Edwards "“ Vacuum Science, Product Solution
Edwards, known and trusted for nearly a century, continues to deliver innovative vacuum pumps and related systems to its customers. Edwards strives to lower cost-of-ownership, increase productivity and enhance final product quality. Edwards' products are based on a solid foundation of manufacturing excellence and field-proven technologies "“ supported by a renowed global services network.
Reduce Cost-of-Ownership with Edwards' Integrated Sub-fab Systems
Edwards offers a range of integrated sub-fab systems, such as the EZENITH product family, that combine a vacuum pump and abatement system into a single unit with a single controller. The systems are customized to provide optimal performance for the specific process they support. They claim that integration offers substantial benefits, among them, significant reductions in cost-of-ownership. They point out, however, that integration that maximises this and other benefits requires far more than simply bolting a pump to an abatement system.
Edwards says the benefits of integration include better process reliability, safer operation, faster start-up, and reduced total cost-of-ownership. Steve Cottle, Edwards' exhaust management systems product manager explained, "In an integrated system we are able to define and control the best possible set-up of vacuum pumps, abatement system, exhaust pipe configuration and pipe temperature management to provide reliable and predictable performance. We can coordinate servicing of the individual elements to avoid unnecessary down-time. Because utilities are distributed within the system, the number of external connections is minimised and we can significantly reduce installation time and cost. We can test the system prior to delivery, thus reducing the time required to put it into service once it has been delivered. Finally, integrated systems provide risk mitigation features that improve operational safety, for example, a secondary enclosure around the vacuum pumps, exhaust pipes and abatement unit reduces the risk of process gas escaping the system."
Edwards Has the Know-how to Customize Systems for its Customers' Needs
Cottle was quick to point out that, "Integration offers unique opportunities to maximise these benefits through customization that tailors the design and operation of the system to best match the requirements of a particular process. With over 1,000 EZENITH systems installed worldwide, we have accumulated an applications knowledgebase for sub-fab integration that is arguably the broadest and deepest in the industry. The initial design of each system is based on a detailed understanding of the process to be supported, including sophisticated modeling of the flow of process gases and by-products throughout the system. Following installation, our continuous improvement programs allow us to develop best known methods that optimize performance and cost savings for a specific process implementation. Seemingly minor adjustments in system design or operating parameters, based on data gleaned from these programs, have delivered outsized gains in performance and reliability with commensurate reductions in overall cost of ownership."
