Setting up a school Prototype Shop

[h3ndrix]

I am not sure if this is the right forum to post to but here it goes...

I have just been brought in charge of a shop that services the industrial design department, architecture department and city planning department of a university.

I have worked in a few shops and helped build one from almost scratch, but this time it is a little bit more complicated.

The shop will be titled something in the lines of a "Prototype and Product development Workshop" and it needs to have all the right tools to be able to build functioning models of products/furniture/automotive parts and also scale models of buildings and cities (parts of cities). It needs to carry tools for woodworking, plastics/composites and metals.

What I need advice on is if any of you can point me towards books, articles or websites that carry information on designing workshops for general prototype making/building.

I have currently made a list of the bigger machines that I will need to order for the shop, but what I need help on is placement of these machines (5-axis CNC, CNC Lathe, CNC pipe bender etc. etc.), placement of student worktables, air supply (for tools and machines), safety steps, types of floors for a workshop (epoxy, granite etc.) and any other important workshop considerations.

Thx for all the help.

[mc-motorsports]

Welders? A good multi-process would be nice, $$$ though. I would atleast get a TIG, then of course you could arc weld structural stuff. MIG would be my third choice, but I'm sure you'll need a welder in the shop.

And get an inverter type AC/DC for sure!

[JDenyer232]

Be sure to allow space betweeen machines, walls and other obstructions to allow for safe use, maintenance, and repairs of equipment. It's expensive to have to move a cnc lathe or vmc to replace a servo motor or open the cabinet to replace a fuse. Flooring can be concrete with expoxy paint with an anti-slip additive put in, very important as coolant can become very slick and lead to falls. As to how to place the equipment, well you need to figure out how the work is gonna flow thru the shop, might want the cnc equipment in it's own area, wood working stuff walled off from the metal working area, you don't want tons of sawdust landing in your cnc's. Ventilation of spray mists and sawdust need to be taken into account as well. You need to have safety procedures in place before students start using machinery, these need to be clearly defined written policies, and then they must be enforced. Some obvious ones are no long hair unless it's totally covered up, no jewelry, must wear safety glasses, not using machinery when tired etc.

[masonbcaldwell4]

Originally Posted by JDenyer232 You need to have safety procedures in place before students start using machinery, these need to be clearly defined written policies, and then they must be enforced. Some obvious ones are no long hair unless it's totally covered up, no jewelry, must wear safety glasses, not using machinery when tired etc.

and depending on the age of these students, watch out for the high ones... saw a guy lose some fingers on a table saw cause he was high, but that was back in high school....not that university kids are Much better....

[mc-motorsports]

Originally Posted by masonbcaldwell4 and depending on the age of these students, watch out for the high ones... saw a guy lose some fingers on a table saw cause he was high, but that was back in high school....not that university kids are Much better....

I remember years ago there was a guy at the shop I was working for, got so stoned on lunch, came back, did something really stupid on a cnc mill and just stood there in front of the machine while the spindle plowed into an aluminum fixture 3 times before the supervisor came running over and smacked the e-stop. I couldn't believe it. He didn't even flinch. It was something that I would have prefered not to have seen happen, and something I will never forget.

Stoners, pot heads, coke heads, pill poppers and all other like, belong in thier parents basement, not a shop. It should be illegal to operate equiptment and or machinery under the influence of a controlled substance.