Toolrooms

A toolroom is a centralized facility in manufacturing that stores, maintains, issues, and tracks tools and gauges used in production. It may be part of a machine shop, a separate tool crib, or a maintenance department within a plant. Typical contents include cutting tools such as drills and end mills, inserts and indexable tooling, as well as measuring tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges, and related consumables. Tools are identified by part numbers or serials and often labeled with barcodes or RFID tags, stored in organized racks or drawers.

Key functions are inventory control, tool reconditioning and sharpening, and the maintenance of tool life data to guide replacement. Tool pre-setting and offset verification may be performed to reduce machine setup time, while tools are issued to operators and returned with usage data.

Operations cover procurement, receiving, inspection, cleaning, calibration, and secure storage in a controlled environment. Digital tool-management systems, integrated with enterprise resource planning or manufacturing execution systems, support tracking, usage history, and cost accounting.

A well-run toolroom minimizes downtime, improves part quality, and controls tooling costs, but requires skilled personnel and disciplined procedures.