A Factory Owner's Story: A Record of the Three-Year Costs of a Domestic Laser Machine

As a factory owner, I have recorded three years of data on the actual costs of using domestically produced laser cutters, including equipment acquisition, routine maintenance, and replacement of consumables, and have compared these with the costs of imported machines.The software provides practical references for small and medium sized businesses, helping users accurately control the costs of laser processing and avoid hidden costs.

Why do I need to record the cost of the laser machine?

To tell the truth, when we first bought the domestically produced laser machine, I didn't have a clear idea of what I was doing.Imported equipment is too expensive, and the price of domestic equipment is only half as much, but people on the Internet always say, "You get what you pay for.In order to verify the true costs, I simply set up a ledger for the 500W fiber laser machine in the factory, and recorded everything from the date of installation in 2020 to 2023, even the cost of replacing screws.

And where did all the money go?

Equipment procurement.

We chose the medium-power model, which cost NT $ 280,000, plus NT $ 300,000 or so for transportation and installation.An imported machine of the same power would start at NT $ 600,000, so this saves quite a bit.We also had to pay an extra US $ 5,000 for training and debugging, which wasn't specified in the contract. I'd suggest everyone carefully check every clause before signing a contract.

A list of consumables.

The most easily overlooked parts are the lenses and the nozzles.Protective lenses are replaced about once every three months, and cost NT $ 80-150 apiece if made in Taiwan, or NT $ 300-plus if imported.The actual results showed that the life of the high-purity lenses produced in Taiwan was not much different from those imported, but the price was three times lower.The nozzle of the cutting head, on the other hand, should be an original equipment part. Cheap nozzles from third parties are likely to affect the accuracy of the cutting.

Electricity and labor costs.

A 500-watt machine uses about 15 kilowatt-hours per hour, which comes to about NT $ 2500-3000 per month at the industrial rate.The operators earn NT $ 6,000 per month. But the Chinese-made machines have a simpler interface than the imported ones, so new recruits can be up and running in two weeks, saving the company money on hiring specialized technicians.

The years he spent in repair pits.

The following summer the laser suddenly started to malfunction. The manufacturer said that the cooling system had become clogged with dust and was overheating. Cleaning the dust and replacing the filter cost NT $ 1800.After that, I got into the habit of cleaning the vents every month, and I've never had another problem.The best way to avoid this is to keep the equipment clean and dry.

Is it really worth it to compare them with imported machines?

A factory next door bought German equipment, and over the course of three years they spent NT $ 220,000 more than we did.Although their cutting accuracy is stable at ± 0.05 mm, while ours is ± 0.1 mm, that's more than good enough for ordinary sheet metal processing.If you want to make aerospace precision parts, then you might have to choose imported machines, but for conventional machining, domestic machines offer a much better price-performance ratio.

Five practical techniques for controlling costs.

1. Bulk purchases of consumables can be negotiated at 90 % of the price.

2. Keep a record of the time spent cutting each week to predict when the lens will need to be changed.

3. Turn on machines during off-peak hours to save electricity (our factory has a 30 % discount on electricity after 10 pm).

4. Keep a complete repair record as a bargaining chip for future insurance.

5. Participate in manufacturers 'free maintenance activities--last year I got two free eyepieces.

The total cost over three years was NT $ 387,000, or NT $ 10,700 per month.The number is 15 % lower than we expected, but the key is that the machinery has been stable.If I had the chance to do it over again, I would still buy the Taiwanese equipment. However, I would probably buy an extra year of warranty just to feel more secure.