<div dir="ltr"><div>All,<br></div><div>I don't want to discourage this conversation but will state what I suspect many are thinking.</div><div>Our facilities are seldom able to follow guidelines or lifetime expectancy models. <br></div><div>We keep these tools running as long as we can, then we rebuild them.<br></div><div>Or we offer them to our colleagues on the network, who usually snap them up regardless of age.</div><div>I look forward to making our own equipment age pie chart, but I don't commit to sharing it.</div><div><br></div><div>I'll end with anecdote - we have a bell jar thermal evaporator with a 1962 property sticker on it.</div><div>The diffusion pump was replaced with a good new cryo (several times), the power supply upgraded to a digital controller, <br></div><div>a new QCM installed, foreline has been rebuilt many times. It's a workhorse and is used several times a week.</div><div>When we celebrated the tool's 50th birthday in 2012, I asked the retired Dean to say a few words and he told us, <br></div><div>"Well the first thing I can tell you about that tool is, We bought it used!"</div><div><br></div><div>Regards to all,</div><div>Bill Flounders</div><div>UC Berkeley<br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Fri, Aug 19, 2022 at 9:24 AM Joseph Losby <<a href="mailto:joseph.losby@ucalgary.ca">joseph.losby@ucalgary.ca</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div class="msg4450983253292545899">
<div dir="ltr">
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
Hi Bryant, this is very helpful, especially to those like me starting out in the field. In my opinion, it would be quite informative to get expected lifetimes of specific tools (perhaps even including models) as well. How long does a plasma etcher, or electron
beam lithography tool, generally last (for example)? </div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<br>
</div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
Cheers,</div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
Joe<br>
</div>
<div id="gmail-m_-3820422362468016657appendonsend"></div>
<hr style="display:inline-block;width:98%">
<div id="gmail-m_-3820422362468016657divRplyFwdMsg" dir="ltr"><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Calibri, sans-serif" color="#000000"><b>From:</b> labnetwork <<a href="mailto:labnetwork-bounces@mtl.mit.edu" target="_blank">labnetwork-bounces@mtl.mit.edu</a>> on behalf of Colwill, Bryant C. <<a href="mailto:colwib2@rpi.edu" target="_blank">colwib2@rpi.edu</a>><br>
<b>Sent:</b> August 15, 2022 9:00 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:labnetwork@mtl.mit.edu" target="_blank">labnetwork@mtl.mit.edu</a> <<a href="mailto:labnetwork@mtl.mit.edu" target="_blank">labnetwork@mtl.mit.edu</a>><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [labnetwork] Equipment Expected Lifetime</font>
<div> </div>
</div>
<div>
<table style="margin-bottom:10px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="color:rgb(255,0,0)">[△EXTERNAL]</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br>
<br>
<div>Hello All,<br>
<br>
Long time stalker, first time talker.<br>
As the title suggests, I'd like to hear some collective thoughts and experiences on expected equipment lifetimes.<br>
Obviously very dependent on what it is, what it does, who made it, who uses it, etc., etc. but in a very general sense when is the average piece of equipment (if there is such a thing) on borrowed time? I'm sure we all have some decades old machines and that
replacing them solely for modernization's sake would be considered financial malfeasance. However, under a more manufacturing mindset a strategy for planned obsolescence is not a bad idea.<br>
<br>
To hopefully facilitate some replies/debate/conversation, here's my two cents:<br>
<br>
Metrology Equipment --> 5-10 years<br>
Processing Equipment --> 12-17 years<br>
<br>
Also took a quick age survey of our ~50 pieces of equipment and found the following distribution:<br>
<br>
<img alt="" src="cid:182b7cd73642faf1c1c1" width="310" height="195"><br>
<br>
If the pie chart graphic isn't visible: 0 tools < 5years, 15 tools between 5 and 10 years, 17 tools between 5 and 10 years, 18 tools < 20 years<br>
<br>
Be well,<br>
Bryant<br>
<br>
<span style="color:rgb(136,136,136)">Bryant Colwill <br>
RPI Cleanroom General Manager<br>
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute <br>
110 8th Street, CII 6015 <br>
Troy, NY 12180 <br>
Ph: <a href="tel:518-276-3946" target="_blank">518-276-3946</a> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
_______________________________________________<br>
labnetwork mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:labnetwork@mtl.mit.edu" target="_blank">labnetwork@mtl.mit.edu</a><br>
<a href="https://mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork</a><br>
</div></blockquote></div>