Originally Posted by
Scott Shepherd
Three things, Trotec's don't cost $35,000, I doubt that it was $4,800 to your door, and where's it $5,000 to fix a Trotec (which has a 3 year warranty on it)?
I still stand by my comment, this is a MUCH better UV print job than a laser job.
I'd also at least talk/look at screen printing as well. People have been screen printing on wood for a long time.
As for what laser to pick: Do a test. Send out a piece of material to 4 people. Chinese, Epilog, ULS, and Trotec. See what you get back as far as time to do the job and quality.
I'd only look at Chinese lasers if I had the floor space and man power to run 2-3 at a time. If you can get 3 Chinese machines into your facility, then you can probably match or do better than the output of the Trotec. Assuming an average cost of $7500 per laser (including everything), you're looking about the same investment too. One thing to think about is the cost per sq foot. Assuming each laser takes up about 20 sq ft, how much will it cost to take up that extra space? You'll have to make the final decision that works best for you. If you are buying a mainstream machine, I would really look at the Trotec because it will benefit you over the Epilog or ULS. I'd also strongly recommend you look at other methods to produce your product as 30-40 minutes per piece is too much time when there are other options that will give you something in less than half.
Equipment: IS400, IS6000, VLS 6.60, LS100, HP4550, Ricoh GX e3300n, Hotronix STX20
Software: Adobe Suite & Gravostyle 5
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