Moving to a new lab and want max uptime for your instrument?

Follow these techniques to be prepared before the move, saving time and money in the process. These techniques will help you understand how to identify and isolate environmental noise in your new lab, allowing for optimal instrument use on Day 1.

Preparations Before the Move

Understanding the environment of a new lab before moving an instrument is critical, as it informs how well your instrument can be utilized in the new space. 

Site surveys are the most common solution to identify environmental noise as they provide measured data highlighting the amplitudes of noise over a desired frequency range. Tools like the WaveCatcher are often used to perform a site survey as they are streamlined measurement tools, designed to perform quick and easy measurements.

Once the data is collected, site survey reports are generated, which often compare measured data with the maximum allowable ambient noise of an instrument. In making this comparison, you can determine whether the noise of the new lab will interfere with the measurement capabilities of the instrument (requiring one of the solutions described below) or if the noise is within acceptable levels.

Having this resource before the move will guarantee you have all of the information required to begin research on Day 1.


Solutions In A Noisy Environment

If the results of a site survey show environmental noise in a new lab exceed allowable noise for an instrument, there are a few solutions to consider.

1) Remove all noise generating equipment from the room.
While this is not always possible, it is the most cost effective solution and can often mitigate a need for purchasing isolation equipment. During a site survey, you can request measurements with selected equipment on or off to help identify the equipment contributing most to the noise in the room.

2) Isolate the noise generating equipment.
If relocating noise generating equipment is not possible, isolating equipment directly can be an effective alternative. Whether it is an enclosure for scroll pumps, passive isolators for vibrating equipment, or a faraday cage to shield a UPC; isolating noise generating equipment can help reduce the overall ambient noise of the room.

3) Isolate the instrument directly.
If the two solutions above do not bring the new lab within specification, environmental isolation systems are the answer. These dedicated solutions directly improve the measurement capabilities of research instruments by providing significant isolation over a broad frequency spectrum. The following breaks down the solutions to consider when different noise types are influencing a measurement:

Herzan environmental isolation systems help researchers achieve more by providing industry-leading performance, simple-to-install solutions, and maximum customization to adapt to individual research needs.