Have You Got Anything Cheaper?
Choosing a Laser
When you are choosing a laser, price is a major consideration for our customers; quite rightly in our view but not if it’s the be all and end all.
When price is made the priority, it’s important to remember that, more often than not, you get what you pay for. The lower the cost, the greater the compromise to accommodate it. Which means you end up paying in other ways, for example, in quality, reliability, precision or output speed or a combination of factors.
Beating Murphy’s Law
“If it can go wrong, it will go wrong”, applies to lasers as much as any other product or piece of machinery. However, one certainty is that the cheaper the laser the more likely it is to have problems.
That’s why your first question when buying a laser should be to your own organisation, “Does the product to be processed justify the cost of laser processing”? If the answer is “yes” you will then have to decide on the balance between value and throughput. You must also bear in mind that by investing in a laser, you are investing in a long term package.
When it comes to dealing with your laser provider, there are three important questions you need to ask before you get to the price. They are:
- What does your support service consist of?
- What and how long is your warranty?
- Where is your nearest engineer in relation to me?
Technical support is an especially important issue. Your staff will need training in using the new laser. Should your staff move on then you will need access to technical know-how before the new staff comes up to speed.
Work out your priorities
Choosing the right laser is so much more than a cost issue. To ensure your laser provider recommends a laser that really meets your needs, there are some more questions you need to ask yourself.
First, what do you want the laser to do? What products and applications will you be using it for?
Next, what are your critical requirements? For example, for marking is it legibility of text on metal or colour contrast on film or, if cutting, edge quality?
How often will you be using your laser – one shift a day, continuously or as and when?
What do you plan to use for creating your files? Graphic and CAD design software and file formats (DXF, PDF, TXT, etc.) are an issue.
And finally, to bring matters back to the beginning, what’s your budget?!!
If you have the answers to all of the questions in this blog and don’t just look out for the cheapest option, you will more than likely purchase a laser that’s right for your needs, boosts your productivity and delivers a healthy return on your investment.
If you need any help at all in choosing a laser or would like to hear our recommendations regarding your requirements, please contact sales@tlm-laser.com