Steve

Now that you mention your experience regarding the soldering machine maybe
you'd like to hear my story from the lab regarding a X-ray microscope.

About 2 years ago, I bought a new X-ray microscope. Not In-line, lab size.
However, when I looked at the drawings and when I read that the thing
weights 3 tons I got a bit nervous. First thing I did was to ask to our
building people how much the floor can bear. No way to place 3 tons on an
area 3 x 2.5 meters ( for those not familiar with the metric system, 1
meter is a good step ). Hence, we gave a job to our internal manufacturing
center to build a frame to distribute the load. Yea, no problem I heard.
Okras doits. Next thing was, to send a fawns to the X-ray vendor with all
the measures from the delivery door into the lab. Yea, no problem I heard.
So I bought the damn thing.
As planned, the frame arrived 2 weeks ahead of the microscope. But.. it was
too small to go through the door. The folks at the mechanical shop have an
extra size door. No way to bring it in my lab. So we had to cut the
soldered frame in 3 pieces bring the into the lab and reassemble it. Of
course, even that we had all furniture and instruments on one side it was a
pain, to bring the thing in the right place where it was welded again,
ruining my electrostatic proof floor. What could we do? We had to empty the
whole room to make it possible to replace the floor cover.
In the meantime the delivery date came closer and closer. And, as the
Germans are, at 7 am the truck arrived. To be honest, I didn't expect him
so early so I came at 8. Gave a good mood to the driver. Well he didn't
know what he was up to. Because!!! The X-ray was delivered with an extra
large truck. And it was too large to go below the roof of our delivery
entrance. My fax has arrived, but nobody cared for it. In addition the
truck didn't have a lift so our lift and the backside of the truck stood 3
meters apart. Ready to be bridged with 3 tons of X-ray microscope. We went
to the workshop and they put something together to roll the microscope
over. Believe me, scary, nobody was closer than 3 meters. Exempt of me and
a colleague of mine. W had to operate the 2 fork lifts each with a capacity
of 2 tons. Luckily we brought the X-ray over the swinging bridge. An,
hooray, the delivery door was big enough. And yippee, the aisle as well.
But damn it, in the centre of the aisle was a column. A column made of
iron, diameter 25 cm. No way to pass there. The column was in my plan I
send but, nobody cared for the plan. There was no way than going the whole
way back, over the swinging bridge into the truck. We went for lunch and to
pacify the driver I invited him. After lunch we looked for another way to
enter the building. We found an entry, with a big door, with a high roof,
but no lift, like the truck. So I had to organize a crane to lift the 3
tons of lead and steel into the entrance. By than the driver was pretty
nervous. But he could go, lucky beggar. I stood there with my baby not
knowing what to do. In the meantime, the technician who should install the
X-ray had come. He was not very enthusiastically in his white coat about
the prospect to move the microscope. But there was no held. We moved the
X-ray with the 2 folk lifts round a corner, down the aisle until we reached
a high step, 1.5 meters deep, fortunately with a lift. I mentioned the
problem to the technician. But he assured me that we should have no further
problems. Well the elevator was able to carry 4 tons. But when one fork
lift entered the elevator and part of the microscopes weight was in, the
elevators bearing ropes extended, lowering the cabin for about 5 cm. thus
blocking the entry for the X-ray and causing a step between the elevators
floor and the save floor of the building. So we could neither in nor out.
Bach to the workshop again. This time we got a sheet or iron to span the
step between the cabin and the buildings floor. After blocking the elevator
for 2 hours ( not to mention that our way went through the underground
garage thus blocking the garage as well ) we had the X-ray out again. We
decided to continue the next day. The next day saw us tilting the
microscope from vertical to horizontal. In the meantime the technician had
measured the whole way into the lab and found it clear. Did you ever tilt 3
tons without appropriate equipment? We had to, since no crane able to bear
3 tons was able to enter the garage. We stood the X-bastard with its
backside towards the lift we used earlier. Than we lifted it on the other
end thus tilting the microscope until it leaned against the platform of the
lift. We then lowered the lift, stopped, and moved the edge the X-ray was
standing on slowly forward. Like this we made it. And we could get into the
lift. And we could exit the lift in the 3rd floor with the iron sheet. And
we saw, that the ceiling was high enough to transport the Microscope
upright but that the firealarms being installed every 5 meters made it
impossible to move the X-ray on its base. Luckily we had it on laying on
its back. You guess it. The technician made a measuring error. The
microscopes outer dimension fit through the door. But, since it was laying
we had to make a turn to come into the room from the aisle. No way. We got
yammed half way in. It took us the rest of the day to bring the XY?!@..
back into the garage where the technician hat to disassemble the X-ray by
cutting it up with a cutting disc ( another visit to the workshop ).
After 2 days we started to bring the pieces to the lab. First the
manipulator, then the X-ray source and at the end the cabin frame and the
lead panels. Hold on, it's not over jet. You know, the lab was high enough
to accommodate the cabin. Even on the frame it was supposed to sit on. But,
Steve I think you know Geometry as well as Math, die diagonal of a cube is
biggest than its sides. And the cabin was the heaviest part of the
microscope. And we had no space in the lab left to bring in any equipment
able to handle 2 tons. Neither had we space between the edge passing the
closest to the ceiling for any machinery. We than started to drill holes
into the concrete ceiling, fixing rawlplugs to the ceiling. Than we lifted
the thing like the old Egyptian did. Securing with ropes, lifting with a
fork lift some centimeters, supporting with wooden pieces. God had mercy .
Can you imagine the moment when the microscopes point of gravity moved over
the edge? In the end we did it. All we had to do now was to pop the thing
on the frame. No way to assemble the microscope before since it would then
be too heavy to lift with a fork lift. We had to move the cabin first. But,
the opening to go into the cabin was supposed to stand right to a wall. So
we had to rotate the cabin until the service door was pointing towards the
room. This enabled us to move the interior into the microscope. No details,
but it was hell. Then the technician had to reassemble the thing again.
Welding. I didn't care this time for the burnt floor. And when the X-ray
was in one piece again we hat to rotate it into the desired position It was
now 3 tons again and there was no space on the frame for 2 fork- lifts. We
made it centimeter for centimeter. Compared to what we did before this was
a piece of cake.  The whole procedure absorbed three men for over a week.

All the best to all of you

Guenter

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