In a message dated 99-09-23 15:54:31 EDT, wlfoss@collins.rockwell.com writes:
<< I guess that my major concern at this point
is determining if the SLA-7000 is worth the extra money and how much does
it really cost to set-up an SLA operation on top of the modeler cost. >>
Is the SLA -7000 worth the extra cost?
In a word NO.
It is basically an SLA-5000 as far as capacity, build envelope, goes. It even
uses many of the same parts. With the exception of one major advanced
feature, the ability to vary the spot size. That will improve the throughput
for some but not all build styles. Worth the extra $200~300K? Now 3D could
have made this feature available as an upgrade for the entire line. But they
have decided not to retrofit Diode lasers, improved scanning systems, and
other recent developments. As has been stated they are in the business of
selling new machines. This would make for an opportunity for 3rd party
suppliers. One can only hope. The introduction of the SLA-7000, along with
the availability of Diode lasers from 3rd parties, has done one thing, it has
really heated up the market for used SLA-500's.
Andy Scott
Lockheed Martin Aero Sys
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Tue Jun 05 2001 - 22:52:50 EEST