Equipment Services Workshop

Equipment Services Workshop

Our primary mission is to provide on campus support for laboratories in the following areas:

  • Repair & maintenance
  • Design, fabrication & modification
  • Consultation

At present the workshop is staffed by two experienced technicians: Adam Suen (Supervisor & Engineering Technician) and Bob Perry (Engineering Technician).

Testimonials

The LSI Workshop guys have saved me a lot of $$ over the years, dealing with things ranging from -80 freezers to PCR thermocyclers. The costs for repairs, on balance, are much less than would have been needed for buying a new piece of equipment. The Club 500 is a good deal!
-Dr Tom Beatty, Professor, Dept of Microbiology & Immunology

As longtime customers, we are very happy with the diversity and quality of services of the LSI Workshop team. On many occasions we have been able to save substantially on both time and money by having Adam and George repair electrical and mechanical issues to a wide range of scientific equipment in our lab.
-Dr Natalie Strynadka, Professor, Dept of Biochemistry

I am extremely happy with the service by the LSI workshop staff. As an example, they went out of their way to negotiate for replacement costs for the heating element in our still and saved us over $1,000.00 when the first element burned out after a month. Everything they have done for us has been done well and timely.
-Dr Wayne Vogl, Professor, Dept of Cellular and Physiological Sciences

Contact

The workshop is located in the LSC East Wing Room B2.518A (level B2) near the shipping/receiving area. It is advisable to check our availability by phone or e-mail before visiting us:

Phone: (604)827-4388
E-mail: adam.suen@ubc.ca

Charges EFFECTIVE APRIL 1, 2019

Labor
Member rate: $600 in advance for 10 hours of labor within the fiscal year. Additional labor is $60/hr.
Non-member rate: $90/hr.
Replacement Parts
Cost-plus basis. (Covering costs associated with taxes, freight, customs brokerage etc. In addition, if the sourcing process takes a significant length of time, there may be a handling charge).

The following Services are available:
1) Repair & Maintenance
The laboratories use a wide range of equipment from the simple stirrer to sophisticated analytical instrumentation. The knowledge and experience of the present staff mean that we are able to successfully repair and maintain a major portion of the instrumentation such as: Spectrophotometers, Centrifuges, Plate readers, Incubators, Electrophoresis Equipment, Cell Disrupters, Immersion Circulators, Stirrers, Hotplates, Water Baths, Distilled and RO Water Systems, Shakers, Rotators, Thermal Cyclers, Incubators and Ovens etc.

  • Refrigeration
    We can do the initial diagnosis and resolve any electronic/electrical control problems. However, if the refrigeration system is at fault, a qualified refrigeration technician may be called to complete the work.
  • Instrumentation such as Imaging Systems, Ultra Centrifuges and Mass Specs
    This type of equipment usually requires access to reference documentation, factory training and possibly special tools/jigs. This may limit our support capabilities. However we can often help with the initial diagnostic process to determine an appropriate course of action. In addition we are available to provide on-site technical support, under the direction of a remote service representative or technical group, to help diagnose problems or install shipped components.

It is highly recommended that you bring your equipment to the workshop for services as it will significantly cut down the costs involving the travel time.

2) Design & Modification
We will make modifications to equipment to extend the service life or usage. (Installation of a digital temperature controller is a common procedure to replace a discontinued temperature control board or thermostat.)

We also design and build electronic circuits with microprocessors to facilitate research projects. Some special electronic controllers may not be available at the market, we may find a better solution to achieve the requirements.

3) Consultation
We are available as a resource to help in the decision making process relating to equipment replacement/repairs or to help resolve a technical problem in the laboratory. We keep computer records of the work done on any equipment with a serial number, so the repair history is available to review.