Consulting
I work mainly before procurement, acceptance or industrialization — when the cost of a weak technical decision is still avoidable.
Typical work
RFQ & supplier proposal review
I compare the proposal with the actual process task, mark missing requirements, prepare technical questions and identify what should become an acceptance criterion.
Equipment specification
Vacuum chamber, pumping, heating, gas system, power, plasma sources, fixtures, controls, diagnostics and data logging are reviewed as one process system.
FAT / SAT preparation
I prefer measurable checks: pump-down and pressure-rise records, leak test, temperature uniformity, gas-flow stability, process demo, coupons and raw logs where relevant.
Coating and thermochemical routes
PVD/CVD/PECVD, plasma nitriding, LPC and duplex routes are compared against material, geometry, tolerances and the actual failure mechanism.
Process industrialization
R&D results are translated into a sequence that can be repeated: substrate condition, fixtures, process window, diagnostics, QC and acceptance data.
TVAC / EP test infrastructure
For high-vacuum and xenon systems I review effective pumping, gas load, chamber interfaces, diagnostics, contamination control and test evidence.
Three project situations
Technical review before purchase or FAT
A supplier may offer the right chamber size and nominal vacuum level while leaving the process-critical questions unanswered. I review the system as a process chain: pumping under operating gas load, heating and uniformity, MFC and gas control, source/power configuration, fixtures, data logging and the demonstration that will be accepted at FAT.
Typical result: marked-up specification, gap list, supplier questions and acceptance checks.
Replacing an established route with LPC or plasma treatment
The new process is not accepted because the technology name sounds more modern. I compare what the drawing or service condition actually requires with the layer produced by the proposed route: case depth, carbon/nitrogen profile, microstructure, distortion, surface condition and tribological behaviour where relevant.
Typical result: validation plan and a clear boundary between what can be accepted from literature/process data and what still has to be demonstrated on the component.
Test-system performance under xenon load
For electric-propulsion and TVAC work I look at the chamber under the conditions that matter to the test. Effective pumping speed, xenon throughput, pressure distribution, gauge interpretation, cathode operation, contamination and test logging have to be considered together.
Typical result: review of system assumptions, test evidence and acceptance logic.
What I normally deliver
Depending on the task, the result may be a marked-up specification, supplier comparison, risk matrix, FAT/SAT checklist, process-route note, test plan, failure-analysis memo or a short technical decision paper. I do not try to turn every question into a large report.
Engineering practice
Requirements, equipment architecture, supplier review, measurable FAT criteria, diagnostics and process transfer are handled as one technical chain.