Edwards Limited

Edwards Vacuum LLC

Peter George Stammers

Budd Edward Faulkner

Mark Kollin Romeo

Gerald Robin Shelley

Brent Haslett

Matthew Demian Klepp

Brett Trevor Lawrence

Craig Richard Charles Turner

Nicholas Daniel Hutton

Brian Stuart Blakeley Roberts

Peter Reginald Crundwell

Richard John Moran

Steven Graham Barlow

A vacuum pumping apparatus may include: a common pumping line having a plurality of pumping line inlets and a pumping line outlet, each pumping line inlet being configured to couple with an outlet of an associated plurality of vacuum processing chambers; at least one primary vacuum pump in fluid communication with the pumping line outlet to pump gas from each vacuum processing chamber; and control logic operable to control operation of the primary vacuum pump in response to an indication of an operating state of the plurality of vacuum processing chambers. In this way, the performance of the primary vacuum pump can be adjusted to match the load provided by the processing chambers and when there is an excess capacity, the performance of the primary vacuum pumps can be reduced, which can lead to significant energy savings and reduce wear on the pump.

Vacuum pumping

A method of assigning an identifier to a controller of a modular vacuum pumping and/or abatement system, the method including: determining, by a first controller of the modular vacuum pumping and/or abatement system, that a first identifier is to be assigned to a second controller of the modular vacuum pumping and/or abatement system, wherein the second controller is located at a module of the modular vacuum pumping and/or abatement system; transmitting, by the first controller, a first signal indicative of the first identifier to the second controller; receiving, by a user input device coupled to the module, a user input; and adopting, by the second controller, the first identifier as its identifier in response to the user input.

Controllers of a vacuum pumping and/or abatement system

A process equipment heating system has a group of electric heaters and a heater checking system. The heater checking system is configured to determine a resistance value Rfor the group of electric heaters, compare the resistance value Rwith a reference resistance value Rand judge a fault condition if the resistance value Rdiffers from the reference resistance value Rby more than a predetermined amount.

Detecting heater failure in a group of electric heaters in a process equipment heating system

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Eastbourne, United Kingdom

Peter George Stammers