Welcome to the SLA-500 Product Page

• CA Companies get financial support
• Additional SLA-500 Parts Offered
• SLA-500 Optics
• CPU Upgrade
• Solid State Laser Vs. Argon Laser
• Solid State Conversion FAQ's
• Cost Comparison
• References
• SLA-500 before & after conversion pictures
• information@laserinnovations.com

• Yes, RPC 100ND & Somos 7120, 8120, & 9120 resins, will work fine.

• The install will take place within an 8 hour day. Most of our customers
  drain the old Argon resin, and add the new Solid state resin, on the day prior. 
  This way the resin is at the proper temperature, prior to our arrival.

• The spot size can be set to the same size you have been using with your
  Argon Ion laser.

• No ! You do not have to pay twice, for one laser.

• Yes, the very same used in the SLA-350, SLA-3500, SLA-5000, & SLA-7000.

• Laser "#2", will cost $38,500.00 + travel expenses. This laser will have
  the same warranty as the first laser; 1 year / 5,000 hours.

• (worst case scenario)
  400 milliWatt laser will cost $63,000.00 / year, for (2) two years, or 10,000 hours
  (typical scenario)
   400 milliWatt laser will cost $31,500.00 / year, for (4) four years, or 20,000+ hours

• No. Every one of our customers has a resin vendor already: Vantico, Somos, or
  RPC. We prefer to be only a laser vendor & service provider.

• 9 out of 10 times, we can provide technical assistance with in 4 hours. 
  (1 out of 10 times, with in 8 hours - we're only Human here) We stock lasers 
  & replacement parts, so your only a "Fed-X" away from our inventory. If 
  required, we can have an FE on site with 24 to 48 hours. 

• One. The RF driver failed in the power supply, it was replaced within 24 hours.

• None, we use the existing internal 220 or 110  AC voltage.

• No.

• Yes we do, & free of charge. We provide technical support for customers
  and non-customers alike. On our solid state, (resin applications inquiries), 
  on the Argon lasers (for the SLA-500's), and even on the HeCd's. We also 
  provide support on the other electronic equipment on the SLA. (eg. Vat
  controller, z-axis driver, motors, AOM, scanners, scanner drivers, cpu, etc.)

• 12 years. 10 years under Laser Innovations.

• 35 plus years. The past 10 years have been concentrated on solid state lasers. 

• (1) SLA-500 with a 400mW Solid State Laser
  RPC 300ND
  

• (1) SLA-500 with a 400mW Solid State Laser
  Somos 7120

• (1) SLA-500 with a 400mW Solid State Laser
  Somos 9120 

• (1) SLA-500 with a 400mW Solid State Laser
  RPC 100ND

• (1) SLA-500 with a 400mW Solid State Laser
  Somos 7120

• (1) SLA-500 with a 400mW Solid State Laser
  Somos 7120

• (1) SLA-500 with a 400mW Solid State Laser
  RPC 100ND

• Coherent Argon Ion Lasers. For purchase or loan to our customers.
• All of the optics: steering mirrors, barrel lens assembly, AOM, window.
• Pentium cpu upgrades.
• X-Y scanner encoder motors.
• X-Y scanner encoder motor driver electronics.
• X-Y scanner encoder mirrors.
• Z-stage motors, with or without optical feedback.
• Z-stage driver electronics, with or without optical feedback.
• Laser leveling system, repair or replacement.
• Rim controller repair, or replacement. 
• Vat leveling motor(s), or driver electronics repair & replacement. 
• We provide PCA - 500 service & parts

Graph 1

The average useable lifetime of an argon ion laser is approximately 5000 hours, upon which the average end of life power observed is ~100 mW.  In order to achieve the typical 300 mW at the vat, the average laser needs to run at approximately 400 mW at the head to counter the usual optical path losses, such as the external AOM found in the SLA-500.  In order to maintain this desired level of performance, the tube current must be raised over the life of the laser.

The solid state laser has an initial output power of 400 mW and remains at 400 mW after 5000 hours.  As an added benefit, system throughput is typically improved due to the removal of the AOM, which is no longer needed with this state-of-the-art upgrade.   Additionally, there is no discernible increase in the utility requirements such as those required by an aging argon ion laser to maintain output power.

Using the above parameters, how much more work does the solid state laser execute over the argon ion laser in a 5000 hour period, prior to the need of being replaced by a new argon ion laser?

Work Executed by the Argon Ion Laser

Using a best-case scenario, the typical argon ion laser's performance approximates Graph 1.  Using regular maintenance to counter typical degradation, power can be made to remain somewhat constant in the first 1000 hours of operation.  After this point, the degradation can be approximated mathematically by the curve of a parabola.  The total area under this combined curve is the work executed by the argon ion laser (W=Pt).  It is worth noting this is the point where the laser tube current needs to be raised periodically to maintain the desired vat power.

In order to find the area under the curve, we need to find an equation that satisfies the curve. The easiest way to produce an equation for the argon ion laser's curve is to observe the inverse parabola, find an equation, then switch the x and y to gain the equation of the curve. 
E.g.:   

Graph 2

Taking the known points for the curve of the argon ion laser and interchanging them create the parabola.  E.g.: V (1000,400) => V (400,1000).  The graph that is created from this process is an inverse of the original graph.  For inverse functions, the graph of either function is the reflection of the graph of the other across the line y = x.  Once we find an equation for this parabola we can interchange the x and y to generate an equation for the parabola’s inverse, which will be the equation of the curve for the argon ion laser.

The inverse of the argon ion laser’s curve produces a vertex V (400,1000) and a point P (100,5000), (see Graph 2, Inverse Curve of an Argon Ion Laser). 

The equation of a parabola is in the form y = ax² + bx + c.  After completing the square in x and plugging in the vertex V (h,k), the equation (x-h)² = 4p(y-k) is produced.  Plugging in a point other than the vertex will give us the value of p.

V(400,1000)     P(100,5000)
(x-h)² = 4p(y-k)
(x-400)² = 4p(y-1000)
(100-400)² = 4p(5000-1000)
p = 45/8 = 5.625               =>   (x-400)² = 4p(y-1000)
                                              (x-400)² = 22.5(y-1000)
                                               y = ­ (x –400) ² + 1000
                                                          22.5

This is the equation for the inverse function. To find the equation for the curve of the argon ion laser, simply interchange the x and y. The equation produced is: y = ±(22.5) (x-1000) + 400

Only the lower half of the graph, the negative portion, represents the curve for the argon ion laser.  Therefore, the equation is: y = -(22.5) (x-1000) + 400

Work Executed by the Argon Ion Laser

The area under the straight section is equal to _a^b f(x) dx.

y = 400
f(x) = 400
W_a = ₀¹⁰⁰⁰ 400 dx
W_a = 400,000

The area under the curve is equal to _a^b  f(x) dx.

y = -(22.5) (x-1000) + 400
f(x) = -(22.5) (x-1000) + 400
W_b = ₁₀₀₀⁵⁰⁰⁰ [ -(22.5)(x-1000)^1/2 +400 ] dx

                       METHOD OF SUBSTITUTION

                                u = x – 1000                  where x = 1000, u = 0
                              du = dx                           where x = 5000, u = 4000

W_b = ₀⁴⁰⁰⁰ [-(22.5) u^1/2 + 400] du
W_b = [-(2/3)(22.5)u^3/2 + 400u ]₀⁴⁰⁰⁰  

W_b 800,000

Total work is equal to W_a + W_b = 1,200,000

Work Executed by the Solid State Laser

The equation for the solid state laser is y = 400.

y = 400
f(x) = 400
W = ₀⁵⁰⁰⁰ 400 dx
W = [400x]₀⁵⁰⁰⁰
W = 2,000,000

Work Difference Between the Solid State Laser and Argon Ion Laser

Work done by the solid state laser   * 100 = %
Work done by argon ion laser

 2,000,000   *  100  =  167%
1,200,000

In 5,000 hours, the Spectra Physics solid state laser executes 167% of the work the argon ion laser executes in 5,000 hours.  In other words, the Spectra Physics solid state laser executes an additional 67% of work than the argon ion laser.  

In these days of ever increasing electricity prices, we wanted to highlight the low power consumption level of the Solid State laser verses the older technology of the Argon laser.