Evaluating Laser Equipment

You want to use a domestic laser to replace the imported model, but you don't know where to start. We will guide you step by step on how to scientifically assess whether domestic equipment can meet your needs.With the help of real-life case studies, you can avoid common pitfalls and make purchasing decisions with the highest possible cost-performance ratio.

Why evaluate domestic substitutes?

In the past two years, domestic laser technology has made great strides, but when people talk about replacing imported equipment with domestic lasers, they often raise concerns about performance and stability. But in fact, it's just like buying a mobile phone. No matter how good the specifications are, it's only when you use it that you know.Now let's forget about all the propaganda and get down to the nitty-gritty and see what's really going on with domestic substitution.

Three things to clarify before you begin.

What is the scale of production you require?

Don't rush to look at the specifications. First take out a piece of paper and write down the laser power, processing time and material type you need every day on your production line.For example, if you have a small factory that does metal cutting, and that factory only needs 2000 watts for eight hours a day, then you can just use ordinary LEDs. But if you have a large factory that runs 24 hours a day, then you have to look carefully at the heat dissipation design and the lifespan of the LEDs.

What's so bad about importing equipment?

Have you ever had to wait three months for spare parts? Are maintenance costs too high? List these problems, and then compare them with the domestic equipment.I met a metal processing shop owner last time who told me that he was charged NT $ 20,000 to change a laser head lens. A domestic supplier offered to do the job for NT $ 2,000 including shipping. That's a real reason to replace.

What's the budget ceiling?

Don't just look at the price of equipment! Be sure to calculate the hidden costs of importing equipment: customs duties, logistics, annual maintenance fees, and losses due to downtime.One of our clients who makes auto parts calculated that even though our machines are 30 % cheaper than imported ones, the savings on import duties and spare parts would enable them to buy two extra machines after three years.

It's a case of hand-holding, and comparing key performance indicators.

Quality of light--don't be fooled by numbers.

M² (beam quality factor) is a hard metric, but lab data and workshop data are two different things.You ask the manufacturer to bring their equipment to your factory, and to use your materials to produce a sample.We tested a domestic fiber laser with an advertised M2 of less than 1.3, and found that in a dusty environment it actually performed better than an imported laser with an M2 of 1.1.

Long-term stability depends on these details.

Open up the case and have a look at the cooling structure. Is it really made of copper tubes and fans? Touch the power supply module to see how hot it is. Some imported equipment uses aluminum plates for cooling, which is just a way of taking advantage of the fact that domestic users don't know what they're doing.The key is to ask the manufacturer for data on how much the brightness of the diodes will decrease after 1000 hours of continuous operation.

After-sales service is buried in the contract.

Don ’ t believe what they say; look closely at the contract and make sure it covers these points: Is the response time precise to the hour? Can the warranty period be extended to three years? Is there a regional spare parts warehouse?In Zhejiang Province, a company that makes eyeglass frames relies on this. When its equipment breaks down, it can get a replacement laser within 24 hours, which is a week quicker than importing a laser from overseas.

It's a necessary part of a test flight.

He deliberately creates little "accidents.

Suddenly cutting off the power or restarting it, adjusting the temperature of the cooling water by ± 5 ℃, or artificially creating voltage fluctuations-these are the sorts of tests that can really put the equipment to the test.One domestic manufacturer's laser printers automatically switch to an energy-saving mode when the voltage is unstable. This feature alone was enough to make a client abandon a major German brand.

He then calls on his teacher to join in the criticism.

The company has hired experienced workers who have operated imported equipment to test its own. They are most familiar with the buttons that are awkward to use, and the alarm signals that are counterintuitive.One time, a teacher found that the focus knob on the domestically made equipment was a little bigger than on the imported equipment, so that it could be operated even while wearing gloves. This small improvement earned the local equipment a few extra points.

The final decision.

Draw up a table of the advantages and disadvantages of domestic and imported equipment, and mark the three to five points that will most affect you.Take energy consumption, for example. A difference of 10 % may not matter, but if domestic equipment can save 15 days in installation and debugging time, it can be a lifesaver for a factory that is trying to meet an order deadline.Finally, remember: There is no such thing as perfect equipment, only the most appropriate choices.