Justification, Design & Construction of an Appropriate Analytical Laboratory for High Tech Imaging & Processing Tools

The design and construction of a well-executed laboratory space to house high resolution analytical imaging and surface processing tools can often be more complex and expensive than anticipated. Unlike their manufacturing counterparts, lab tools as a class lack true environmental enclosures and have fewer built-in countermeasures to fend off operational degradation caused by external factors. A poorly optimized facility can result in significant underperformance of installed systems, thereby wasting the investment and jeopardizing the mission. Unfortunately, very few assigned laboratory spaces are ‘naturally’ perfect at the onset for the installation of new high precision analytical equipment suitable of advanced structural or resolution-dependent materials analysis. It can take considerable work to engineer office space or warehouse conversions so that the tools function as they should and live up to expectations. The magnitude of the challenge and its true cost and lead time often come as a surprise to failure analysis engineers tasked with wearing multiple ‘hats’ while navigating the capital approval process. Being caught off guard in this manner often results in considerable time delay, as well as over-budget or sub-par outcomes. In this talk we offer suggestions on how to revamp the typical capital cycle process for specifying, buying, and installing future laboratory tools to ensure that new systems perform at their best.