What is in you dream FIRST robotics team shop?

[Joe G.]

-CNC Mill, Lathe, Pipebender
-Metalcutting bandsaw, chopsaw, etc.
-arbor press
-access 24/7
-Computers
-welder
-food
-well equipped storage area

-a robotic system that can automatically fetch any raw part, from a 8-32 nut to a 8 foot length of 80/20, with a push of a button

-A largish purple button, with a nice satisfying click to it, that symeltaneously builds a 1114-quality robot in 10 minutes, and installs all the fun, knowledge, and lack of sleep that a FIRST season generates in all team members, without the...actual lack of sleep.

[MrForbes]

Originally Posted by rocketperson44

-a robotic system that can automatically fetch any raw part, from a 8-32 nut to a 8 foot length of 80/20, with a push of a button

We're hoping for a few freshmen this coming year!

[takeegan]

plasma cutter (it sounds cool) and a teleporter (again it'd just be cool) and a dr. pepper fountain... oh and a welder to keep the mentors happy

[roboticWanderor]

A GTAW (get it right fools)
CNC mill with a 38 x 28 or larger cutting area
hex broaches

more space to store old robots!

[IKE]

I have really enjoyed the "dream" facilities everyone is posting. That being said a friend and I built a racecar (scratch built not conversion) with a 60 year old mill, a 90+ year old lathe (6 speed belt drive Logan), and a $500 welder.
The Bees currently enjoy a cramped space with salvaged machines (the were all set to be scrapped before we "saved" them). Personally I really enjoy our shop and would only get rid of the "red menace" which is a band saw that has been brought back from the dead too many times. I personally believe it is a Zombie Bandsaw thirsty for blood. j/k
More important than fancy machinery are people that know the basics. While really cool parts are built by fancy machines, Great robots are built by great people.
BTW I think Team 45 is cloning Andy. Anybody who has pitted next to them should agree that they are a first class students running a first class team. As a mentor I was very inspired to see them in action.

[RoboMaster]

A whole wall dedicated to haning bags of every imaginable color, size, use, tecture, personalized, and uniqness of...

Zip ties!

[JesseK]

Originally Posted by RoboMaster

A whole wall dedicated to haning bags of every imaginable color, size, use, tecture, personalized, and uniqness of...

Zip ties!

Hahaha. Maybe just half of a wall for us though.


Somehow we've all missed one of the more important things: good speakers and music!

I also seem to have forgotten the important high powered shop vac with a multitude of attachments for getting in the knick-knacks our shop machines.

[Nica F.]

Our shop had 3 CNC's and my favorite of all was our Haas CNC lathe SL-10. As long as you have one of those babies for me to use, i'll be happy

[Blue_Mist]

In my dream shop there would be a crowd of bright and eager freshmen and eighth graders all begging to be let into our shop and join our Robotics Team. I would REALLY love that.

In retrospect, I would love for a younger group like our year, full of energy, talent and willingness to work, sometimes far overtime (all of us will be seniors next year, and the eight of us comprise of more than half the team. We came in just as the original group that started our team was leaving). Who came in as freshmen, stayed and worked our butts off learning, teaching and pouring everything we had into the robot and the team. Who are willing to help with more than just the six weeks of building and competitions. Who are willing to (thank you!) clean the shop every once in a while. Who are (relatively) numerous, so that not every single person has to do all of these all the time. I wish our shop was more full of awesome people like that!

And a working, non-temperamental MIG welder. That would be really cool.

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by roboticWanderor

possibly those politicians and administrators could dedicate some of those resorces to replace some of the ancient machines in our shop (i swear some of them are older than our coach, and that is oooooold) and possibly upgrade us from a "trainer" cnc mill with it's little 1/8" endmill!
i <3 our shop as it is, but i wish they would let us use the gym to practice on!

or one of these

We have a lathe from WWII. Its still the one I use and will always use even though we have a newer one ^_^

[dtengineering]

Originally Posted by IndySam

Andy Baker clone.

You are so right that a good person outranks a goood tool any day! Give a team some bright, enthusiastic, responsible students, a few dedicated, competent mentors and they can take care of the rest with hacksaws and a cordless drill if they have to.

Of course once you've got the people... well... the rest just makes it more fun! To add to everyone else's list:

Panel Saw, Table Saw, Compound Mitre Saw, Jointer, Planer, Bandsaw, CNC router (we build a lot of stuff from wood)

Bead blaster, belt sander, disc sander, wire brush, grinder, buffing wheel. (Polished aluminum looks better, don't you think?)

Big honking vent fans. (we have used polyester/fibreglass composites in the past... a bit stinky)

A bucket of unobtanium and a cold beverage for the mentors at the end of the night.

Jason

[artdutra04]

... always one more thing then we have right now.

It's that idea that has always kept us pushing harder in our fundraising efforts, without making everything look like pie-in-the-sky ideas.

Right now on our short list are DROs for our Bridgeport milling machine, a TIG welder, and the homemade powder-coating oven; just recently we approved the funds to buy a vinyl cutting machine. Other recent additions to our shop also include a used 36" inkjet plotter, an arbor press, and keyway broaches (still saving up for those hex broaches though ).

[AmoryG]

My bible

[Laaba 80]

At our shop the owner/team president has a back shop that he rents out to other small businesses. My dream is to fundraise enough so he doesnt need to rent out that space. We could then turn it into a full practice field. It even has a little loft that we could use for bleachers.
Joey

[Cooley744]

right now our team would really like a plasma cutter!