Ever wonder how sausage is made? How and where my laser was built

[Pieter Swart]

Good Morning Guys,

They always say, to never see how sausage is made, or you'll never eat it again...

Well I got to see how its done and I must say, these guys do a great job!

First, the company is not huge... They manufacture about 20 machines a month.

Below are some pics of the factory floor ( small ) and the build progress of my machine.

Do you see anything I should be worried about? Let me know as they will not ship until I approve the build.

I did not want a honey comb table, as I have my own.

The system does feature some unique options which I did not ask or pay any extra for:

Pass through door at the rear and an auto focus system. ( I thought that was a nice touch)

The sales/after sales Lady, Nancy Jing, is really nice about sending me pics and asking me questions.


Shandong Chuangya Laser Equipment Co., Ltd.


IMG-20170411-WA0000.jpgIMG-20170417-WA0000.jpgIMG-20170417-WA0001.jpgIMG-20170417-WA0002.jpgIMG-20170421-WA0000.jpgIMG-20170421-WA0001.jpgIMG-20170421-WA0002.jpgIMG-20170421-WA00011.jpg

[Pieter Swart]

IMG-20170424-WA0005.jpgIMG-20170424-WA0006.jpgIMG-20170424-WA0007.jpgIMG-20170424-WA0008.jpg

[Bill George]

Interesting.

[Keith Downing]

Interesting to see. Maybe Rodney or one of the other guys who have visited some of the factories can shed more light on this, but it seems like this company (if the photos truly show the extent of their capabilities) is simply assembling parts from other manufacturers? I certainly don't see any machines for casting metal, painting parts, welding or bending covers, etc etc. All of which I've seen numerous times in pictures of other Chinese factories.

I wonder if this type of middleman "production" has become common place their now as well? Or if this is just a small snapshot of a much larger facility that company has.

[Neville Stewart]

Interesting to see. Maybe Rodney or one of the other guys who have visited some of the factories can shed more light on this, but it seems like this company (if the photos truly show the extent of their capabilities) is simply assembling parts from other manufacturers? I certainly don't see any machines for casting metal, painting parts, welding or bending covers, etc etc. All of which I've seen numerous times in pictures of other Chinese factories.

I wonder if this type of middleman "production" has become common place their now as well? Or if this is just a small snapshot of a much larger facility that company has.

I would say " without a doubt" theres probably 2 or 3 real laser companies in China, and the rest are assemblers. Weike, & Hans Laser
seem to be manufacturers.

[Kristian Matz]

I think this is what a lot of them do. Based on the fact that I had to wait 3 days for Ray Fine to order and receive the desktop for my laser, I am pretty sure that is what they are doing.

Interesting to see. Maybe Rodney or one of the other guys who have visited some of the factories can shed more light on this, but it seems like this company (if the photos truly show the extent of their capabilities) is simply assembling parts from other manufacturers? I certainly don't see any machines for casting metal, painting parts, welding or bending covers, etc etc. All of which I've seen numerous times in pictures of other Chinese factories.

I wonder if this type of middleman "production" has become common place their now as well? Or if this is just a small snapshot of a much larger facility that company has.

[Pieter Swart]

Noted:From the pics, you only get to see the small assembly area. The company does have a small manufacturing side also, but since most machines are "stock items" these days, the only thing that was custom on my machine was the color.... it had to be sent to a paint shop. From the picture, its hard to tell that the red is a metalic mix that , matches my Jeep...

For larger custom machines, they have a manufacturing side, but they still rely on other companies for their components, just like any good company...

Not every company needs to cast their own metal or machine their own parts. Not even Toyota casts their own parts, they have them shipped in from a company that specializes in only that one thing.

Other than the fact that you don't see a smelter in the background or casting machines making the machine parts or a bending press bending the body parts, or the paint shop that does custom colors upon request?

[John Lifer]

I expect that it is a combination of all of the above. STD parts like tube, power supply , and controller along with motors and precision parts like rails are all ordered​ from major manufacturers. Sheet metal and frames are built by the named company if they are any size, or ordered​ by smaller builders. Then they assemble. Nothing different than anywhere else except that a lot of different builders and they mostly look very similar. Copies of copies of copies. You have to understand a patent or copyright is a totally foreign concept to the Chinese. And why change if it works? Same business model for the all. In some of my conversations with Blanca, I suggested providing information that was required by US customs should be sent before we requested and would keep delays down for the customer. Send like novel concept to them...... I saw a lot of similarities in manufacturing in Indonesia a decade ago. I'll bet nothing has changed there either!

[Keith Downing]

Noted:From the pics, you only get to see the small assembly area. The company does have a small manufacturing side also, but since most machines are "stock items" these days, the only thing that was custom on my machine was the color.... it had to be sent to a paint shop. From the picture, its hard to tell that the red is a metalic mix that , matches my Jeep...

For larger custom machines, they have a manufacturing side, but they still rely on other companies for their components, just like any good company...

Not every company needs to cast their own metal or machine their own parts. Not even Toyota casts their own parts, they have them shipped in from a company that specializes in only that one thing.

Other than the fact that you don't see a smelter in the background or casting machines making the machine parts or a bending press bending the body parts, or the paint shop that does custom colors upon request?

While there's certainly nothing wrong with the idea of having components outsourced; I do think it is a bit different to compare 20 guys assembling laser parts in China to Toyota. LOL

The main question is, will the company's "product line" be consistent and reliable? Or will ordering the same machine with the same specifications 12 months later yield a totally different result?

[Gene Uselman]

I had two Bodors [exactly the same machines] ordered two weeks apart, they were... similar. Gene

[Dave Sheldrake]

The in-situ drilling of parts to make them fit would worry me considerably. It means the parts are not accurate enough to be machine made then assembled.

That particular company are assemblers not manufacturers, there are very few full manufacturers in china and even those use many off the shelf parts. None of the current manufacturers over there make their own electronics, the electrical side of the machines comes from 1 of 4 makers.

[Merritt Conner]

Ok, sanity check/rant. How much extra would any of us be willing to pay for the exact machine made in our own countries? 10% 20%... There is a lot to be said for the way something is made rather then how it is made. Most of us take for granted, ISO standards, keizen, tech support, craftsmanship, etc. But have trouble placing a monetary value on those.

Having made several lasers and routers for my personal use, I find it easy to add quality/value through building with organization and pride. Other then that, my methodology is probably not much different then Shandong's. ie off the shelf parts, assembled into my unique design.

[Pieter Swart]

IMG-20170427-WA0009.jpgIMG-20170427-WA0013.jpgIMG-20170427-WA0014.jpgIMG-20170427-WA0015.jpgIMG-20170427-WA0016.jpgIMG-20170427-WA0017.jpgIMG-20170427-WA0018.jpgIMG-20170427-WA0019.jpg

So the machine is done...

They through in some more extras which weren't paid for...

a proper silent operation air compressor as shown in the picture
a water chiller.. (this I paid for)
an extra honey comb table top
air filter/dryer
and a nice touch was a wifi controller module, allowing me to send files wirelessly with a 128Mb on-board storage...
They also included an extra safety feature... I can't run the machine remotely after sending the file.. I have to be in the room...

All and all, I am impressed and happy.

Thanks for weighing in guys, its always appreciated!!