The Austin Support Center offers complete inspection and repair of turbomolecular pumps. In general the repair service is quite simple, however often this is not determinable for a specific pump until it has been disassembled and inspected.

      Because of the need for inspection, the repair process requires the following step-wise approach:
          1. RECEIPT (Controlled by RMA procedure)
          2. INSPECTION (nominal charge applies if scrapped)
          3. DECONTAMINATION (nominal charge applies if scrapped)

      Inspection determines if a standard repair is sufficient or not. When additional parts and labor are required, the customer is contacted for approval prior to any work.

STANDARD REPAIR (fixed price to replace consumable items, reassemble, and test)

ADDITIONAL REPAIR (dependent on specific items and work required to refurbish)

      When turbomolecular pumps fail for an unknown reason, customers may want to determine the cause of the failure. During inspection, SPI engineers can usually determine a probable cause of failure because of physical evidence and experience. This probable cause information is provided at no charge upon request. Complete failure analysis generally requires extensive laboratory analysis and engineering time. This service is available as a paid option.

PROBABLE FAILURE CAUSE (no charge; customer must request prior to INSPECTION)

COMPLETE FAILURE ANALYSIS (hourly charge for engineering time plus laboratory charges; customer must request prior to INSPECTION)

      On occasion, inspection reveals that repair of a specific pump is inadvisable. A catastrophic crash, for example, may damage internal parts to the extent that the price to repair is less attractive than the price to replace. In this case, the customer must decide the final disposition of the parts. As they have already been inspected and decontaminated, these charges must apply. The parts will either return to the customer or be scrapped by ASC. ASC and Shimadzu strictly follow all regulations regarding the transportation and disposal of these items. Depending upon the specific item, ASC may charge the customer a SCRAP fee to properly dispose of the item and maintain a full audit trail.

RETURN TO CUSTOMER (customer covers charges for INSPECTION, DECONTAMINATION, return freight)

SCRAP (customer covers charges for INSPECTION, DECONTAMINATION, possibly for SCRAP)

EXCHANGE SERVICE – contact the Austin Service Center, Customer Support Manager