Estimated Cost of Producing
The International XPS Spectra-Base (v1.0, 2025)
in the USA
$2,266,400 – total cost for 3 yr project, 1 XPS Scientist, new XPS
Break-even point: 10 years, 1,000 users each year, $360/year
Description of Expert XPS Scientist for 3 year Development Project
Has 10 years hands-on monochromatic XPS instrument operation experience with charging behavior of insulators,
|many different materials and sample preparation. Has PhD in chemistry. Use self-consistent methods. Familiar with air-sensitive material.
Familiar with degradation due to ion beam etching. Familiar with X-ray induced degradation of sensitive materials.
Familiar with electron flood gun operation and optimization.
Project Time Required – 3 years (in USA)
| Expense Category | Description | 3 yr totals | ||
| Laboratory Equipment | Purchase of XPS Instrument and related equipment for testing ($300,000/year, before depreciation) | $900,000 | ||
| Yearly PM kit | $15,000/yr (X-ray anode, LaB6 filament, X-ray filament, turbo oil, ion gun filaments, TSP) | $45,000 | ||
| Service repair costs | 120 hr of service ($500/hr) for 3 years ($20,000/year) | $60,000 | ||
| Support Equipment | Gas regulators, N2 gas, Argon, compressor, bench, prep tools, wrenches (one time cost) | $6,000 | ||
| Facility Lease | Rental costs for laboratory space for 3 years. ($5,000/month) | $180,000 | ||
| Management staff (part-time) | Salaries for the part-time management team and 1 office assistant ($100,000/year). | $300,000 | ||
| Expert XPS Scientist (full time) | Salaries (+health insurance) ($100,000/year) | $300,000 | ||
| Licensing and Permits | Costs associated with obtaining necessary licenses to operate. ($5,000/year) | $15,000 | ||
| Technology and Software | Implementation of integrated laboratory management software. | $30,000 | ||
| Business costs | Logo, Bank account ($50/month), Merchant account ($50/month) | $3,600 | ||
| Chemicals, single crystals, storage | Pure inorganic compounds, pure elements, polymers, semiconductor wafers, single crystals ($300/crystal), handpress, mortar-pestle, dry box, vacuum pump, meters | $50,000 | ||
| Assistant Staff Salaries – part time | Monthly costs for one laboratory technician ($25,000/year) | $75,000 | ||
| Operational Supplies | Consumables needed for testing, procedures and safe storage ($1,000/month) | $36,000 | ||
| Maintenance and Repairs | Monthly costs for upkeep of laboratory equipment. ($500 / month) | $18,000 | ||
| Utilities | Electricity, water, chiller, AC, and internet services for the lab. ($600/month) | $22,000 | ||
| Insurance | Cost of liability and property insurance for the lab. | $2,000 | ||
| Website Maintenance | Maintenance SSL, Hosting, Domain name, support plugins ($120/month) | $2.400 | ||
| Website Development & Design | Layout, 1,000 Page builds, page insertions, media (spectra) construction ($5,000/month) | $180,000 | ||
| eCommerce for Website | WooCommerce (free), Membership ($300/yr), Subscription ($300/yr) | $1,800 | ||
| Insurance on Instrument | $1,000/year | $3,000 | ||
| Consumables | Gloves, foil, water, solvents, acids, drying agents ($1,000/yr) | $3,000 | ||
| Accounting (part-time) | $1,000/month | $36,000 | ||
| SUB-TOTAL | SUB-TOTAL | SUB-TOTAL | $2,266,400 | SUB-TOTAL |
| XPS Sample Preparation Time | = XPS Scientist Time – included in salary | included in salary | ||
| XPS Data Processing Cost | = XPS Scientist Time – included in salary | included in salary | ||
| XPS Data Collection Time (overnight) | ~1 hour/sample, typically 8 pressed powders per night | included cost of machine |
Yearly Operation TOTAL: $743,000/yr for each year of 3 year project
Cost Recovery Projection (>10 yrs, with 1,000 users)
Using 5 year recovery estimate: need to recover $446,320 per year or $37,200 per month
Assuming 100 customers per year purchasing 12 month plan ($360 /1 yr): recovery is $36,000 per year
After 5 years of operation with 100 customers, the project will recover $180,000 for 5 years of operation
After 10 years of operation with 1,000 customers, the project will recover $3,600,000 for 10 years of operation (vs $2,266,400 of cost)
EXAMPLE:
Operating Costs for a Clinical Chemistry Lab
EXAMPLE:
Dollar Amounts for operating a Clinical Chemistry Lab
Organized Summary in USD ($$$)
Breakdown of Above Summary
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