NetNotes
that if you move the microscopes by yourself or use a third party that you will no longer be covered by service contracts, the risk of non-covered damage and no third-party liability, and if you do not have service contracts, consider a third- party EM engineer that is experienced in that particular platform. Greg Baty
gbaty@pdx.edu
Rule of thumb: If you do not know what you are doing, then do
not do it. If you screw it up, then who will they blame? You. Next, if you were not hired to be a heavy-instrument rigger, then you should not be doing that job. Finally, if you have to ask the question, then you already have the answer. Having moved tons and tons of heavy equipment, I remember most the one that slid off the truck. Lucky to be alive. Jim Quinn
james.quinn@stonybrook.edu
A few years back I moved a JEOL1200 out of a basement with
no elevator in the building. We built a wooden ramp over a flight of stairs, and scaffolding for securing an electric winch. Te equip- ment was then pulled up the ramp safely and intact. Another time a huge heavy crane was used to carry a TEM over the roof of a building to the street. Te building was situated on a steep slope with no way of rolling the TEM to the street on wheels. A modern building should present no problem whether equipped with a load- ing dock or not. When renting a moving truck please keep in mind: 1) the cargo door vertical clearance should be sufficient for accom- modating a TEM placed upon the moving equipment. Typically, 6+ feet of clearance is enough. Also note some cargo doors won’t open fully, that is, the actual clearance might be a few inches short of advertised specs. Measure this yourself before taking the vehicle. 2) Te truck must have a liſt gate with a capacity of 3,000+ pounds, even if the equipment weight is less than 2,000 pounds. Tis liſt gate should be modern, made of aluminum, and have a liſting plat- form with a thin front edge. Older (steel) platforms have thick front edges making rolling of heavy loads to and from the platform dif- ficult and very bumpy (not good for a TEM). A liſt gate is good to have even if both buildings have loading docks of standard height and are equipped with liſts. A couple of inches of height difference is a big problem for pulling a load in or from the truck if it has no liſt gate. 3) A commercial truck is best with a metal cage inside the cargo box for securing heavy loads. Residential moving trucks have wooden rails for light cargo. Te cost of residential and commercial trucks is not that different, and truck rental places have both. 4) A tall commercial truck with a modern liſt gate will probably have a 24′ or 26′ long box. Not a problem, but make sure you can drive it to and from both loading points. 5) Watch for low bridges! At the new site look at the condition of the floors, door thresholds,
height of door frames, tight turns, etc. Carpeted floors require some sort of hard covering for rolling a pallet jack on them. A door threshold even 1″ high requires a thick metal sheet/plate for rolling heavy loads over it. Always secure the TEM when liſting/lowering/ rolling. I use standard cargo belts with ratchets. Vitaly Feingold
vitaly@sia-cam.com
My department moved into a brand-new building three
years ago. Here are my recommendations based on that experi- ence: a) For larger TEM systems, have a professional prep them for the move and reinstall them at the destination. $15K well spent. Caution the movers regarding the weight and expense involved. Truck liſts MUST be rated for that weight. No cheating. b) For the confocal system and smaller, table-top systems: You can move them, but remember that vibrations and shiſting can cause greater
2022 May •
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maintenance issues than if you pay a professional. Consider each one on a case-by-case basis. Most vendors will tell you that they are the only ones that can reliably move these systems, but that is not always true. Sometimes reinstallation of a system with a periodic maintenance visit can be combined to save money. c) If you move the smaller equipment, remove or immobilize anything that moves. You’ll waste hours trying to replace a lost or broken eyepiece or that special adjustable foot that came off a table. If in doubt, tape it down with low-stick tape. (I like clear packing tape.) Removing the heads and lamp housings, and wrapping them in bubble wrap will make for a smaller, more manageable, and balanced box to move. Use lots of bubble wrap and don’t let things move around inside the boxes. Pack them tightly. d) Twenty-four-inch-wide plastic shrink wrap is useful. Tis helps to keep out dirt and snugs up loose wires on large items like TEM columns aſter the cabinetry is removed. e) Take pictures of every plug before removal. Label the wires in an obvious manner. Troubleshooting a misplaced plug can cost you several hours or even days. f) I have moved some scopes a short distance. You don’t realize how much vibration that causes until you try it. Carts with pneumatic tires are MUCH BETTER at this. Even a one-time investment will be worth it. Buy a flatbed cart with tires and donate it to your loading dock when you’re finished. Gregg Sobocinski
greggps@umich.edu
Let me chuck another rock in the pond. If you have OEM
service contracts on any of your instruments, you really want the OEMs involved in the deinstallation/reinstallation, otherwise you could have a much bigger bill than you’re expecting aſter the move. Te company won’t consider the instrument(s) under contract until they’ve checked to make sure they’re up to specifications. And check with your university. When I was at the University of Wisconsin they had a contract with a local heavy-equipment mover, and you had to use them, or do the job yourself. “Yourself ” meaning your very own, physical self. Here at Central Michigan University, I have moved a couple of SEMs myself, but for what you’re moving, you need help. When we moved to our new build- ing, I had to move our instruments, a S/TEM, a SEM, and 2 con- focals, and I happily used Central’s movers. Tey worked closely with the company engineers (we have service contracts) and did an excellent job. So, the university people might be just the ticket. And, using them meant no issues with insurance, which is an- other thing to consider. Take home: Check with your university. You may not have a choice if you can hire outside help, or if you can, who you can hire. Phil Oshel
oshel1pe@cmich.edu
Protecting Objectives Confocal Listserver Hello Core Staff and Directors. Please share how you protect
objectives from being damaged by careless users (such damage is the single clause not covered by a service contract). I am really worried about our new Leica DMi8 stand that has already had the slide insert and piezo stage bent, and some objectives scratched. I calibrated all objectives for parfocality. I still am not clear how/if two sets of parfocality settings can be memorized and loaded (for universal and multiwell plate inserts). Arvydas Matiuka
matiukaa@upstate.edu
I think, other than putting the fear of God into students during
training, there is not much more you can do, other than to save 10k USD on the side for when you get a total loss. Even if you set a hard limit, someone might change it, and/or someone might find a way
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