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See GRIT control machine access and automatic dust collection at Champaign Central High School Watch the story →

Workshop safety and automation

Automate dust collection. Control equipment access. Run your shop.

GRIT connects the equipment you already own. Automatic blast gates open when a tool starts, dust collectors respond to demand, trained users get machine access, and operating conditions are recorded locally.

Start with
One machine
Run
On site
Required cloud
None

LOCAL AUTOMATION

Tool on. Gate open. Collector running.

Response complete

400+ installations across schools, makerspaces, and manufacturing facilities

Pella Marvin Arclin Shoei EnterpriseWorks Lehigh University Missouri University of Science and Technology University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Colorado School of Mines Stevens Institute of Technology University of Arizona University of Tennessee Knoxville Otterbein University University of Wisconsin-Platteville Southwestern Illinois College Make Nashville

Seven Solutions · one local platform

Systems that work together.

Start with the problem that costs you the most time or creates the most risk. The same local platform connects your tools, records runtime, and supports preventive maintenance across every Solution.

GRIT automated blast gate being calibrated from the GRIT control interface01

Dust Management

Collect dust only where work is happening.

Open automated blast gates, start or stage existing dust collectors, and verify that the system responded when a tool turns on.

Blast gates · Collector control · Filter and bin monitoringExplore Dust Management
Operator presenting a GRIT credential at a panel saw02

Access Control

Put training rules at the machine.

Use RFiD credentials, local permissions, and presence rules to decide who can power on each machine and when.

Machine authorization · Training records · Local lockoutExplore Access Control
GRIT SignOn kiosk and credential reader installed in a workshop03

Time & Access

Turn credentials into clean operating records.

Record attendance, job time, and room access with the same badge people already carry, without a separate clock at every station.

Attendance · Job time · Room accessExplore Time & Access
A shared power tool being checked out through GRIT Asset Tracker04

Asset Management

Know who has it, where it is, and what it needs.

Keep custody, location, documents, service history, and checkout activity together for shared tools and equipment.

Checkout · Service history · Documents and custodyExplore Asset Management
Building-scale industrial baghouse and central dust-collection system beside a manufacturing facility05

Energy Management

Match energy use to actual demand.

Measure machine demand, stop avoidable idle loads, and match collection power to the work happening across the shop now.

Demand sensing · Idle-load control · Runtime dataExplore Energy Management
GRIT Air Quality sensor being connected in a working dust collection shop06

Environmental Monitoring

Turn changing shop conditions into a response.

Watch particulate, pressure, temperature, and humidity, then activate filtration or notify the right people when thresholds are crossed.

Air quality · Pressure · Temperature and humidityExplore Environmental Monitoring
Operator working at a GRIT-connected saw with another person present in the shop07

Machine Supervision

Verify that an operator is present while a machine runs.

Pair authorization with active presence and machine-state signals so lasers, CNC equipment, and other supervised tools can respond when an operator steps away.

Presence sensing · Machine state · Local responseExplore Machine Supervision

Real school · real installation

A safer shop at the school where GRIT started.

GRIT donated a $41,000 workshop safety system to Champaign Central High School. It controls trained-user access, runs dust collection automatically, watches air quality, and records maintenance activity.

WAND News visits the GRIT installation at Champaign Central High School2:02

WAND News

Central High improves workshop safety

See the installation operating in the school’s wood and automotive shops.

Follow the complete project

The Central High case study documents the system, the school’s experience, the Community Impact Award, and the public coverage.

Read the Central High case study →

Original coverage: WAND News and CU Schools Foundation.

Retrofit, not rip-and-replace

Keep what works. Add the intelligence.

GRIT connects to the equipment and infrastructure already in your shop. Start with one practical workflow, prove it, and expand on the same local foundation.

That is what GRIT is built to do. We add sensing, control, and the local GRIT Hub around machines and infrastructure that are already doing their jobs. Unusual electrical or mechanical interfaces may require a site review, but replacement is not the starting assumption.
First, identify the machines, people, conditions, and operating rules that matter. Then add the Hub and controls for the first workflow without replacing working equipment. Once that workflow is proven, add more tools, spaces, or capabilities when they are useful.
Yes. GRIT Gate Control bolts onto standard metal blast gates, with size options for common ductwork and a dedicated iVac retrofit. Your gates, ductwork, and dust collector stay in place.
No. The GRIT Hub makes decisions and stores operating data locally. Optional remote access is available, but the system continues operating without the internet.
A user presents a credential at the machine. The Hub checks that person’s local permissions and training record. Authorized users receive power; everyone else leaves the tool off.
Yes. Start with one machine, one collector, or one access point. Add connected tools, spaces, and capabilities later without replacing the original system.

Get started

Ready to automate your workshop?

Tell us what needs to happen automatically. We’ll map the first practical workflow and an expansion path.

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