{"55027":{"#nid":"55027","#data":{"type":"news","title":"GTRI Machine Shop Moving to New Location","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOn March 25, the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gtri.gatech.edu\/atlanta\/machine\u0022\u003EMachine Shop\u003C\/a\u003E, located in the Hinman Building since its inception, will close down for an intense three or four days of moving the heavy machinery across campus to its new location. \u003C\/p\u003E\n                        \u003Cp\u003EThe shop was established in 1939 as part of the Engineering Experiment Station, the original incarnation of GTRI. \u201cWe\u2019ve given support not only to the state, but to the military across the board,\u201d shop manager Dennis Brown said. \u201cI\u2019ve been in this building for over 31 years. It will be strange to move out of this area into another location. I\u2019ll definitely take some pictures before I go.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\n                        \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.space.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECapital Planning and Space Management\u003C\/a\u003E is renovating the Hinman Building to house design studios for the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.coa.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECollege of Architecture\u003C\/a\u003E.\nThe new location will be at 676 Marietta St. While not centrally located on campus, Brown says the new location will allow better access for materials delivery. The shop reopens April 9.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOpen from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the shop supports more than just GTRI. According to Brown, only half of the shop\u2019s workload is attributed to GTRI. \u201cThe other half is from Georgia Tech and other universities, including Emory [University], Georgia State [University], the University of Georgia and even Wake Forest [University]. We also support Georgia Tech-Savannah, and NOAA [the National Oceanic and\nAtmospheric Administration].\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\n                        \u003Cp\u003EIn past years, the shop has constructed a large aircraft radar array for the Sierra Project, as well as satellite parts for the Department of Defense. Perhaps the tallest order was a wind tunnel constructed for Eglin Air Force Base nearly three years ago. \u201cIt was nearly as tall as the [three-story] ceiling, and we used 40-foot I-beams to build it,\u201d he said. \u201cThe whole frame had to be accurate down to an eighth of a an inch. It took three semi trucks to haul it out in several pieces.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\n                        \u003Cp\u003EIn support of Georgia Tech, the shop works with faculty and students, often helping move ideas from sketches into a fully realized physical object. \u201cIn a year, we\u2019ll maybe work with 300 projects [brought to us] by students and professors,\u201d Brown said. He said the shop supports Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, as well as Biomedical Engineering and the College of Sciences. \u003C\/p\u003E\n                        \u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s always rewarding, Brown says, when students or researchers come back and let him know that something fabricated in the shop helped bring in more research grants to the university or to GTRI. \u201cIf we help boost research, then we\u2019ve done our jobs.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\n                        \u003Cp\u003EWith about 10,000 square feet in Hinman, the shop will move into a space of about 7,000 square feet. A 10-ton crane bought used from a steel mill in 1946 will not be making the move. But, Brown says, the crane may be incorporated in the renovation, possibly to support a walkway to connect two interior mezzanine sides of the building. The new location has a five-ton crane, and one very important amenity: conditioned air. \u003C\/p\u003E\n                        \u003Cp\u003EThe three-story bay in the Hinman Building has no air conditioning, which makes more of a difference than just comfort, as it can affect object construction. \u201cIt\u2019s not only uncomfortable, but those really hot days require additional calculations so a piece built in 100-degree heat will fit into the tolerances required in a 70-degree room,\u201d Brown said.\u003C\/p\u003E\n                        \u003Cp\u003EWhen Brown started in 1978, the shop had 22 employees in it. With improved\nefficiency, including computer-aided design and programmable machines, the shop employs five people. \u201cWe pride ourselves on our speed,\u201d he said. \u201cSome of the smaller jobs we can turn around and have it ready after lunch after people drop them off.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n                        \u003Cp\u003EMuch of this efficiency and speed is attributable to the electrical discharge machines. Through the use of an electrified brass wire or a brass electrode, the machines can cut metal to an extremely fine tolerance of .0002 inches. \u201cWe have the only four-axis machine on campus,\u201d he said. \u003C\/p\u003E\n                        \u003Cp\u003EAnother, the water jet machine, is only about three years old. As the name implies, the machine uses high-pressured water jets to make extremely fine cuts into metal\u2014some less than a millimeter wide. Many of the older milling and lathing machines have been upgraded to use computer\nnumerical control (CNC). \u003C\/p\u003E\n                        \u003Cp\u003EA cost center, the shop charges an hourly rate for its work, both a labor rate and machine rate. In some cases, the CNC machines can work without anyone in the office. \u201cIf we have a project that needs eight hours in the machine, we can program it, put the material in and let it run overnight,\u201d Brown said. \u201cThat way we can save clients some money by charging only the machine rate for that time.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\n                        \u003Cp\u003EMoving operations begin March 22, which Brown says will allow the shop to provide limited support through March 24. From April 8 to 16, the shop will be able to provide limited support at the Marietta Street location. \u003C\/p\u003E\n                        \u003Cp\u003ETo initiate jobs, contact Jimmy Ross at 770-528-7008 or by e-mail at \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jimmy.ross@gtri.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejimmy.ross@gtri.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Machine shop moves out of historic location"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGTRI Machine Shop moving out of historic location to Marietta Street\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"GTRI Machine Shop moving out of historic location to Marietta Street"}],"uid":"27191","created_gmt":"2010-03-22 09:09:13","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:05:45","author":"Robert Nesmith","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2010-03-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2010-03-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"55028":{"id":"55028","type":"image","title":"GTRI Machine Shop 1","body":null,"created":"1449175490","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:44:50","changed":"1475894486","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:41:26","alt":"GTRI Machine Shop 1","file":{"fid":"190200","name":"Shop-002.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Shop-002.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Shop-002.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3297156,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Shop-002.jpg?itok=v4Gu0SiU"}},"55029":{"id":"55029","type":"image","title":"Georgia Tech Machine Shop 2","body":null,"created":"1449175490","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:44:50","changed":"1475894483","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:41:23","alt":"Georgia Tech Machine Shop 2","file":{"fid":"190190","name":"Shop-003.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Shop-003.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Shop-003.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2468222,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Shop-003.jpg?itok=hCDu0ldt"}}},"media_ids":["55028","55029"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.gtri.gatech.edu\/facilities\/machine","title":"Georgia Tech Research Institute Machine Services Department"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"415","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"},{"id":"8982","name":"Machine Services"},{"id":"8981","name":"Machine Shop"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJimmy Ross\u003C\/strong\u003E, GTRI Machine Services\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E770-528-7008\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}