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| Designing a new or renovating an existing glassblowing facility can be a rewarding and satisfying experience or a frustrating and intimating process . The design thought processes outlined here may help you in your quest for a modern, efficient and functional glass shop. Detailed and organized information on your facility and operations, communicated to your building committee representative or architect, will help you and the architect produce the best plan for your needs. |
| The Glass Shop
Location ..Who does it serve? A simple enough question perhaps, but one in which the answer may influence the shop location within the building. If your customer base is primarily from one source (the building you reside in) access by customers from outside the building may not be of concern. You may find yourself located off the main or high traffic areas because your customer base is relatively stable and from the same location. They will know where you are. A location that has higher visibility and easy access will be beneficial if your customer base covers a campus or large geographical area. Other factors in your shop location will be availability of facility services required by your operation, compatibility with surrounding laboratories and offices, and priority assignment within the organization you work for.
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| Glass Shop Zones
Zone Function.....One
of the most important steps in planning a new shop is understanding what
you do, how you do it and where you do it. Dividing the glass shop into
functional areas, zones, is the first step in the process of creating an
efficient and safe work area. It also is an opportunity to review the interaction
between zone functions.
Zone Requirements.....Once
the zone areas have been identified, you will need to document the services
required for each zone. Electrical requirements, gases, communications,
HVAC, and other facility provided services need to be identified.
Zone Placement .....The
number of zones and their functions have been identified. The layout of
these zones will determine how efficient and functional your facility will
be. Be sure adjacent zones complement each other.
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| Existing / New Equipment List
Documentation of all equipment
requirements is often the single most forgotten item to be forwarded to
the architects, and therefore the single most frustrating step of the move-in
process. It is hard to plug in a 220V annealing oven when the blueprints
call for a 110V outlet, the lathe really measures 7 feet in length,
not 6 1/2 feet like you thought, or the cut-off saw does not have cold
water or a drain within 20 feet of its location. Be sure to allow for adequate
work and service space around your equipment. Create
an equipment data list that includes all services needed to run and use
the equipment. This list should include at a minimum:
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| Floor Plan
Room size and configuration, new/existing equipment dimensions, work surface, storage cabinet styles and dimensions, service requirements, zone functions and interaction within the room have been determined. You now have the information necessary to put your shop together. A successful floor plan allows safe and efficient use of space, movement and function within the space allocated to your facility. The typical planning process would:
When at all possible try to envision multi-use functions
for every piece of furniture and space. Storage cabinet placement can function
as barriers or dividers to keep customers away from potentially dangerous
zones or to guide them to a consulting area. Work surfaces function as
staging areas for incoming, outgoing or glasswork processing. The
dead space between banks of back to back cabinets offers additional storage
space for those odd shaped items that do not fit easily in drawers or cupboards.
Utilize vertical and horizontal space. Details are important
at this stage. Locations of all services, furniture and equipment
orientation should be specified.
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Service Area - East Carolina University Campus, Medical
School,
University of North Carolina System and Eastern
North Carolina
Proposed ECU Science
and Technology Building
Scheduled Completion
Late Spring 2003
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| Zone 1. Administrative/Customer Service |
| Glassblowing business administration and customer interaction
area. Zone to be located at entrance to glassblowing shop. For customer
safety, storage cabinets, desk/work station and furniture to be arranged
in a manner to block easy access to Hot Zone. Provide an area for
customer work pick-up. Visibility from Customer Service to Hot Zone and
Student Bench area to be open (one-person shop) for communication and safety.
Requirements: Desk, communication center (telephone, computer, data connections) storage, file drawer(s), book case. electric (110V), emergency gas shut-off valves. |
| Zone 2. Hot Zone |
| Area where the hot working or forming of glass takes
place. Work surfaces will be exposed to gas/hydrogen oxygen flames and
hot glass. Storage areas for glass working tools and related equipment.
Annealing oven, glassblowers work bench area
and lathe will be located in this zone. Visibility from Hot Zone to Customer
Service and Student Bench area to be open (one-person shop) for communication
and safety.
Requirements: Hydrogen, propane or natural gas (at
least 5 psi) , oxygen, compressed air or nitrogen. Fuel gas and oxygen
delivery lines to be at least 1/2 inch ID (preferably larger) with
high flow regulators and valves. House vacuum if available.
Glassblowers workbench to consist of standing height cabinet units with smooth, flat work surfaces and background, flat black in color. Layout of lathe, glassblowers bench and annealing oven to allow easy access to and interaction between equipment. |
| Zone 3. Water Works |
| Location of all glass working equipment utilizing water.
Includes cut-off saw, belt sander, lapping wheel, drill press and special
glass washing sink. Area may be considered a "dirty" area because of water
spray, abrasive compounds used during processing, and some chemical processes
using solvents and acids (including Hydrofluoric Acid).
Requirements: Hot and cold water, distilled or deionized water, drains, safety shower/eyewash station, compressed air, house vacuum. Storage of acids and solvents. Secondary containment where necessary. Acid and solvent resistant work surfaces. Exhaust canopy/hood over sink area. 110V Electric Service
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| Zone 4. Storage |
| Bulky storage will accommodate
boxes of glass tubing of various height and width dimensions, but with
a fairly consistent depth of four to five feet.
Requirements: Open rack style platform. Approximate floor space to be 10 feet in width x five foot depth x eight feet high. Unit to have shelves spaced at 16 inches apart. Other storage will be spread throughout the facility. Cabinet design and configuration to be placed for optimum multi-purpose use. All floor cabinets to be standing height with standard laboratory work surfaces except where noted on specification sheet. 110V Electric Service |
| Zone 5. Student Benches |
| Four (4) student glassblowing
benches will be located here.
Area where the hot working or forming of glass takes place. Work surfaces will be exposed to gas/oxygen flames and hot glass. Storage areas for glass working tools and related equipment. Visibility from Student Bench to Customer Service and Hot Zone area to be open (one-person shop) for communication and safety. Requirements: Propane or natural gas (at least 5 psi) , oxygen, compressed air or nitrogen. Fuel gas and oxygen delivery lines to be at least 1/2 inch ID with high flow regulators and valves. Electricity - 110V. Exhaust canopy* (controlled by switch) over benches. Glassblowers workbench to consist of standing height cabinet units with smooth, flat work surfaces and background, flat black in color. |
* Exhaust Canopy Note: In many situations a properly balanced air handling
system with an appropriate amount of
room air changes as determined by law and/or your facility EH&S
and HVAC experts will be more than adequate.
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Scientific Glassblowing Basics |
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| Compressed Gas Association
OSU Environmental Health and Safety Compressed Gas links OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) |
All external links are for informational purposes - not endorsements.
