC microcontrollers and programmers, soldering equipment, strain gauge bonding equipment and a Festo Didactic MecLab mechatronics training system. The software available in the lab includes Experimental Projects and Vehicle Simulation (Siemens/TestLab) and CAE Simulation of Mechanical System (ANSYS).
The lab supports ME 349 (Instrumentation and Measurement Systems), ME 445 (Sound and Noise Controls), ME 4461 (Mechanical Vibration and Noise Control), ME 472 (Principles and Applications of Mechatronic Systems), ME 540 (Mechanical Vibrations), ME 545 (Acoustics and Noise Control) and ME 570 (Powertrain NVH of Electric Vehicles) as well as various projects for independent student research and Senior Design projects.
The Combustion Process Lab is designed to perform various experiments using internal combustion engine. The lab is capable of conducting fundamental research to create more efficient and cleaner energy conversion processes for internal combustion engine. It also serves as an instructional facility providing a great opportunity for students to have hands-on experience on experimental methods in the field of thermofluid science and automotive industry. The lab is equipped with state-of-the-art experimental devices including AVL’s testbed control system, 250 kW dynamometer with transient capability, high speed DAQ system for detailed combustion analysis, conditioning system for combustion air, and emissions bench with multiple analyzers (FTIR, mass spectrometer, FID, smoke meter).
The lab supports ME 496/ME 596 (Internal Combustion Engines I), ME 597 (Internal Combustion Engines II), and ME 598 (Engine Emissions) as well as various projects for independent student research and Senior Design projects.
The Climate Control Education and Research Laboratory effort is to teach and provide basic and applied research on topics related to thermally-related automotive climate control and thermal management. It houses a CTS Climate Controlled Chamber with a capacity of 42,000 Btu/hr, a flow of 494 cfm, a temperature range of -10 F to 140 F, and a humidity range of 15 to 95%. It houses an ELD water tunnel having a 30 cm x 30 cm x 2 m (length) test section, a maximum flow velocity of 2 m/s, and a dye injection system for flow visualization studies. It houses a heat exchanger calorimeter for heat exchanger studies, subcompact vehicle test buck for in-vehicle studies; a Torrington flowmeter/wind tunnel for radiator studies; and an A/C Test Bench for refrigeration studies. Labview software is used for data acquisition.
The lab is used for student projects in ME 379 (Thermal Fluid Laboratory) and various projects for independent student research and Senior Design projects.
The computational controls and instrumentation lab is designed to provide students with hands-on experience involving the principles of control engineering and system dynamics. The lab is equipped with 12 stations to teach up to 24 students. Each station consists of the following components: National Instrument – ELVIS Trainer, Quansar Motor controller interface board with DC Motor, 24” monitor and HP Prodesk 600 G1 TWR computers that are equipped with the following software: LabVIEW, MATLAB, PSIM and PSpice Student 9.1.
This laboratory is used for instruction of ME 442 (Control Systems Analysis). It also supports (ME 563 (Advanced Instrumentation and Control) through demonstrations, as well as various projects for independent student research and Senior Design projects.
The Manufacturing Processes Lab is used to introduce the students to the fundamentals and principles of manufacturing processes for engineering materials. The Manufacturing Processes Lab provides the students with hands-on experience that enables them to practice the principles of manufacturing processes and their impact on the properties of engineering materials. The lab is equipped with an Instron 5960 universal tensile testing machine, sand casting equipment heat treatment equipment, table top injection molding machine, table top polymer extrusion machine, table top composites 3D printer, rolling setup and circular saws for composite and metallic materials.
The Manufacturing Processes Lab is an instructional space for conducting laboratory exercises, course projects, and demonstrations in ME 381 (Manufacturing Processes I) and ME 481 (Manufacturing Processes II). It is also used for conducting experiments for independent student research and Senior Design projects.
The Hardness Testing Lab provides the students with hands-on experience that enables them to practice the principles of hardness testing and metallography. The students get a better understanding of the relation between processing and performance of engineering materials. The lab is equipped with Rockwell Hardness testing machines, Vickers micro hardness testing machine, optical microscope, and metallurgical microscope.
The Hardness Testing Lab is an instructional space for conducting laboratory exercises, course projects, and demonstrations in ME 381 (Manufacturing Processes I) and ME 481 (Manufacturing Processes II). It is also used for conducting experiments for independent student research and Senior Design projects.
The Materials Microscopy lab is designed for instructional purposes to introduce students to nanoscience and engineering, and to facilitate faculty and student research projects. The laboratory provides hands-on experience to students on nanoscale phenomena. The laboratory is equipped with an optical microscope, a Hitachi scanning electron microscope with EDX facility, a Hitachi transmission electron microscope unit and ion mill. Further equipment includes: atomic force microscope (AFM) and an X-ray diffractometer (XRD).
The lab supports ENGR 350 (Nanoscience and Nanotechnology), ME 569 (Introduction to Materials Characterization) as well as various projects for independent student research and Senior Design projects.
The Thermal-Fluids Laboratory is designed to enhance the undergraduate students understanding of thermal-fluids principles within the context of engineering applications. The laboratory assists students in developing their laboratory skills and experimental capabilities. The lab is equipped with Technovate convection unit to predict the convection heat transfer coefficients over objects such as discs and cylinders, an airflow bench to measure the boundary layer thickness and velocity profile over a flat plate, an ELD wind tunnel having a 18” x 18” test section and a velocity range of 10 to 160 fps to measure the drag force over various objects using a two component dynamometer, X-Y traversing system, and an airfoil model. The lab also houses a multi-tube manometer and a blower to measure the pressure drop from a viscous flow inside a pipe, a two-cylinder compressor equipped with a rotary encoder, a pressure transducer, and data acquisition system to measure the polytropic index of a thermodynamic process and various minor devices such as laminar flow elements, manometers, pitot tubes, velocity meters, portable devices for measuring temperature, pressure, and velocity used by students during the lab sessions.
The laboratory assists students in developing their laboratory skills and experimental capabilities. It is utilized for instruction of ME 379 (Thermal-Fluid Laboratory) and for independent student research and Senior Design projects.
This laboratory is equipped with a battery cycler and an environmental chamber and designed for faculty and student research on energy storage systems such as batteries and ultra capacitors. The current research areas include (i) modeling electrochemical and thermal dynamics of energy storage systems, (ii) developing control and estimation algorithms toward safe and efficient operation of energy storage systems.
This lab supports ME 552 (Sustainable Energy Systems), ME 576 (Battery System Modeling and Control), ME 577 (Energy Conversion) and is sometimes also used to enable various projects for independent student research and Senior Design projects.
This lab is used to manufacture composite panels, specimens and parts. It is equipped with ans air circulating oven, cold and heated compression press, an infrared heater and various molds. Thermoplastic and thermosetting composites as well as sandwich structures can be manufactured here.
This lab supports ME 381 (Manufacturing Processes I), ME 481 (Manufacturing Processes II), ME 584 (Mechanical Behavior of Polymers), ME 587 (Automotive Components) and is sometimes also used to enable various projects for independent student research and Senior Design projects.
The Materials Characterization Lab (MCL) is a research and teaching space devoted to materials
testing. The laboratory houses analytical instruments such as XRD, DSC-TGA, Spectrometry, AFM, Hardness Tester, Tribometers etc., which are available for use by researchers and students. For researchers wanting to characterize large numbers of samples, we offer machine training which covers sample preparation, best practices, and some basic analysis methods for any of the instruments maintained by the lab. The MCL is also a teaching facility lab sessions, experiments and student projects.
The lab supports ENGR 350 (Nanoscience and Nanotechnology), ME 569 (Introduction to Materials Characterization) as well as various projects for independent student research and Senior Design projects.
The control room for both Combustion Process Lab and Impact Processes Lab, is used to continuously monitor and control the activities being conducted inside of the labs from a safe environment. It is equipped with large screens and control equipment.
This space is sometimes also used to enable various projects for independent student research and Senior Design projects.
The Impact Processes Lab is used to investigate the mechanical behavior of engineering materials and structures or systems that may be subjected to high strain rate loading conditions including high-velocity impact. It houses a high speed-high resolution non-contact strain measurement system, a 0.50 caliber single stage “gas gun”, which consists of a pressure vessel with a pressure capacity of 1,600 psi and a volume of 2,250 cm3P connected via a high speed-high pressure solenoid valve to a thick wall steel barrel approximately 1.8 m long. An impact chamber located at the end of the barrel was designed to hold a clamping fixture capable of rotating impact angles. In addition, bullet proof windows were added for in-situ impact investigations. Currently, the system is coupled to a “gas booster” capable of increasing available gas (air) pressures from 80 psi to approximately 1,200 psi.
The lab supports ME 381 (Manufacturing Processes I), ME 481 (Manufacturing Processes II), ME 484 (Mechanical Behavior of Polymers) as well as various projects for independent student research and Senior Design projects.
The coating research lab is used for faculty and student research projects in the area of materials synthesis and rapid prototyping. A major piece of equipment in this laboratory is the Rapidia Metal and Ceramic 3D printer and the corresponding sintering furnace with control atmosphere.
The lab supports ME 381 (Manufacturing Processes I) and ME 481 (Manufacturing Processes II). This lab is sometimes also used to enable various projects for independent student research and Senior Design projects.
This room is currently occupied by the Dynamic Systems Modeling and Control (DSMC) Lab, which focuses on the study of mathematical modeling and control system development for various industrial applications, especially for automotive systems related to vehicle active safety, vehicle electrification, and autonomous driving. Over the years, we have worked on control of articulated vehicles, steering-feel improvement of the electric power steering system, design of electro-mechanical brake systems, advanced driver assistance systems such as AEB, LKAS, ESA for passenger and commercial vehicles. DSMC lab uses various hardware and software tools including Cars, Trucks, Prescan, Amesim, and high-end computers, dSPACE, small-scaled (1/10th) RC cars to develop a system model, controller design, and validation.
This lab is sometimes also used to enable various projects for independent student research and Senior Design projects.
This room is currently occupied by the manufacturing process research lab. Instruments include three polymer extrusion 3D printers: a Prusa i3 MK3S, anis E3D Toolchanger, and a Creality Ender 3. Additionally, a laser profilometer (LMI 3D Gocator 2410) is used on the 3D printing systems to measure built topography layer-by-layer for process feedback control.
This lab is sometimes also used to enable various projects for independent student research and Senior Design projects.
The Crash Mechanics Laboratory is used for faculty and student research projects in the area of material behavior subjected to mechanical and thermal fatigue loading at low- and high-strain rates. The laboratory is equipped with an 810 material test system of 25 kN at a strain rate range of 10-5/s to 10-2/s and a temperature range of 100-300 degrees C.; a 810 material test system of 50 kN at a strain rate range of 10-1/s to 10+1/s and a temperature range of 100-300 degrees C. In addition, the laboratory is equipped with a split Hopkinson pressure bar at a strain rate range of 10+2/s to 10+3/s and temperatures up to 150 degrees C. For non-destructive measurement and detection of micro-macro defects in engineering materials, a high-energy and high-accuracy micro-focus X-ray computer tomography system is available.
This lab is sometimes also used to enable student projects. The lab supports ME 381 (Manufacturing Processes I), ME 481 (Manufacturing Processes II), as well as various projects for independent student research and Senior Design projects.
Bioengineering Labs
This laboratory is dedicated to teaching and research in the areas of soft and hard tissue biomechanics, anatomy and physiology, and nanotherapeutics. Equipment in the laboratory includes mechanical test machines, a viscometer, plate reader, particle sizer, centrifuges, sonicators, and BIOPAC instrumentation. Mechanobiological experiments are conducted to determine the tensile, compressive, and bending response of biological tissues at various temperatures and loading rates as well as the viscosity of various fluids such as aqueous humor. Nanoparticle-related experiments are conducted to synthesize particles and to characterize their properties. Research performed in this lab has been supported by external funds, including American Heart Association (AHA), National Science Foundation (NSF), and National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Courses supported by this laboratory are BENG 200 (Anatomy and Physiology for Engineers), BENG370 (Biomechanics), and BENG 426 (Fundamentals of Drug Delivery). It is also used for independent student research and Senior Design projects.
This laboratory is designed for teaching and conducting research in the areas of biomaterials, biosensors, and instrumentation, as well as microfluidics. Equipment housed in this laboratory includes three chemical fume hoods, UV oven, incubator shaker, ChemiDoc imaging system (Bio-Rad), mini-centrifuge, fluorescent spectrometer (Perkin Elmer), Bio-printer (Invivo), thermal cycler (Bio-Rad), electrophoresis units (Bio-Rad), analytical balances, and small equipment like shaker, rotator, vortex mixer, hot plates, and peristaltic and syringe pumps. Other instruments, including two FDM and two LCD 3D printers, function generators, oscilloscopes, and network analyzers are also housed in this space. Research conducted in this lab has been supported by external funds, including National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Alternatives Research and Development Foundation (ARDF).
Courses supported by this laboratory are BENG 351 (Bio-sensors and Instrumentation), BENG 351 (Bio-sensors & Instrumentation), BENG 375 (Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering), BENG 451/551 (Microfluidics), and BENG 421/521 (Biomaterials and Biochemical Interfaces). The lab is also used for independent student research and Senior Design projects.
The space is used for general microfabrication research. The cleanroom includes a dressing area to teach students proper gowning techniques. The cleanroom houses two wafer spinners, two programmable hotplates, one annealing oven, one vacuum oven, two vacuum chambers, one stereomicroscope, one computer-attached profilometer, and one custom UV lithography system.
This space is also used for BENG 451/551 (Microfluidics) class, specifically the laboratories, to support microfluidic fabrication and testing.
The laboratory is equipped with three biosafety cabinets (laminar flow hood), two CO2 incubators, an inverted phase contrast microscope, a water bath, and a temperature-regulated centrifuge. Research conducted in this lab space, including nanotherapeutics and oxygen microfluidics for biological systems, is supported by external funds, including NIH, NSF, and AHA.
This space is used for teaching BENG 381 (Bioprocessing), specifically for demonstration of effects of pH on cell media and consecutive effects on cell viability.
The laboratory is equipped with three biosafety cabinets (laminar flow hood), two CO2 incubators (Eppendorf), an inverted phase contrast microscope, a water bath, a cell counter, a bioprinter (CelLink), a plate reader, analytical balances, and a temperature-regulated centrifuge (New Brunswick). Research conducted in this lab space is supported by external funds, including NIH and ARDF.
This space is used for teaching BENG 375 (Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering), specifically for cell culture technique demonstration and for testing cytotoxicity as well as conducting tissue engineering research.
The lab houses a flow cytometer recently acquired with support from the NSF MRI (Major Research Instrumentation). The space is currently used for teaching BENG 426/526 (Fundamentals in Drug Delivery) and research related to drug delivery.
The lab houses two inverted fluorescence microscopes, one of which is an Olympus IX73 with automated stage, automated filter wheel, and Q-Imaging camera. There is also an available inverted dark field materials microscope and an upright polarized, fluorescence microscope for tissue histology work. A custom TE-cooled spectrometer is fitted on the upright microscope for nanoplasmonic characterization. Additionally, 3 regular and 2 programmable microfluidic pumps and one Dolomite pressure-driven pump provide flow control for microfluidic applications. Furthermore, 2 Ocean Optics oxygen sensors (fiber optics and fiber bundle with patch) and a Thorlab hand-held LED exposure system enables optofluidics manipulations under the microscope. Finally, a custom frequency-domain detection system provides nanosecond-resolution quantification of collagen and tissue autofluorescence lifetimes.
This space is used for teaching BENG 351 (Bio-sensors & Instrumentation) and BENG 451/551 (Microfluidics).
The space is used for tissue engineering research. The laboratory houses one fluorescent microscope (Axioobserver, Zeiss), the laser scanning confocal microscope acquired with support from the NSF MRI (Major Research Instrumentation), and a biosafety cabinet.
This space is also used for teaching BENG 375 (Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering), specifically for imaging cells following cytotoxity assay.
This space houses a pneumatic impact tester for measuring the high-rate response of materials in tension and compression. The lab is used for teaching BENG 370 (Biomechanics I) and to conduct research related to biomechanics of soft and hard tissues. The student teams test bone samples on the machine and combine the data with low-rate data to determine the rate stiffening of bone.
This space houses refrigerators (4oC) and freezers (-20oC and -80oC), two of each, a lyophilizer, and an oven. The oven is utilized for determining the physical integrity of hydrogels both for teaching in BENG 375 (Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering) and for research.
This laboratory consists of a 12-camera motion-tracking system, a computer workstation, motion analysis software, and two portable force plates. Motion-capture data can also be studied in the field using ADPM wearable sensors. The goal is to examine human movement for the purposes of understanding and preventing musculoskeletal injuries. The research that is conducted in this lab is supported by NSF.
The lab supports BENG470/570 (Advanced Biomechanics), as well as various projects for independent student research and senior design.