- #1
Modey3
- 135
- 1
Hello,
I'm on the last year and a half of my PhD research. My project is mostly experimental, which involves ion implanting into ferrous surfaces for improves tribological properties. Unfortunately, the equipment (the ion implanter, Auger, SIMS, and XPS) breaks down once in a while and I'm finding a lot of my time being spent on repair work whether it be fixing a vacuum leak or repairing a circuit. I'm finding the time spent on repairing equipment is affecting my research progress. Don't get me wrong, I have a big interest in electronics and I'm a bit of tinkerer, but is it normal for graduate students to spend half their time fixing equipment? Thanks
modey3
I'm on the last year and a half of my PhD research. My project is mostly experimental, which involves ion implanting into ferrous surfaces for improves tribological properties. Unfortunately, the equipment (the ion implanter, Auger, SIMS, and XPS) breaks down once in a while and I'm finding a lot of my time being spent on repair work whether it be fixing a vacuum leak or repairing a circuit. I'm finding the time spent on repairing equipment is affecting my research progress. Don't get me wrong, I have a big interest in electronics and I'm a bit of tinkerer, but is it normal for graduate students to spend half their time fixing equipment? Thanks
modey3