WPL 0.03 Engineering Fabrication Workshop

Overview

The Engineering Fabrication Workshop contains a range of modern industry-standard equipment to enable our students to realise their designs, and complete assignments and project work, while gaining practical hands-on experience.

The workshop is a flexible space that allows students to explore and gain an introduction into hand tools and their use, and to perform simple manufacturing processes.

It is also used as a facility for students needing to dismantle commercial products to investigate design concepts and consider alternative methods, designs or materials.

The Engineering Fabrication Workshop serves as an invaluable project base for those students needing a bench at which they can build their project and develop concepts.

Extracurricular activities

In addition to its important uses in teaching and project work, the Engineering Fabrication Workshop will be used my members of Loughborough University student societies (such as Fighting Robot Society, Loughborough Space) and for students involved in Formula Student, the British Model Flying Association, and the IMechE Unnamed Aircraft Systems challenge.

A picture showing Loughborough University students' 2019 entry for the annual Formula Student competition.

These labs are primarily used for the teaching of courses in Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering, Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Design, and Materials Engineering.

The workshop is available to students who need bench space for project work as part of their course, or those involved with various societies (such as Fighting Robots) and competitions (e.g. Formula Student, pictured right).

The Engineering Fabrication Workshop gives students hands-on experience using hand tools and machinery to perform simple manufacturing processes.

Equipment in these laboratories includes:

  • Benches for marking out material, cutting, filing, and all bench-centred work, including assembly and dismantling.
  • Wide variety of hand tools, such as files, battery drills, air drills, tinsnips, hacksaws, "G" clamps, pop riveters, squares, height gauges, scribers, dividers, rules, punches, hammers.
  • Pedestal drills for producing holes and associated features in materials.
  • Guillotine for the shearing of sheet metal.
  • Two folding machines for the folding or manipulation of sheet metal.
  • Spot welder for the fusion of sheet metal.