Proposals

Abstract

The A&A Machine shop is the primary shop used by research groups, capstone teams, and RSOs (including but not limited to SARP, DBF, SEDS, and Superbike), but it is open to all UW students. The shop currently contains two out dated manual mills, which are used extensively by these groups for part fabrication. The shop also contains one old, functioning CNC machine, which also experiences heavy usage during the academic year, despite how difficult it can be to interface with. These older machines make it more difficult to train new users and slow the progress of experienced machinists, compared to if they were using a newer machine. These difficulties ultimately result in longer lead times for parts, which also reduces machine access to users. Additionally, steeper learning curves and difficulty to machine parts can result in students feeling discouraged from learning how to use the equipment. These issues can hinder all groups. The best solution is purchasing two new two-in-one CNC milling machines that allow the user to perform either manual mill tasks or CNC operations. The newer equipment will be easier for students to learn to use and make machining parts easier. The two-in-one machines will also save money and floorspace, rather than purchasing and installing both new mills and separate CNC machines.

Access

Users can schedule a time-slot to use the equipment online through the UW CORAL system. Appointments are available during all shop hours, with the exception of timeslots booked for trainings. CORAL is the current system in place for reserving shop equipment.