Edwards makes servicing of nEXT turbomolecular pumps easy for the end user

 CRAWLEY, UK (29^th April 2010) Leading vacuum equipment manufacturer Edwards has developed its nEXT turbomolecular pumps so that users can now service the pumps themselves easily on site. The compact pumps, which are used in many applications including scientific instruments and R&D laboratories, no longer need to be returned to a service hub for maintenance and as a result users can make significant savings on servicing thereby reducing the overall cost of ownership of the pump.

The nEXT turbomolecular pumps feature a flashing LED sequence to advise the user when a service is due and what level of intervention is required. This information is also available by using remote diagnostics and in addition, it is possible to determine how long it is to the next recommended service, enabling end users to take a proactive approach to preventative maintenance.

“Previously, changing the bearing on a turbomolecular pump required major disassembly of complex assemblies, often necessitating the rotor to be re-balanced,” says Russell Coleman, Edwards product manager, Diffuse. “This meant customers had to call out a specialist field service technician or send their pumps back to a service hub. However, flexibility is key for our customers and we have designed our nEXT pumps in such a way that, should users wish, they can change the oil cartridge and bearing themselves to increase the service life of the pump and reduce the cost of ownership.”

Users can carry out interim oil lubrication changes on site with minimum specialist tooling and typically in less than five minutes. A bearing change with minimal disassembly of the pump can also be performed in less than 10 minutes using basic workshop tools and an Edwards’s tool kit. Access permitting, both operations can be completed with the pump in situ, and if not, a clean, a dust free bench top is all that is required to service the pump ‘off tool’.

“Customers can, of course, still send their nEXT turbomolecular pumps to Edwards for servicing if they prefer. To reflect the comparative simplicity of service compared to previous generation pumps and competitor models, pricing has been set accordingly.”

nEXT turbomolecular pumps are used to create the high vacuum environments required for many R&D applications such as for particle accelerators or plasma research. They are also standard fitment in mass spectrometers and electron microscopes. The pumps offer reliable, high-speed, high vacuum performance and are available in three compact sizes, offering a choice of true 240, 300 and 400 litre per second nitrogen pumping speeds. Custom interface split flow variants and versions incorporating Edwards’ unique fluid dynamic stages with boost ports are also available offering class leading vacuum system optimisation.

For more information visit www.edwardsvacuum.com/next.