We like to say ….”Teach a man to fish”…because we get great satisfaction out of the education and training that we do for customers; enabling them to become better at diagnosing and troubleshooting their own unique application. 

Plasma processing is a difficult environment. The tools are very complex, and the pressure to produce more, faster, better, cheaper is ever-present. And since the tools are also very expensive, the factory utilization rates and product yields must remain high so that the factory can stay competitive. Tools are run 24x7, and there is a need to maintain them through all of the shifts using four or more groups of technicians.

The problem arises when there is unplanned downtime, and the cause must be determined and fixed as quickly as possible to bring the tool back up to production status. There are many interrelated subsystems on these tools, and the problem must be isolated not only to the right subsystem, but also to the right component of that subsystem.

After many, many trips out to troubleshoot problems at customer sites, and reviewing uncounted ‘No Problem Observed’ repair tickets (NPO’s), we came to the conclusion that customer education was the best answer to a lot of these problems. Starting over ten years ago and carrying through to this day, we’ve been educating customers at their worksites in groups of a dozen or less in order to help increase their knowledge and troubleshooting expertise.  These courses range from Plasma Fundamentals to hands-on RF Instrumentation, and are densely packed with relevant and helpful material to bring about those ‘AHA!’ moments that everyone strives for when they attend classes.

Let us know how we can be of assistance to your business.

Posted
AuthorCarl Almgren
CategoriesInformational