Facilities
Labs & facilities
Two spaces on the CU Denver Downtown Campus support our research and hands-on teaching in additive manufacturing.
Intelligent Design and Manufacturing Lab
The Intelligent Design and Manufacturing (IDM) Lab is housed in a dedicated research facility on the CU Denver Downtown Campus. It supports advanced research in additive manufacturing, materials characterization, and mechanical testing.
3D printing
- Multiple commercial and custom-built 3D printers
- Direct Ink Writing (DIW), Material Extrusion (ME), Stereolithography (SLA)
- Thermosets, thermoplastics, and fiber-reinforced composites
- Commercial Anisoprint continuous fiber printer with G-code control for programmable fiber paths
Characterization & fabrication
- Optical light microscope (2–5×)
- Polarized light microscope (20–50×)
- Atomic force microscope (~10–100 nm resolution)
- Muffle furnace for thermal processing
- UV curing ovens and UV light systems
- Drill press and band saw for mechanical post-processing
- Fully equipped tool chest with diamond-tipped coring bits
Mechanical & thermal testing
- Uniaxial mechanical tester
- Cyclic mechanical tester
- Dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA)
- Thermal chambers integrated with each system
- Load cell range: 0.1 mN to 30 kN
- Temperature range: −200 °C to 400 °C
These resources support multiscale experimental mechanics, thermal-mechanical research, and the development of next-generation manufacturing techniques.
Additive Manufacturing Lab
The Department of Mechanical Engineering Additive Manufacturing (AM) Lab is a student-run facility that supports the College of Engineering, Design, and Computing at CU Denver, providing hands-on experience in 3D printing and digital fabrication.
Course print orders
- MECH 1025 – CAD
- MECH 2024 – Materials Science
- MECH 3035 – Design of Mechanical Elements
- MECH 4035/4045 – Senior Design
Maker space
Serves MECH 3045 – Fundamentals of Additive Manufacturing, where students operate 3D printers independently to complete hands-on projects. Trained undergraduate assistants manage lab operations and process print jobs.
Undergraduate research
- Multi-material printing
- FFF-based metal printing
- Advanced 3D printing technologies