A £1.5 million technology laboratory has been opened at Bradford University as part of its push to cement its position as a world leader in technology courses.

The lab covers 13 fields of engineering and contains equipment such as 3D printers and machinery to test micro vibrations.

The physical kit is linked with software to combine theory with practical work, reducing the need for separate theory-based lectures.

At yesterday's opening, hundreds of students were invited to look around the lab, in the Horton Building. They were also given demonstrations of the university's new acquisitions, watching printers produce 3D models and machinery used in the aerospace industry perfectly balancing a pendulum.

The event was attended by Vice Chancellor Brian Cantor and former university pupil Andy Hamilton, now director of quality at Cummins Turbo Technology.

They said combining different types of engineering in the same lab meant the university would help students to better prepare for careers in fields including aerospace engineering, civil engineering and even medicine.

Mr Hamilton said he was "astounded" by how much the university had changed since he graduated in 1988, and of the new lab said: "This is what I'm most excited about. This is what is going to make the difference.

"This shows how much the university is committed to producing high class graduates."

Mr Cantor said the facility would make sure Bradford remained one of the world's "great technology universities."

Proff Khurshid Khan, professor of manufacturing systems engineering, said all the software and hardware in the laboratory was brand new, adding: "They just came out the box last week. It is new equipment, new software and new instrumentation.

"It will all help enhance students' learning experience and employability. We want them to feel what it is like being in a real lab with all the pressures, and not just learn in a classroom."

The head of the School of Engineering Khalid Hussain said: "The multi-disciplinary lab will provide a much more practical way of teaching, allowing students to be immersed in the practical application of theory, getting a better feel for what a theory represents in reality.

"The lab is the result of both the university’s aim to be a leader in technology learning and a response to student feedback for more hands-on learning."