| | | The machine shop is where the parts and other devices for faculty, staff, and student projects are built. The shop consists of two rooms. One room is for general machining that doesn't require close tolerances. This room is equipped with a metal-working lathe, a bandsaw, belt and disk sanders, an abrasive blaster, a high-temperature furnace, a Trautman router, a vertical router with router table, a metal grinder, a buffer, an arbor press, and a bending brake.  | | Figure 1: General Machining Room |
The other room is where complex machining jobs are handled. We have on staff a skilled machinist with twenty-five years of experience who machines the parts for all lab research projects. This room is well equipped with a Hardinge lathe (see Figure 2) that has an electronic readout for part dimensioning and a Bridgeport EZPLUS computer-numerically controlled (CNC) milling machine (see Figure 3) with three degrees of freedom (x, y, and z). The CNC mill operates in either manual or automatic mode. In automatic mode, the machinist is able to program specific movements, and the computer will execute those movements independently. This room also has a drill press, a metal cutting saw, and extensive tooling.  | | Figure 2: Hardinge Lathe | |
| | Figure 3: Bridgeport EZPLUS CNC | |
Additional machine shop facilities are available at Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering for unusual machining requirements (e.g., large, heavy items). | | |
