Equipment/NewKit

THIS PAGE IS CURRENTLY A DRAFT

This page is about kit provided for the use of all Makespace members. Please see Equipment/PersonalKit for information about using your own items at Makespace.

Major items (such as the laser cutter) should be treated individually, but smaller things (hand tools, electronics kit, etc.) are handled categorically. In both cases the process is essentially the same.

Before We Decide To Obtain Something

A couple of things need to happen before we can decide that getting something is a good idea:

Identifying 'Owners'

TODO: This happens before committing to purchase.

All items need at least one owner, and ideally more. Owners are responsible for training, maintenance, documentation and risk assessment for the equipment. Typically the person who proposed obtaining the kit will be the owner, so if you don't think this should be the please discuss the situation on the mailing list.

Actions:

• Recruit additional owners.
• Record ownership details in the equipment database.

Make Sure We Have Space For It

Although Makespace looks big, it's already surprisingly full. Before committing to anything we need to make sure we have space to properly use it. Note that some kit needs to be used in the secure workshop, there are typically other constraints, both general (not installing electrics next to the sink, not blocking fire escapes, etc.) and specific to the item (making sure there's enough space around the item for large workpieces, etc.). As well as using the item itself, we need to make sure there's somewhere to store it out of the way (if it's portable), and there's space for a stock of material / consumables.

Actions:

• Discuss space requirements on the mailing list.

Perform A Risk Assessment

TODO: This happens before committing to purchase

See Kit_or_activity_Risk_Assessment_process for details.

Actions:

• Write formal and informal risk assessment documents.
• Decide upon a tool category Equipment/ToolClasses.
• Post details to the mailing list and wait for approval from the directors.

Obtaining New Kit

There are three ways of getting new stuff:

Makespace Purchases

Most equipment will be purchased with Makespace funds. If you would like something to be bought, the first step is to make a proposal to the mailing list, which can then be discussed before being approved by one of the directors. We do need to make sure we get the best items for the space, both in terms of making good use of funds and making sure that everything is as broadly useful as possible, so ideally your proposal should include a few alternatives and some information about why each may or may not be the best choice for Makespace. If you are able to identify suppliers and prices that makes life easier too. Finally, do a bit of research into any auxiliary items (additional bits, measuring and calibration devices, protective clothing, software, spare parts, consumables, etc.), and whether any provisions need to be made for training and safety, and include anything you can about likely ongoing operational needs.

Once the proposal has been approved, you are responsible for making the purchase and arranging for the equipment to be delivered to Makespace, and if necessary installed. Note that some specialist equipment requires a training session as part of the installation process. See How_to_buy_things_for_Makespace for more information about purchases.

Donations

Makespace welcomes donations of useful kit, however, we do need to be selective about what we take on as we have limited space, and therefore need to make sure that we fill it with equipment which provides genuine value. Certain items (heavy equipment, electronic waste, etc.) can be difficult to dispose of, so we cannot take on items with little or no useful lifetime remaning. For these reasons, please propose donating equipment via the mailing list, and only bring items to the space once you have received approval from one of the directors.

Items which require repair may be okay, but provision for carrying out the necessary work needs to be made at the time of donation. Similarly, items only useful for parts or material salvage may be okay, but need to be made available in an appropriate form (e.g. remove nails from timber, desolder and sort electrical components, etc.). In any case, it's most important to discuss the proposed donation on the mailing list before bringing anything to the space.

Long Term Loans

Makespace is also very happy to host useful kit on long term / indefinite loan from individuals. This basically works the same way as with donations, although you must additionally accept that the kit will be used by the Makespace membership in general, and that Makespace cannot accept liability for any damage caused. Furthermore, the Makespace directors reserve the right to require that loaned kit is removed at any time, subject to reasonable notice.

Commissioning Equipment

Before new kit can be used, a few things need to be in place. Eventually the equipment database will automate / support this process, but for now follow the checklists below:

Add To The Equipment Inventory

The equipment inventory lives at http://makespace-equipment-db.herokuapp.com/. To add or edit items, you need an account - you can sign up within the app, but your account will need to be approved by an existing user, so ask for someone to do that on the mailing list.

Not everything needs to go in the database. There are no hard rules, but machine tools definitely do need to be listed, and individual hammers don't. More specifically:

• Anything for which training is required or available must be listed.
• Anything which is important enough to have its own wiki page must be listed.
• Anything which requires PAT testing must be listed.
• Anything not owned by Makespace (i.e. on loan from a member) must be listed.
• Anything expensive, popular or worth showing off should be listed.

Actions:

• Decide whether the item needs to be added to the inventory database.
• Create an account at http://makespace-equipment-db.herokuapp.com/ and ask for it to be approved on the mailing list.
• Add the item to the database, assigning an appropriate category and specifying the full make and model number. Take a guess at which of the training categories it belongs to, but err on the side of caution. Set the status as 'commissioning' until the equipment is ready to be used.
• Attach an asset tag to the item (somewhere where it's not likely to be worn off), and record the number in the equipment database, with the leading zeros.

Create A Wiki Page

Larger items should have their own wiki pages (e.g. Equipment/Laser_Cutter), and smaller items should have category pages (e.g. Equipment/Power_Tools). These pages will vary from one item to another, but you might like to add:

• Detailed information about the device, and what it does.
• Photos.
• Safety information.
• Links to documentation, training videos, blog posts from other users, etc.
• Inspiration for things to make using it.
• Sources of suitable materials.
• Information on ownership, training, how to report problems, etc.

The wiki pages should be linked to from the equipment database, so have a look at what's there for existing items for further suggestions.

Actions:

• Create a wiki page, which should live under the 'Equipment' path prefix. Email the mailing list to ask for feedback.
• Record the URL of the page in the equipment database.

PAT Testing

(Ask someone who knows how to do this)

Actions:

• Perform a PAT test, or get someone else to do it.
• Record the date of the next test (in one year's time) in the equipment database.

Set up an Honesty Box

If the equipment has stock which users need to pay for, set up and honesty box. See Honesty_boxes for how these should be run.

Set Up Training

Get all the owners of the equipment made 'Event Organizers' on the meet up group. This is required to set limits and manage rsvp's for any training events they run.

Labels And Documentation

Actions:

• Clearly label the item with it's tool class and information about what it is (TODO: We need a standard way of doing this).
• Create laminate notices to go with the equipment: safety information, brief reminder instructions, etc. as necessary.

When all of this is done, mark the item's status as 'working' in the equipment database.