A DSC costing 600,000 or a rheometer costing 800,000 can normally last 10-15 years—but the premise is proper maintenance. In reality, many laboratories see their precision instruments experience baseline drift, sensitivity loss, or even sensor damage after just 3-5 years of use. The root cause is the lack of a systematic maintenance plan. 

Environmental maintenance is the first line of defense. Precision thermal analyzers and rheometers are extremely sensitive to temperature and humidity. Lab temperature fluctuations should be controlled within ±2℃, with humidity at 40-60% RH. More importantly—you should never place instruments directly in front of an air conditioning vent, which is a 'silent killer' in many labs: cold air blowing directly on the instruments causes local temperature fluctuations, making baseline drift inevitable. You should also have a stable power supply and UPS to prevent voltage fluctuations from damaging sensors and circuit boards. 

Daily usage norms: DSCs should have the sample stage cleaned immediately after each test; TGAs should have the furnace cleaned with an air burn after each high-temperature test; rheometer fixtures should be cleaned with the appropriate solvent right after use to prevent sample curing on the fixture surface; FTIR-ATR crystals should be wiped with anhydrous ethanol after each use. 

Regular calibration is a must: DSCs should have temperature and enthalpy calibrated with indium standards every six months; TGAs should use Curie point standards to calibrate temperature; universal testing machines should have force and displacement calibrated every year. These calibrations are not only for accurate data but also mandatory for CNAS audits and client inspections. 

Dehuisci (www.dehuisci.com) provides regular maintenance and application technical support for the equipment they sell. Phone: 0512-67071902.