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Northwestern University

Where the journey from idea to breakthrough begins.

Design Facilities

Located in the Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center, a state-of-the-art, environmentally conscious building on Northwestern's Evanston campus, the Segal Design Institute provides students with the resources, equipment, and collaborative environment where group work and the exchange of ideas can flourish.

Prototyping and Fabrication Lab

Working in the Segal Prototyping and Fabrication Lab is central to the student experience at Segal. The main machine shop and assembly area are visible from multiple levels of the building’s atrium and hosts an impressive array of prototyping resources for students.
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Corner Makery

The Corner Makery is located within the Segal Design Institute and gives makers access to essential equipment that necessary for creation and discovery.  Use of equipment in this facility is community guided, with instruction primarily taking place on a peer-to-peer basis and self-directed learning.

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3D Printing & Rapid Prototyping Lab

The Ford Rapid Prototyping Lab hosts an array of cutting-edge, additive manufacturing technology tools, including an Objet Connex Polyjet and Fortus FDM machines from Stratasys, as well as Color 3D Printing equipment from 3D systems. These tools enable students to create complex models quickly and using a wide range of materials.

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Mechatronics Design Lab

The Mechatronics Lab includes all necessary equipment for electrical wiring and prototyping, processor programming, and low-level physical prototyping. The lab may be used for work on any Northwestern course, or research project, which requires development of mechatronics systems.
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Related Resources

Additional Maker Facilities

MAKE Northwestern has information about fabrication resources and facilities at Northwestern University. Some additional research facilities include:

See all available facilities on the MAKE Northwestern website

Research Support

Research Shop is available for support of McCormick research laboratories. Graduate students seeking to work in the lab should contact the lab professionals for a skills assessment and training plan that will support their intended project work. Because Design Thinking and Communication (DTC) lab training engrosses the shop resources for a few weeks each academic quarter, there will be shop training blackout dates when training for non-DTC students will be unavailable.

Lab Leaders Program

Over the years the Prototyping and Fabrication Lab has provided an opportunity for both undergraduate and graduate students to gain invaluable practical design and equipment experience to complement their traditional classroom education.

These students become highly sought-after employees in many industries because of their ability to execute their designs. We call these enterprising students Lab Leaders. You can find them achieving excellence on the various vehicle teams and training other students in the lab. We are always looking for the next generation of Lab Leaders to fill shoes of the graduating class.

If you are interested in the Lab Leaders Program, please email the Prototyping and Fabrication Lab.

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