Building Facilities and Tools Ranked in order of complexity of equipment/items produced

1. Honda Transmission Plant

2. NASA Dryden Machine Shop

3. Rapid Prototyping Facility

4. Engineering Services Machine Shop

5. FAME Lab

6. Learning Factory

7. FAB lab

8. Home Ec./Shop classroom

9. Garage Workshop

10. Prehistoric tools

1. Honda Transmission Plant, Ohio

The Honda Transmission Plant is ranked number 1 on the list based off of complexity. The transmission systems are one of the most complex units in a car and as a result, also the most costly. The plant mass manufactures automotive parts for Honda transmissions, 4-wheel drive systems and gear sets. Its capabilities range from high pressure dies casting, aluminum machining, gear forging, heat treating and transmission and differential assembly. All processes require high precision and accuracy for proper gear alignment when the finished product is assembled. The capital investment for this plant was $400 million and the plant size is 733, 000 square feet.

Reference: http://www.ohio.honda.com/manufacturing/htm.cfm

2. NASA Dryden Machine Shop

The NASA Dryden machine shop is responsible for manufacturing smaller items for the spacecraft.. The things created here range from microswitch mechanisms to custom aircraft load-bearing members to jet engine mounts. The equipment includes bench grinders, computerized milling machines and lathes and EDM machines. Smaller means more detailed, which can lead to higher costs and a need for more skilled workers and high precision machine. Because of the high precision machining and capabilities, the cost is estimated at $50 million.

Reference: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/capabilities/CodeZ/facilities/machine_shop.html

3. Rapid Prototyping Facility

Rapid prototyping used CAD models to create protoypes, usually made out of polymer. These prototypes are used as conceptual models, molds or preproduction parts. The equipment ranges from stereolithography machines, laser-sintering machines, silicone RTV molders and cast polyurethane parts. The cost for this facility is estimated at $20 million.

4. Engineering Services Machine Shop at PSU

The equipment at Engineering Services may be similar to that of the NASA Dryden center; however, the facility is usually not required to produce parts under stringent controls as needed at the NASA plant. The facility also has less of a range of computerized equipment, making it cheaper. The shop produces parts requested from professors and researchers. The equipment includes mills, lathes, waterjet cutting, surface grinding, woodworking, sandblasting and welding. The estimated cost for this facility is $15 million.

Reference: http://www.engr.psu.edu/ess/

5. FAME Lab at PSU

Similar to the Engineering Services shop, the FAME lab offers a wide variety of machine tools; however, there is not as large of a selection. It supports the work for undergraduate and graduates primarily in the industrial engineering major, and sees a lot less volume than engineering services. The facility is also used for labs and is separated as such, including a metal casting area, welding area, manual machining area and technical area (12 CNC, 6 control simulators). The estimated cost for this facility is $10 million.

Reference: http://www.ie.psu.edu/facilities/instructionallabs/FAME.html

6. The Learning Factory at PSU

The next tier of facilities is the Learning Factory, which is primarily used by upper-level undergraduates for projects or the Formula SAE team. There is a smaller variety of machines, which include lathes, mills, drill press, belt sander/grinder and a welding area. There are also plenty of hand and power tools. The estimated cost for the Learning Factory is $5 million.

Reference: http://www.lf.psu.edu/Facilities/Equipment.html

7. FAB Lab, Kenya

The FAB Lab in Kenya is probably the closest facility in terms of goals that the Innovation Space could duplicate. It is used by community members to create small devices for individual personal needs. The equipment available is a small scale workshop that includes “tools to make almost anything”, such as hand tools and hand held power tools. The estimated cost of this facility is $30,000

Reference: http://www.fablab.co.ke/

8. Home Economics/ Shop Class

Home Economics and Shop is a required subject at many high schools in the United States. Students are required to build basic projects, usually out of wood, such as a bird house or tie rack. Since the projects are simple, the students work with hand held tools and some basic power tools. The cost of this facility would be around $2,000

Reference: Common knowledge

9. Personal Garage

The next tier includes the personal garage workshop that an average do-it-yourself homeowner would have. This includes basic hand tools for home improvement projects and power tools such as a drill or jigsaw. The cost of these tools would range from $400-$800

Reference: common knowledge

10. Pre Historic Tools

These tools were handmade used for hunting, cutting wood, digging and making more tools. The tools range from arrowheads, spears, bows, sledges, picks and shovels. Since the tools were handmade from materials in nature, there is no cost, except for a large time commitment.

Reference: http://archaeology.about.com/od/tooltypes/Prehistoric_Tools.htm