Fabrication Facilities and Labs
The Hillier College of Architecture and Design provides provides various fabrication facilities geared for students in all programs to create physical models of their work.
We have a range of facilities available at HCAD including:
- Laser Lab (Room 760)
The Laser Lab is equipped with laser cutters, vinyl cutters, resin 3D printers, and more. More information including training, booking, and the access calendar can be found under the “Laser Lab” tab on this page.
- Woodshop (Room 761)
The Woodshop is equipped with a table saw, compound miter saw, drill press, band saws, routers, a variety of hand-held power tools, and more. More information including the access calendar can be found under the “Woodshop” tab on this page.
- DigiFab Lab (Room 767)
The Digifab Lab is equipped with three CNC mills, vacuum forming machine, spot welder, machining shear, manual box and pan brake, chop saw, bench grinder, corner notcher, bandsaws, and more. The Digifab Lab is currently available by appointment only, to schedule an appointment or ask a question please email hcad.fabrication@njit.edu
- Paint Room (Room 759)
The Paint Room is equipped with a spray booth to allow for the safe use of spray paints, adhesives, aerosols, a variety of resins, and more. The Paint Room is accessible at all times that the building is open.
- Casting Lab (Room 751)
The casting lab will be equipped with a fume hood and industrial air scrubber to protect against dust and fumes, and will allow for safe use of plaster, concrete, silicone, a variety of resins, and more.
In addition to these facilities, the College also houses various labs such as the Electronics Lab, 3D Printing Lab, Game Lab, Physical Computing Lab, and Animation Lab which are equipped with 3D scanners, sensors, motion capture equipment, film and video equipment, and video game and legacy consoles. There is also a Materials Library that holds materials procured to facilitate the integration of materials research and application in studio and related courses.
Safety requirements and instruction manuals for machines and tools can be found in the shops and on the Kepler system as digital files.
To contact the HCAD Fabrication Facilities staff please email hcad.fabrication@njit.edu
Welcome to the Fabrication Facilities at HCAD! To get started with using the tools and equipment, all students, faculty and staff need to complete a Safety Orientation. Orientations are held multiple times per week, last about 45 minutes, and cover much of the information users need to know to operate safely within the HCAD fabrication facilities. The Safety Orientation is not a comprehensive tool training, however, and users will still need additional training to learn specific more advanced tools.
Safety Orientations are held in the Laser Lab, room 760 of Weston Hall.
Once you have completed the Safety Orientation, you are welcome to use the available fabrication facilities, including the Woodshop and Laser Lab, when they are open. You will be asked to sign in and show your NJIT ID to confirm your training. To find the times when these facilities are open, check the Woodshop and Laser Lab tabs on this website.
If you are an instructor interested in scheduling a Safety Orientation for your class, or have any further questions, please email hcad.fabrication@njit.edu
All students, faculty and staff who have completed a Safety Orientation are invited to use the Wood Shop whenever it is open. Users will need to show their NJIT ID when they arrive to confirm their completion of a Safety Orientation.
The schedule for open hours is shown on the calendar below. The calendar updates frequently so make sure to check back close to the time you are planning to attend as the options may have changed.
Instructors have the option of booking “priority time” in the Woodshop for students in their class. Priority bookings give students in the class priority for assistance from staff as well as for specific tool use. If you are an instructor interested in scheduling priority time, or have any further questions, please email hcad.fabrication@njit.edu
The schedule for open hours is shown on the calendar at the bottom of this page. The calendar updates frequently so make sure to check back close to the time you are planning to attend as the options may have changed. If you have scheduled a closed workshop in the Laser Lab for specifically your class or student group it will not appear on this calendar.
Please bring all of your own materials.
For more information or to ask a question please email hcad.fabrication@njit.edu
How to Laser Cut:
Click here for a video tutorial of how to laser cut at HCAD from a Rhino file. If you have any questions you are always welcome to ask a staff member.
You can also click here for a table of laser cutter settings as a guide based on the thickness and type of your material. Ask a staff member if your material is not on the list.
