can a decision be held until after the members meeting this month as I think a solution may present itself then.
ooh err cryptic
We've been offered a free HPC LS3040 laser cutter - thoughts?
We have a few weeks…
Yes. Well my suggestion remains we should take it if not just to facilitate it being taken to another space.
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Bumping this. Did the subject come up at the members meeting ? Any decision? Do we need to collect soon ?
Courty
This needs a resolution, we held a vote during the members meeting which tied without resolution 8 for 8, so it was agreed that we would hold a vote open until Sunday evening.
- Give to an up and coming Makerspace or Hackspace.
- Keep it for ourselves
0 voters
Or the third option from @Dermot
The proposal is we accept the machine, test it out, re-flash the firmware and experiment with it – and if it’s not for us we pass it to another space as an improved machine.
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This is a really interesting discussion and a credit to everyone in the way its been debated. It’s nice to be part of Space where it happens the way it has.
There are eloquent, valid, and reasonable supporting cases made for all three options
- Keeping it long term with upgrades
- Keeping it short term and then passing on to another group with upgrades, (either until CNC arrives, or sooner, TBC)
- Introducing another group to the donor who can take it (perhaps upgrading it for them, or helping them do so).
The answer depends on how you base one’s thinking.
If one bases it on addressing (I assume) a strong and growing demand for laser use, a second unit, albeit inferior model, addresses the issue.
If one bases it on the the Makerspace culture, movement and philosophy and SLMS 's place in it, and contribution to it, it follows to gift it. Making “Goodwill” is the highest form of making : )
We are blessed with an amazing unit from Trotec. SLMS is in it for the long run, we have many years ahead of us, here, or elsewhere, other opportunities to home other laser units will come our way.
As Trotec gifted us, we can gift another group.
It’s wise to nurture our relationship with Trotec, solutions, processes, ways of how we can do that is a seperate topic, but one we should put our minds to and start.
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It grew from a conversation in the space, rather than my suggestion. But I thought the approach made a lot of sense.
I wasn’t at the meeting last night, so don’t know how this vote was arrived at.
If this vote is also in the 50:50 range then we can call it as ‘we really don’t know’…and take another approach.
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On a general note…relating to all equipment…when we discuss usage, unfair usage, heavy usage, etc …we’re all, me included, are doing so from a subjective position,…observational, anecdotal…its a perfectly valid means of data gathering, but susceptible to skewing if taken in isolation.
Once Tool Control is up and running we will have clear, stark data that identifies under/over usage, bottlenecks periods…we’ll be better equipped to come up with solutions for accessing kit in a fair way.
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In order to be fair to both sides I mirrored the question to what the @directors asked us last night.
In my view the question asked last night has been somewhat confused, no one was strongly against the laser cutter in principal, but the space it would require.
The question we’re effectively being asked here is if we would rather have a second laser cutter, water cooler and computer, or a CNC machine, because the second laser cutter would end up in the only space left which is where the CNC is due to be put.
If we added a third option it would unfairly balance the question against you because the vote for keeping it would be split between “keep it” and “experiment with it then keep it”, so my suggestion is you vote “keep it” understanding that we won’t have much if any space for a CNC machine.
“The question we’re effectively being asked here is if we would rather have a second laser cutter, water cooler and computer, or a CNC machine,”
That isn’t the question the poll asks, please don’t present it as such unless you make a new poll, which clearly states those as the options.
Thank you
As I read it, Tom is giving his opinion on what the consequences of taking on this machine will be: it requires peripheral equipment, and will seemingly cost the opportunity of having a CNC. I don’t think he has to create a poll before giving his opinion.
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Yeah, exactly. There is currently no unallocated space in the messy room.
Peripheral equipment, as I understand it, is a bucket/tank of water for the cooling pump to sit in,
We’d also need to build a second extractor. (assuming the main extract fan can cope with the output of two cutters)
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Denford Microrouter sounds interesting - any more details? Did a brief google, and it looks exciting - what size is the bed/what model is it/any pics/any mods?
We could use it as a capable machine for small jobs and it looks like it’s enclosed…
Another opinion: this wouldn’t displace the CNC, hard to see that as an acceptable trade. But it may well displace sorely needed bench space in the messy room in the space between the woodshop doors and the Trotec – though we could get inventive, of course…
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A thought - if the laser cutter’s only 30cm tall - could it not sit in the bottom of the laser material storage tower, with CNC above it/or vice versa?