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FAQ's
1. Do I have to change resin ?
  • Yes, RPC 100ND & Somos 7120 & 8120 resins, will work fine.
2. How long will my machine be down ?
  • The install will take place within an 8 hour day. Most of our customers
    drain the old HeCd resin, and add the new Solid state resin, on the day prior. 
    This way the resin is at the proper temperature, prior to our arrival.
3. What is the spot size ?
  • The spot size can be set to the same size you have been using with your
    HeCd, or we can adjust to a minimum of 3 to 4 mil.
4. Can I have both a small & big spot size ?
  • Yes, you can. We have developed an electro-optical device that is 
    placed in the machine, so the customer may select which spot size
    they wish. This device is controlled by the customer manually, & is not 
    operated by the computer. (The SLA-1 build-station software does not have this capability)
5. Is your warranty "pro-rated" ?
  • No ! You do not have to pay twice, for one laser.
6. Is this the same solid state laser technology that 3D Systems currently uses?
7. What is the cost of a replacement laser, after the warranty has expired ?
  • Laser "#2", will cost $38,500.00 + travel expenses. This laser will have
    the same warranty as the first laser; 2 years / 10,000 hours or 3 years /
    15,000 hours, whichever you originally purchased.
7.1 Cost of ownership / year, for the first 2 consecutive lasers:
  • 50 milliWatt laser will cost $19,000.00 / year, for (6) six years
    100 milliWatt laser will cost $29,000.00 / year, for (4) four years
8. Is the cost of resin included with the purchase price ?
  • No. Every one of our customers has a resin vendor already: Ciba, Somos, or
    RPC. We prefer to be only a laser vendor & service provider.
9. What is your warranty response time ?
  • 9 out of 10 times, we can provide technical assistance with in 4 hours. 
    (1 out of 10 times, with in 8 hours - we're only Human here) We stock lasers 
    & replacement parts, so your only a "Fed-X" away from our inventory. If 
    required, we can have an FE on site with 24 to 48 hours. 
10 How many of your solid state lasers have failed under warranty ?
  • One. The RF driver failed in the power supply, it was replaced within 24 hours.
11. What additional AC voltage is required ?
  • None, we use the existing AC voltage source that the HeCd laser used.
12. Are your solid state lasers water-cooled ?
  • No.
13. Do you provide technical assistance ?
  • Yes we do, & free of charge. We provide technical support for customers
    and non-customers alike. On our solid state, (resin applications inquiries), 
    on the Argon lasers (for the SLA-500's), and even on the HeCd's. We also 
    provide support on the other electronic equipment on the SLA. (eg. Vat
    controller, z-axis driver, motors, AOM, scanners, scanner drivers, cpu, etc.)
14. How long have you been in business ?
  • 12 years. 10 years under Laser Innovations.
15. How many years has Spectra-Physics been in business ?
  • 35 plus years. The past 10 years have been concentrated on solid state lasers. 
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ADDITIONAL “SLA” PARTS THAT ARE OFFERED
  • Omnichrome HeCd lasers, typically used as "free" loaners to our customers.
  • All of the optics: steering mirrors, telescope assembly, window.
  • Pentium cpu upgrades, with Windows N/T.
  • "Multi-spot" optical assembly for "HR" applications.
  • X-Y scanner motors.
  • X-Y scanner motor driver electronics.
  • X-Y scanner mirrors.
  • Z-stage motors, with or without optical feedback. 
  • Z-stage driver electronics, with or without optical feedback.
  • Laser leveling system, repair or replacement.
  • Vat controller repair, or replacement. 
  • Plunger leveling motor. 
  • We provide PCA - 250 service & parts

 

Price list - F.O.B. Santa Paula, CA
Laser Innovations' Solid State replacement parts
$14,500.00 Diode assembly for 250-LI-50
  3 year / 15,000 hour warranty - not prorated
$14,500.00 Diode assembly for 250-LI-100
  2 year / 10,000 hour warranty - not prorated
$38,500.00 Complete laser system "swap-out", 250-LI-50
  3 year / 15,000 hour warranty - not prorated
$38,500.00 Complete laser system "swap-out", 250-LI-100
  2 year / 10,000 hour warranty - not prorated
CPU Upgrade 
Call for pricing Pentium III 500MHz, 8-12Gig HD, 128Meg RAM, 48xCD, Windows N/T workstation, Ethernet card, 1.44 floppy drive
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Spectra Physics Solid State Laser vs. HeCd Laser

The average life span of a HeCd laser is 5000 hours and has an initial power output of 40 milliwatts.  After 5000 hours, the HeCd laser has an output of 15 milliwatts.  The Solid State laser has an initial power output of 50 milliwatts and remains at 50 milliwatts after 5000 hours.  The area under each curve is the work executed by each laser (W = Pt).  

How much more work does the Solid State laser execute than the HeCd laser in 5000 hours?  Let the work done by the HeCd laser be 100%.

Work Executed by the HeCd Laser

In order to find the area under the curve, we need to find an equation that satisfies the curve.  The shape of the curve is similar to that of a parabola.  A parabola is symmetrical about the y-axis.  HeCd laser’s curve is symmetrical about the x-axis.  The inverse function of HeCd laser’s curve will produce a parabola, which we can produce an equation for.  For inverse functions, it follows that if the point (a,b) lies on the graph of one of the functions, then the point (b,a) lies on the graph of the other.  The easiest way to produce an equation for the HeCd laser’s curve is to observe its inverse, a parabola, find that equation, then switch the x and y to gain the equation of HeCd laser’s curve.  E.g.: 

The inverse of HeCd laser’s curve produces a vertex V(40,0) and a point P(15,5000), (see next page, Inverse Curve of HeCd Laser).  The equation of a parabola is in the form y = ax2 + bx + c.  After completing the square in x and plugging in the vertex V(h,k), the equation (x-h)2 = 4p(y-k) is produced.  Plugging in a point other than the vertex will give us the value of p.

 

This is the equation for the inverse function.  To find the equation for the curve of the HeCd laser, simply interchange the x and y.  The equation produced is:

y = ±Öx  + 40.
        Ö8

 

Only the lower half of the graph, the negative portion represents the curve for the HeCd laser.  Therefore, the equation is:  y =-Öx +40.                                                                   Ö8

This parabola is created by taking the known points for the curve of the HeCd laser and interchanging them.  E.g.: P(0,40) -> p(40,0).  The graph that is created from this process is an inverse of the original graph.  For inverse functions, the graph of either function is the reflection of the graph of the other across the line y = x.  Once we find an equation for this parabola we can interchange the x and y to generate an equation for the parabola’s inverse, which will be the equation of the curve for the HeCd laser.

The area under a curve is equal to òab  f(x) dx.

y = -Öx  + 40
      
Ö8

f(x) = -Öx  + 40
          Ö8

f(x) = -  1  x1/2 + 40
          Ö8

W = òo5000 (-1/Ö8  x1/2 + 40) dx

 

W = [2/3 (-1/Ö8) x3/2 + 40x]05000

W @ 116667 - 0

W @ 116667

Work Executed By The Solid State Laser

The equation for the Solid State laser is y = 50.

y = 50
f(x) = 50
W = ò05000 50 dx
W = [50x]05000
W = 250000

Work Difference Between Solid State Laser and HeCd Laser

Work done by Solid State laser   * 100 = %
Work done by HeCd laser

250000   *  100  =  214 %
116667

In 5,000 hours, Spectra Physics Solid State laser executes 214% of the work the HeCd laser executes in 5,000 hours.  In other words, Spectra Physics Solid State laser executes an additional 114% of work more than the HeCd laser.

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3 Year Cost Comparison    SLA-1 
HeCd Total cost of ownership is $135,390.00
Solid State Total cost of ownership is   $91,500.00 (A savings of $43,890.00)
HeCd
Initial cost of laser is $17,500.00. (3D Systems list price)
Laser head replacements is ~4.7 x $17,500.00 = $82,250.00
Downtime is approximately 1 week per replacement = 33 days (792 hours)
792 hours x $45.00/hour = $35,640.00
Average output power is 31mWatts
Total cost of ownership is $135,390.00

Solid State
Initial cost of Laser is $87,500.00
Initial cost of resin is ~ $4,000.00**
Laser Head replacements is 0
Downtime is not a factor
Average output power is a constant 50mWatts*
Total cost of ownership is $91,500.00 (A savings of $43,890.00)

* This proves to increase throughput of production by 114%

** Another + is the ability to use these newer, & faster resins; which are currently 
being provided to the market by Ciba, Somos, & RPC. (High temp, more durable, etc.) 

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SLA-1 Optics
$ 5,750.00 Multi-Spot
Optical Assembly for .003" / .005" / .010" spot sizes * 
$ 595.00 250-Window
Window Optic 
$ 445.00 250-Steer
Main Steer Mirror 
$ 445.00 250-Second
"Secondary" Steering Optics 

* Currently for use only with our solid state conversion laser.

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