What's Your Ideal Robot Workspace

[Alan Anderson]

I've given this a lot of thought over the years. One thing I'd like to see that the TechnoKats workshop currently doesn't have is convenient restrooms and handwashing facilities. A bigger coat rack would also be good.

We have separate areas in our shop for different activities, but no actual walls between them. I think this is a good thing, as it keeps various groups from getting isolated. It does become a problem when someone is using a noisy tool while others are trying to hold a meeting, but I believe it's a good tradeoff.

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

We have separate areas in our shop for different activities, but no actual walls between them. I think this is a good thing, as it keeps various groups from getting isolated. It does become a problem when someone is using a noisy tool while others are trying to hold a meeting, but I believe it's a good tradeoff.

In our current shop, there are windows between the shop/assembly area and the programming/pr/gathering area. It lets us close the doors when we're being loud in the shop, but still allows that open feeling between the different working groups.

[Trez]

Something like this:http://www.imagesnet.net/data/media/...%20%28c%29.jpg

[boris1020]

Our team has been through four build spaces in six years, and this one (our new and permanent one) is by far our favorite. Our school district passed a bond issue two years ago that allowed for the wrestling facilities at one of the schools be renovated to robotics spaces for all three high schools. At first we were skeptical about being in a wrestling room, but it has worked out really nicely.

Some of the aspects we like about it:
-It's small. We aren't cramped, but everything is nearby and there's
enough space for machines and division of spaces. It also keeps us from buying
more stuff just to fill it up. When we all meet in one area at once, it starts getting
crowded, which is probably a pretty good size.
-There were no walls. We acquired district surplus shelves as a partition
between shop and office space. We even put down carpet in the office.
-It's air-conditioned!
-The structure is exposed- no ceilings. This allowed us to run speakers
throughout the shop for music. We also speculated hanging a projector.
-Garage door! Most mobile equipment doesn't fit through the front door.
-We have space for a 3/4-ish sized field. It isn't in the same building, but
it's still available.

Things to request:
-Good electrical. Our entire office/CAD area (8 computers plus laptops
and coffeemakers) is all on one breaker- blown fuses have happened.
-Tall ceilings. As a reference, our Logomotion minibot pole only fits in the
highest part of the shop (sloped ceiling/roof).
-Try to make shop as versatile as possible. While definition of space is good,
make sure you can rearrange shop tables for brief robot testing
-WHITEBOARDS. No matter how many whiteboards are floating around, we will
always run out of drawing space.

Best of luck to you in coming years, I hope you enjoy your new space.

[Mk.32]

We are currently working out of a portable in the back of the school.
The best thing about it is it is about 3 class room sized rooms joined with a center al hall way for the most part is just ours. [Some of it is used for storage for other stuff].

One room is the main build area, the other is a small test field, and the 3rd is where we store materials.

The main build area has a few computers and benches. And our tools, manual mill [tiny and old], drill presses, table saws, hand tools etc.
The problems we have is the ceiling is really low [less the minibot pole], the floor since it is a portable isn't very solid, we only have 110v and a lack of good heavy duty machining tools.

Me dream shop would pretty much be a full fledged machine shop. Filled with HAAS CNC/Lathes, Bridgeport Mills, drills, presses, sheel metal sheers/punches and all assorted tools. An lab with computers loaded with Solidworks/MasterCAM. An meeting area with a large table/chairs and a projector, plus lots of white boards. And a place for a full to half sized field, with a high enough ceiling for any game. All in one building with easy access.

A guy can dream can't he.

[richwong]

Originally Posted by Trez

Something like this:http://www.imagesnet.net/data/media/...%20%28c%29.jpg

That would be the ideal pit...

[richwong]

Thanks for all of this great feedback. I've started a list in Google Docs. It's open to the public, please feel free to edit and contribute: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ao1PdzsjkT0EdGNsMW00MXFaeDBaZlMtelZfMFctT FE

Rich

[avanboekel]

Our team is getting a new home as well. Currently, we are in an unoccupied jr high school. We have a couple rooms:
-a class room for CAD, programming and business
-a shop with many (7 I think) work tables, band saw, 2 drill presses, chop saw, vertical band saw, lathe, and a counter for tools (power drills, saws zall, dremel, etc.)
-store room for vex, spirit stuff, etc.
-lrc with a high ceiling, and a full practice field.

This, in my mind is ideal. We could deal with a lot less. Not too sure what we are going to do next year when the school opens.

[pyroslev]

Originally Posted by avanboekel

We have a couple rooms:
-a class room for CAD, programming and business
-a shop with many (7 I think) work tables, band saw, 2 drill presses, chop saw, vertical band saw, lathe, and a counter for tools (power drills, saws zall, dremel, etc.)
-store room for vex, spirit stuff, etc.
-lrc with a high ceiling, and a full practice field.
.

You summed up most of what I'd want. I'll add to that:
Dining/loungish area. (Someplace quiet away from the work)
A small CNC-esque machine for those small precision parts
Papers solidifying the space as yours (no one able to boot you out)
Security system maybe
And for fun, some of those PC controlled nerf projectile turrets mounted on the ceiling to shock laxing people back to work

[FRC BOTMOM]

Need to have a Dormitory and a mess hall so student can work in shifts. This would be mainly used on the weekends but it would allow for around the clock building.

[Borobo]

you guys are amazingly lucky. Our school sponsors us by allowing us use of the metal shop, but our total storage space amounts to a single 6x9 closet with 16 foot ceiling, which we stack to the very top

[tsaksa]

Our team currently has very little dedicated space. We can use the metals shop, and part of a fabrication area during build season, but those areas need to be cleaned up each day, and any robot parts or tool cannot be stored there. All of our tools, components, the robot itself, batteries, etc. need to get stored in a less than classroom size area each time we leave. Also, we are required to keep a pathway through the area clear for access to two other areas that need to be gotten to through our area. As you can imagine this makes the logistics of building a robot difficult.

If I could change one thing, it would be to have an assembly area where things could be left out, or at least left in one place during a build. If all the parts, tools, and sub assemblies need to be boxed up and stored in a different area, and the area cleaned up after each build session you can easily loose half of your time transporting and setting up parts and tools at the start and end of each build session. In fact parts can get lost or damaged during this process, and it does not do all the tools any good to get wheeled around through the rain twice a day.

If there is any way to have a secured build area where you can keep some partially assembled components out while working on them, that can be a great advantage. Also having the ability to store your tools relatively close to the assembly area can also save a huge amount of time and effort.

[THE DYNAMO]

Oh my, if only.
our team(2984) workscompletely out of the closet of our schol's ceramics room(which ironically, is designed to be a giant machine shop with a 25' ceiling, grounded work tbles, and mounting holes in the ground for a mill). it is 20' by 20' at the most, with an 8' drop ceiling. there is a stack of tables and a cabinet full of ceramic pots that we cant touch. also, the Cermaics dust gets Everywhere, including my beatiful new electronics layout !
(we are attempting to convince incoming 9th graders that Cermaics is not fun at all and the teacher is mean

[Andrew Remmers]

Abandon Aerospace/Chemical plant

lots of fun memories there.

[DonRotolo]

We have half of the old auto shop. It is a lockable room about 30 feet square, with 10 foot ceilings and two small rooms (8 x 8) off the side we can use for storage. We also have access to several classrooms for 'clean' quiet work, plus the tech-ed classroom which has a small lathe, 2 band saws, a sander and a drill press, plus a dozen or so computer workstations.

The post by One4robots covers a lot of what I also feel is ideal.

In an ideal room, there would be spaces for heavy work, light work and clean work. There's not a lot of heavy work, so that space could be a little small, with machinery and some tooling storage. The light work is most of what we do, so plenty of heavy-duty horizontal work table, and a space that is easily cleaned. Tool storage, material storage, and work-in-progress storage, all lockable. The quiet area would be typical classroom setup, with tables instead of desks, plenty of computer connections, and a printer.

Actual square footage will depend on the anticipated size of the team, and whether the quiet areas can actually be other rooms not dedicated to the team - for example, if there was a robotics technology curriculum it could also be taught in there, with access to the other areas as needed by the teacher.

In the heavy area, at least one lathe and one CNC mill would be excellent. Add in a metal-cutting band saw, a drill press and a sander - all with dust extraction - and that would be wonderful.

Good luck!