New Member Orientation
Pikes Peak Makerspace (PPM) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
- We are a membership composed of Builders, Tinkerers, Engineers, Artists, Entrepreneurs, Designers, and Educators all mashed up and revolutionizing creativity in the Pikes Peak Region.
- We provide a facility with space and equipment for people to create physical items for fun and for education. PPM also is a place to gather interested people for all manner of classes and instruction.
- We are tapped into and support the Colorado Springs startup community.
- We are physically located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.
Contact Us if you cannot find your answer here on our Wiki or if you notice any information that is outdated.
Member Code of Conduct
1. Make things, not rules. Don’t be the reason we have to make a rule.
2. Thoroughly Safe. Always use proper PPE and keep the environment clean. Do not use equipment you are not trained on or comfortable operating. Inspect tools for damage before use, and never be in a rush when making.
3. Leave it better. After putting away tool and required cleanup tasks, spend 5 minutes improving the space before you go.
4. See something, say something. Always speak up if you see a tool being misused or someone endangering themselves/others. Report all equipment issues using red tags, Slack, Area Captains, and/or our Executive Director.
5. Kind Human. Never miss an opportunity to be kind. Unique life experiences and points of view fuel innovation and creates an atmosphere where all Makers feel welcome and included.
If you agree to live up to these expectations, welcome to the family!
Report issues concerning Member's conduct to the PPM Board: Anonymous Feedback & Incident Report Form
Safety First
Members must know the following information:
- In case of emergency, call 911.
- Our physical location is:
- 735 East Pikes Peak Avenue
- Colorado Springs, CO 80903
- use this when ordering pizza or an ambulance
IN CASE OF
EMERGENCY
sign
PPM Fire Escape Plan
- Fire Escape Plan maps are posted throughout the Makerspace.
- There are 7 fire extinguishers on the fire escape plan map. Review the PPM Fire Escape Plan for locations.
PPM Emergency
Evacuation Plan.pdf
PPM Fire
Prevention Plan.pdf
PPM Fire Escape
Plan
First Aid
- There is a FIRST AID Supply Cabinet in our Kitchen Area.
- FIRST AID Kits are available in four areas: the Kitchen, Metal Shop, Wood Shop and CNC Room.
FIRST AID
Supply Cabinet
FIRST AID
Kit
Eye Wash Stations
- Emergency Eye & Face Wash Stations are mounted in four areas: the Kitchen, Wood Shop, CNC Room and Vented Room.
Emergency
Eye & Face Wash
Station
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Wear protective equipment in all Wood and Metal Shop Areas.
- Wear gloves when using Isopropyl Alcohol and other cleaners.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Hazardous Chemicals
- All hazardous chemicals must be stored in the yellow hazardous chemical storage cabinet located in the Vented Room.
- Review the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) information of unknown products before use.
- SDS information is available via the QR code on the hazardous chemical storage cabinet or this spreadsheet.
- Do not bring dangerous chemicals to the makerspace.
- Spray paint, stains, and other approved items must be stored in the hazardous chemical storage cabinet in the Vented Room.
- Please DO NOT paint indoors.
Flammables Cabinet
in the Vented Room
Impairment
- The use of PPM equipment requires you to be alert, attentive, and focused.
- Do not use any PPM work area, or any PPM tools, if you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.Covid-19 notice
Managing your Membership
• Join It is used to manage your membership. Before completing New Member Orientation, you must have signed up in Join It to begin your recurring payments. During this step, you will also sign our liability waiver and membership agreement.
• Any guests entering the space must sign the liability waiver
• NOTE: In addition to Join It, the following software is used to facilitate your membership:
• Slack is the official communication solution for the makerspace. Check your membership confirmation email for a link to join the workspace! If you need help getting started with Slack, let us know!
• Slack is organized by #channel-topics (#general, #woodshop, #laser-cutters, and #job-board are a few examples of channels)
• Important documents can often be found in Slack channels under "pinned" files (Software license info and video training info are some items that might be pinned for an area)
• Stripe collects the recurring payments set up in Join It.
• PayPal - Donations and reimbursement for consumables, payment for classes on Meetup. You do not have to have a PayPal account to send a credit credit payment.
• Meetup - Used to schedule classes and collect payments for tickets (via PayPal).
Member Benefits
PPM members enjoy discounts at the following local merchants:
(walk in, show proof of membership)
| Company | Website | Benefit | Directions to |
 |
Woodcraft of Colorado Springs | 10% discount | 4438 Austin Bluffs Parkway |
 |
CO Lumber Specialties | 10% discount | 3636 Stone Avenue |
 |
GENERAL AIR | 10% discount | 3031 N Nevada Ave. |
 |
ACE Hardware Uintah Gardens | 10% discount | 1830 W Uintah Street |
- Map of stores that provide PPM member discounts
- Map of helpful local resources curated by our makers
- Additionally, we have a Slack channel (#job-board) for members to post, discuss, or accept job opportunities either within PPM or from the community.
Parking at PPM
- Parking at PPM is free for members, guests, and visitors alike. Park on the north and south sides of the building.
- Additional free off-street parking during special events will often be available in the empty lot west of the building.
- There is no reserved parking. As a courtesy, you might leave close-in spots available for guests or visitors.
- People who do park close-in may be asked to move their vehicles if they are blocking our (2) large overhead doors or our small doors when somebody has stuff to unload.
- Be aware of delivery vehicles (like Amazon, FedEx, UPS, or USPS) in our lots.
- Do not block the alleyway in the back (southeast of the building), the lanes along the sides of our building, or the dumpster(s).
- There is no exterior EV charging available at this time. Electric bicycles are welcome, can be brought into the building, and can be recharged inside.
- Respect the parking spaces for our immediate neighbor to the east, PikeRide.
- Snow removal for the parking lots is the responsibility of the property owner. If there are any issues contact our Executive Director (Cap'n Mat) on Slack, who will contact the property owner.
Physical Space Safety
Fire extinguishers, first aid kits, eye washes stations, and exit doors should always be accessible. Please do not place any objects that could obstruct direct access to these safety features!
Front Door Security
Use the peep hole!
Do not answer the door unless you are confident the visitor is appropriate or you are capable of handling them. People come to the door to ask for money, use your cellphone, or sell you something. Be aware that you are responsible for your safety and the security of the building when you open the door.
Packages and Mail
FedEx, UPS, Amazon, USPS,... they all use the doorbell to deliver packages. So if you hear the doorbell, please check the peephole and answer it if you are comfortable.
It is fine to have your supply packages delivered to the Makerspace. Have your name added to the address label and look for it near the front door. Don't leave packages or mail around for long.
Reporting Injuries
• Report any injuries, or near misses, to the Executive Director using an incidence report which can be found on the Safety Board.
Red Tags
• Use a Red Tag, which can be found in the red tag area, to designate the broken equipment.
• Additionally, report the issue in our Slack channel #red-tags-issues
Using the Space
If I have a question...
As a new member, you'll be learning the ropes and there is a lot to know! There is not always someone available to help, but the answer you seek is probably detailed in the resources our volunteers (members) have created just for you.
This is the preferred sequence of seeking answers and information.
- Search our Wiki (If your answer is not here on the Wiki, please let us know!)
- Ask members and Area Captains on Slack
- Use our "Contact Us" form on the PPM website
- Ask a Director
Equipment Access
Equipment at PPM is categorized into the following 3 levels:
- Level 1 - No training required
- Level 2 - Training and/or equipment *buy-in* required
- Level 3 - Required to be certified under supervision of a PPM Captain, or by taking a certification course listed on Meetup
Before using the wood shop, metal shop, 3D printers, lasers, or other PPM owned equipment, you must certify by taking a certification course listed on Meetup.
If you have previous experience with specific equipment, you can be certified by an area leader but we ask that you still "buy-in" (pay for the course) to the equipment to support the upkeep of the machines (saw sharpening, laser lens, and printer supplies are some ongoing expenses at PPM, for example).
Cleaning Up
- If the trash can is more than 3/4 full, take it out! Don't play Jenga with garbage. If you are the first one to see it getting full, you are the one responsible for emptying it.
- Trash bags can be found in the bathrooms.
- The garbage dumpster is located outside the South door.
- Recycling is collected in 96 gallon totes (2 of them) and are picked up every two weeks.
- Always label your project and make sure it is not in the way of other members.
Scrap and Trash
- Trash day is MONDAY
- Recycling day is MONDAY (96 gallon tote)
- Single Stream Recycling provided by Waste Connections. Paper, cardboard, cans, glass, and one time use plastics.
- Empty recycling and trash into our dumpster at the back (south side) of the building.
- Always leave the space better than you found it.
Paying for Consumables
Things like woodglue, 3D print filament, blue tape, sheet stock for the lasers, etc are not free. Use the QR (PayPal) codes throughout the space, this link www.bit.ly/ppmstuff , or a cash box with a note about what you used paperclipped to the cash.
Guest Policy
Guest Permissions and Liability Waiver
As a member, you signed our liability waiver when you created your membership. If you would like to review the waiver, visit www.bit.ly/ppmwaiver
Anyone visiting the space for any reason other than a basic tour must sign the liability waiver at www.bit.ly/ppmwaiver
- This is important for all the below reasons:
- It communicates that all guests are responsible for their own safety
- It makes guests consider the "no lifeguard on duty/ swim at your own risk" aspect of the place they are entering
- It gives us (the member signing them in) an opportunity to talk about safety with the guests
Guests may not operate equipment owned by Pikes Peak Makerspace.
Guests must be over 18 years old to sign the liability waiver.
Frequent guests are encouraged to get a membership.
Member Storage
It is ideal that you to use the space to build amazing things, no matter the size! However, it is a problem when project builds occupy valuable space in a way that prevents others from using the space. We are not a storage facility.
Therefore, please observe the following practices in regards to storing your project and tools.
- If leaving your project overnight or for multiple nights, make sure it is occupying as little space as possible and that is easy for other members to work around!
- Label your project in process with your name, expected "return to work" date, and phone number or contact information!
- Do not, under any circumstances, leave items untouched for more than 30 days. Anything that you leave here must be picked up and used at minimum once per month or it does not belong here!
- Keep your items organized and easy to move.
- Overflowing totes are not OK!
Dedicated Spaces
Dedicated Spaces are private work areas and should not be entered without permission.
Computers and Personal Devices
The computer login information and Wi-Fi network credentials can be found on white boards in the space. [On the right of the FIRST AID Supply Cabinet]
Login Password: [Written on white board just to the right of the FIRST AID Supply Cabinet]
PPM Computer Rules
- Computers are for professional use only (no cruising Facebook/pointless browsing, for example).
- Members are not given personal logins or passwords; backup work on an external storage device.
- Do not leave any messes in any workspace (anything without a name can be tossed or relocated to lost and found).
The s:/ drive is a shared network drive available on all PPM computers. All you need to do to enjoy it is create a folder for yourself in the drive!
This shared drive is visible to all members. If you need security, do not use this drive.
- Files might be removed automatically after 2 months,
- Do not store files in the main folder directory, and
- Keep your own backup! We are not responsible if your data becomes lost or corrupted in any way!
Last One Out Rules
After you have cleaned up and you are ready to head out, check to see if you are the only one in the building.
If so, you are required to check each of the following.
(There is a sign posted on both the front and back door for quick reference.)
- • All appropriate equipment is powered off
- • Shed Door (in South parking lot) is closed and locked
- • South Door is closed and locked
- • South Overhead Door is closed and locked (BOTH SIDES!)
- • Exhaust Fan and Chiller for laser cutters is off (Switch column between laser machines)
- • Dust Collection is turned off (CNC Room, Sanding Station, Table Saw). If you can't find the switch, unplug motor.
- • East Door closed and locked (Orange tape should be aligned)
- • Lights in Woodshop off (Switch located outside of Woodshop doors, right side)
- • North Overhead Door is closed and locked (BOTH SIDES!)
- • All Appropriate Lights are turned off (There is a bank of switches by the front door)
- • Verify the door locks behind you!
For Additional Help
Search the PPM Wiki — include Content pages as well as Multimedia.
Contact Us if you cannot find your answer here on our Wiki or if you notice any information that is outdated.
Pikes Peak Makerspace (PPM) is dedicated to supporting our maker community in their creative processes by providing shared space, shared tools, materials, software, and a knowledge base to turn their ideas into reality.