[labnetwork] Equipment Expected Lifetime

[Albert William (Bill) Flounders]

All,
I don't want to discourage this conversation but will state what I suspect
many are thinking.
Our facilities are seldom able to follow guidelines or lifetime expectancy
models.
We keep these tools running as long as we can, then we rebuild them.
Or we offer them to our colleagues on the network, who usually snap them up
regardless of age.
I look forward to making our own equipment age pie chart, but I don't
commit to sharing it.

I'll end with anecdote - we have a bell jar thermal evaporator with a 1962
property sticker on it.
The diffusion pump was replaced with a good new cryo (several times), the
power supply upgraded to a digital controller,
a new QCM installed, foreline has been rebuilt many times. It's a workhorse
and is used several times a week.
When we celebrated the tool's 50th birthday in 2012, I asked the retired
Dean to say a few words and he told us,
"Well the first thing I can tell you about that tool is, We bought it used!"

Regards to all,
Bill Flounders
UC Berkeley

On Fri, Aug 19, 2022 at 9:24 AM Joseph Losby <joseph.losby at ucalgary.ca>
wrote:

> 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)?
>
> Cheers,
> Joe
> ------------------------------
> *From:* labnetwork <labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu> on behalf of Colwill,
> Bryant C. <colwib2 at rpi.edu>
> *Sent:* August 15, 2022 9:00 AM
> *To:* labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu <labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu>
> *Subject:* [labnetwork] Equipment Expected Lifetime
>
> [△EXTERNAL]
>
> Hello All,
>
> Long time stalker, first time talker.
> As the title suggests, I'd like to hear some collective thoughts and
> experiences on expected equipment lifetimes.
> 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.
>
> To hopefully facilitate some replies/debate/conversation, here's my two
> cents:
>
> Metrology Equipment --> 5-10 years
> Processing Equipment --> 12-17 years
>
> Also took a quick age survey of our ~50 pieces of equipment and found the
> following distribution:
>
>
>
> 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
>
> Be well,
> Bryant
>
> Bryant Colwill
> RPI Cleanroom General Manager
> Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
> 110 8th Street, CII 6015
> Troy, NY 12180
> Ph: 518-276-3946
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