Full details
See the attached PDF for full specification and functionality details.
Mechanical Engineering has an extensive range of laboratories, facilities and work rooms for teaching, research and consultancy work. The custom-built laboratories accommodate world-class equipment with which the department is performing cutting-edge research. We welcome anyone who wishes to have a look around, please get in contact with our Public Outreach Coordinator.
Some of our equipment and facilities can be booked by users outside UC. Contact the appropriate technician for each facility to discuss making a booking.
Click on the links below to find out more about the laboratories and equipment available for use.
Our laboratory facilities are equipped to perform a range of testing and analytical functions including:
See the attached PDF for full specification and functionality details.
For more information about these facilities contact:
This laboratory provides access to industrial and collaborative robots including:
Also available is a suite of dSPACE rapid control system prototyping equipment. This includes the following modular boards:
In addition, the laboratory has a number of DS1104 R&D controller boards available.
For more information about this facility contact:
The UCEM is the most comprehensive electron microscopy laboratory in New Zealand, with four operational electron microscopes (two scanning and two transmission). A range of short courses are available to train users within UC. External visitors are also welcome to use these facilities with training or with the assistance of our technical staff.
Internal and external users can book a session on the electron microscope after receiving training or with the assistance of our technical staff.
Electron Microscope Booking System
For more information about this facility contact:
The University of Canterbury Aerodynamics and Optics laboratoriesare unique in offering facilities for a wide range of studies in experimental fluid mechanics, including Sports Aerodynamics, Vehicle Aerodynamics, Atmospheric Boundary Layer studies, Aero-acoustics studies, and hydrodynamics.
The Aero lab houses two subsonic wind tunnels, the Closed-Circuit Wind Tunnel achieving wind speeds up to 200 km/h, and a low-noise Open-Circuit Wind Tunnel (one of only two in Australasia) accommodating multiple nozzles with conditioned flow of up to 140 km/h. Turbulence intensities are ~1% and the velocity is uniform to within 5%.
The facilities have a range of modern fully calibrated instrumentation with user-friendly manuals and readily-available expertise to streamline access and operation of the equipment. These include the 6-axis force balance, pressure probes and transducers, smoke generators, and a 6-channel hot wire instrument for air velocity and turbulence measurements. There are a range of microphones and attachments for measuring noise in airflows. There are automated traversing systems for moving sensors through a grid of measurement points.
The Open Circuit Wind Tunnel is equipped with a platform for aerodynamic measurements involving athletes and sports equipment.
The Optics lab is equipped with a fully instrumented and interfaced Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) setup for non-invasive quantitative flow measurements, a Schlieren imaging system for studding acoustic and inhomogeneous flow density fields, and a high speed camera for imaging up to 1 million frames per second.
These facilities are used for teaching fluid mechanics, supporting Final Year Projects and postgraduate research, and are available to external users on a fee basis.
Available equipment includes:
For more information about this facility contact:
For more information about any of these facilities contact:
Available equipment includes:
Stratasys Connex Objet 350 Polyjet printer. Capable of printing multiple materials at one time including elastomer, ABS like, medical and transparent. Build volume 350 x 350 x 200mm.
Stratasys Elite ABS FDM printer. Dissolvable support material. Build volume 203 x 203 x 300 mm.
5 x TierTime UP Box FDM printers. Capable of printing multiple materials including ABS, PLA, Nylon and Graphene impregnated. Build volume 255 x 255 x 200mm.
4 x TierTime Up Mini 2 FDM printers. Capable of printing multiple materials including ABS, PLA, Nylon and Graphene impregnated. Build volume 120 x 120x 120mm.
Artec Eva hand held scanner. Moderate detail. Subject dimensions from the size of a football to a SUV
Artec Spider hand held scanner. Fine detail. Subject dimensions from the size of a coin to a human bust.
3D Systems Sense hand held scanner. Coarse detail. Subject dimensions from the size of a cup to a SUV
Geomagics Design X. Used for converting scanner STL files to CAD models
MARS 1/3 sheet sheet non-metal. Cuts wood, plastics, paper, rubber etc.
Laser scanner matched with new Geomagic Wrap software. Suited to scanning objects in the 10mm to 500mm size range.
For further details about these resources contact:
Available equipment includes:
This is a restricted Access Lab, only trained operators allowed access.
For more information about this facility contact:
The electronics workshop is able to develop fully customised electronics for research projects using modern surface mount technology. The electronics workshop is also responsible for general fault diagnosis and repair, electrical safety testing and computer interfacing.
Projects are documented and designed using Altium design software.
The electronics staff also write specialised software for various research projects using Visual Basic and LabVIEW. Other specialist software tools are used for developing embedded systems. The workshop has a comprehensive set of National Instruments data acquisition and control products available for loan to research projects.
The workshop has printed circuit board production facility, surface mount device capability, along with other general electronic workshop facilities.
To submit a job to the workshop, please discuss your requirements with us. Please be detailed with your specifications.
For more information about this facility contact:
A comprehensive workshop is available to support both undergraduate teaching and research activities. The CNC Laboratory is also located in this area.
Approved postgraduates may have limited access to the workshop equipment for research-related work.
For details about using the workshop contact:
Students who have completed their compulsory, 35-hour workshop training course may access our undergraduate work area. Students must first seek permission and must be supervised while using the area. See Learn for more details of training courses. Find out more about workshop training requirements.
The undergraduate work area is available for students who have completed their 35-hour workshop training course, or have been exempted from that course.
Student access is limited to drill presses, jigsaw, sander and hand tools. Nothing is to be taken out of the work area without permission. Borrowed articles must be recorded with the borrower's name, date borrowed and date returned.
Work area users must wear safety glasses at all times, wear appropriate footwear and use hearing protection when appropriate. Users must clean up after any work done.
Contact Scott Amies about our undergraduate work area facilities.
A qualified instructor conducts compulsory training for undergraduate students in this comprehensive facility, which is also available for postgraduate students when not being used as a training facility.
Major items of equipment include 5 mills, 6 lathes, 2 drill presses, and hand tools. There is also MIG, stick and gas welding equipment available.
Contact Garry Cotton for more information about training requirements and course availability.
our Technical Staff