Building a Structural Machine Base for University of Southampton

• Designed and installed an anti-vibration structural machine base for a deep ultraviolet (DUV) scanner at the University of Southampton's Silicon Photonics Group, part of a £1M cleanroom upgrade supporting a UK-wide multi-project wafer service.
• Ran on-site vibration testing before design, then computer-modelled the base to meet the DUV scanner's dimensional, vibrational, and load-bearing specs while bridging existing under-floor services and working within restricted site access.
• Also designed and installed 12+ similar anti-vibration bases for Xaar (a leading industrial inkjet print head manufacturer) in their Huntingdon cleanroom over nearly a decade of ongoing work, alongside tool moving and export packing services.

Home to the Silicon Photonics Group (widely recognised as having carried out the work upon which the first company in silicon photonics was built), The University of Southampton is a recognised leader in optoelectronics.

The University was planning to install a cost-effective multi-project wafer service to further support the UK’s silicon photonics research community. 

However, this would require a structural machine base to support a deep ultraviolet (DUV) scanner to be located in their upgraded cleanroom facility.

We were consulted to design, manufacture and install the base for the DUV.

Here’s how we did it.

Bringing our expertise to the table

We have considerable experience designing and manufacturing structural machine bases for heavy or vibration-sensitive production and R&D equipment, not to mention the ability to carry out a structural base installation.

Typically, these bases are used in the semiconductor fabrication process or in environments where a raised access computer floor is required. 

As both a structural machine base and semiconductor equipment specialist, we were therefore ideally suited to meet the University’s requirements.

A support solution for sensitive equipment

We design bespoke structural machine bases for vibration-sensitive equipment. That’s so they can provide the appropriate structural support without permitting the amplification of vibrational energies that would interfere with equipment performance.

Our first task was to complete detailed on-site vibration testing prior to designing the base and computer modelling it.

Our design had to meet the requirements of:

• The dimensional, vibrational and load-bearing specifications of the equipment to be supported
• The existing under-floor services, which had to be bridged
• The limitations of site access

“Streamlined and practical”

The Cleanroom Complex Manager at The University of Southampton, said:

“The University of Southampton used IES to design and install an anti-vibration base for their DUV scanner as part of a £1M upgrade to their cleanroom facilities aimed at providing the UK Silicon Photonics Research Community with a cost-effective multi-project wafer service. The ability of IES to provide a complete turnkey solution, including design, build, install, and final equipment positioning provided the University with a streamlined and practical solution.”

Another client for whom we’ve designed and installed a number of anti-vibration bases is Xaar, the world’s leading independent supplier of industrial inkjet print heads. Speaking about IES, the Facilities Manager at Xaar PLC said:

"We have built up a trusted relationship with IES who have been reliably providing us with tool moving, export packing and transport services for almost a decade. They have designed and installed over a dozen support bases in our Huntingdon cleanroom suitable for our heavier and vibration-sensitive production tools.”

Protect high-value capital equipment with bespoke structural machine bases

We’ve been designing, manufacturing and installing structural machine bases for end-users in high-technology industries since 1991.

Our turnkey service covers everything, from the design and manufacture of your structural machine base to a turnkey relocation, installation and post-installation vibration checks.

Silicon photonics research requires perfectly engineered, vibration-isolated machine bases. We designed and built Southampton's — to the micron.