Dear Blizard Researchers,
I’m aware a lot of general lab microscopes are not being serviced/maintained. I’m wanting to start the creation of a microscope clinic once a quarter, this will last for a week (Monday through Friday), from 10am to 6pm. One hour slots are available for any microscope. Some may require more time, some less, please book appropriately, if it is just to clean, assume a full hour if the microscope hasn’t been fully cleaned in at least a few months. During this time all components will be cleaned, mechanisms lubricated if required, alignments will be checked, bulbs changed as necessary, and a notation made if a later visit may be required between clinics for work.
A full breakdown of work done will be provided if wanted, along with any additional details.
The current microscope clinic will be from 20-25 March. If you wish to register a microscope for a full service, please log a time in the following calendar (https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=NjU3ZDBjYjAzYmE5ZDcwNGU3ZDRmZDM5NjJlN2ZhODFiM2ViOGIxNDI5NTFhYTJmYzAwYzQ0ZTU0MDAzNTQwZEBncm91cC5jYWxlbmRhci5nb29nbGUuY29t), include the type/company of the microscope, the lab(s) the microscope belongs to, the room, and if there are any restrictions on access to the rooms.
In this round there will not be any charges, BALM currently has a generous supply of bulbs, components, and cleaning materials. However going by what is necessitated and supplies deducted, I will look at the refilling costs. And calculate to spread it proportionally across labs depending on number and types of microscopes. My hope is by centralising care for laboratory microscopes, we can reduce overall the spend per lab, previously in doing this at prior facilities we’ve managed to make the cost roughly £10 a microscope. There may initially be a higher cost, as some systems may require more than when a quarterly service provides.
Maeve