SEM Lab, Inc.
Consulting built around fixed-scope expert review.

Consulting

Focused Technical Review

SEM Lab’s consulting offer is intentionally narrow: a fixed-scope remote review of submitted technical evidence for teams that need expert interpretation, rather than an open-ended advisory relationship.

Founder portrait
SEM Lab identification Direct, selective, and interpretation-centered rather than open-ended.
Ed Hare portrait
Ed Hare Founder, SEM Lab, Inc.
48 Years in U.S. high-technology manufacturing
47 Years in engineering
29 Years operating SEM Lab, Inc.

Why SEM Lab

Broad technical coverage. Focused consulting format.

Ed Hare supports the full lifecycle of electronic hardware, from materials and manufacturing process challenges to reliability questions and field-failure resolution.

His work spans passives, semiconductors, magnetics, interconnects, protection devices, and the materials systems that drive their behavior, including solders, platings, ceramics, polymers, and specialty alloys.

That breadth is paired with a fixed-scope review model so clients receive focused, defensible interpretation instead of open-ended consulting drift.

Input

What you submit

  • SEM images
  • EDS results
  • Annotated photos
  • Failure description and known context
Output

What you receive

  • Written interpretation of likely mechanism
  • Confidence and uncertainty framing
  • Risk perspective and next-step recommendations
Format

How the engagement works

  • Remote and structured written review process
  • Fixed 1-hour or 2-hour review blocks at $250 per hour
  • Written deliverable by default

Pricing

Simple pricing that protects scope.

These rates apply to the fixed review format: $250 for a 1-hour review and $500 for a 2-hour review. Urgent work or materially expanded scope should be quoted separately.

1-hour review

Focused interpretation

$250 per review

Best for one tightly framed question with a contained evidence set and a clear decision point.

  • Written interpretation of likely mechanism
  • Confidence and uncertainty framing
  • Recommended next steps
2-hour review

Complex or comparative review

$500 per review

Best for broader evidence packages, more ambiguity, or cases that need comparison between multiple plausible mechanisms.

  • Expanded evidence review within fixed scope
  • Stronger comparison and triage guidance
  • Written deliverable only by default

Included

What is included

  • Review of the submitted evidence package
  • Interpretation grounded in likely mechanism and sequence
  • Fixed-scope written recommendations

Not included

What is outside the standard review

  • Open-ended support
  • Unlimited follow-up questions
  • Default phone access
  • Physical lab work, sample prep, or testing

How to choose

Review block guidance

Review block Best used for Typical shape
1-hour, $250 Focused interpretation request One core question with a contained evidence set
2-hour, $500 Broader or more complex review Multiple related features, comparisons, or ambiguity that needs sorting

Next Step

Use the structured intake to determine fit.

The intake form is how SEM Lab keeps scope clear and the review useful. If the case fits the format, the next step is straightforward. If it does not, the response can point you toward a better path.

Additional questions, follow-up review, or expanded analysis are handled as separate paid work rather than bundled into the original scope.