In a previous note I had inquired about the experiences of those who
have chose not to buy maintenance contracts on there SLA equipment. The
general response was that they were successful in their attempts and
saved significantly but noted that the service and parts response was
somewhat slower then when a contract was in place. The replies were
somewhat scarce. (6 replies) Some folks mentioned that they did their
own preventive maintenance and others explained they hired a third party
for things such as laser installations. One reply said that a laser
supplier actually assisted in the installation and that the cost of the
laser itself was much lower and has a higher output. The range of
savings in dollars was from 65 to 95% when compared to paying for
maintenance contracts and the down time ranged from a few days to a few
weeks. A reliable machine requiring next to no maintenance costs in a
year, while even one requiring allot still saved 65%. One other note
stated that 3D would only work on the called on repair when it
responded, if another problem was identified at the service visit they
required a second call in and visit from 3D. This sounds a bit unfair to
me.
At this time I still have reservations on going forward with this
because of the limited information. I tend to believe it would be
worthwhile as long as you have enough equipment to cover yourself if one
goes down for an extended time. I would ask again for more feedback
from anyone who has tried this but not replied to my first note and add
to that request. I would also like to know what internal preventive
maintenance schedules they have put into place. Below you will fine a
copy of my original post with the added question. Any experiences will
be appreciated and welcome. I will report back my findings to whoever
wishes, just ask. . Thanks in advance to all.
Hi to All 3D Systems Customers,
I have some questions to those brave souls who have tried the path of no annual maintenance contracts. If you have dropped maintenance on your SLA
machines and paid for service as needed could you please answer these questions?
How have you found the response time and cost to be when you've called for service?
Has the savings been significant?
Has your down time been much longer?
o What if any maintenance schedules have you put into place that
YOU do in house?
I realize these are sensitive questions. Please feel free to reply privately if you would prefer anonymity.
--Regards, Joe DeGuglielmo
For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/
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