Text version of the page

A few months back, Universal Laser Systems (ULS) and EJ agreed that a product review of their VersaLASER VL-300 with emphasis placed on its breakthrough lens technology “High Power Density Focusing Optics” (HPDFO) would be beneficial to EJ readers. This lens allows a 30 watt CO
2 laser to actually mark metal! This is something CO
2 lasers just can’t normally do and certainly not the 30 watt variety. This is really exciting technology and I was anxious to try it out for myself. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the beginning—a fancy lens is nothing without a good laser to hang it on. VersaLASERs come in two sizes; the VL-200 which is a 12" x 16" laser and the VL-300 which is the 12" x 24" version. The VL-200 comes in either a 10, 25 or 30 watt version while the VL-300 also offers a wider variety of wattages ranging from 10 to 50 watts, with the most common being 30, 40 or 50 watts. The more powerful the laser, the more effective and versatile it will be both in normal CO
2 operation and with the HPDFO lens. The HPDFO lens can be used on the VL-300 and all the other ULS models currently in production. Although it can be used on the VL-200, most users will want to have more power than the VL-200 can offer. This is not a negative since typical engraving shops should be looking at the VL-300 anyway since it allows a full sheet of engraving metal or a quarter sheet of engrav-ing plastic to be placed on the table. The smaller version has many applications in gift shops and the like and it, of course, costs less money, but for the sign shop/engraving shop/industrial user, the VL-300 is the laser of choice and will quickly recover any difference in initial cost. ULS’s VersaLASER was unique in its original con-cept. It was designed with the non-professional in mind. In fact, it was (and is) marketed for a much wider variety of applications than a traditional laser and was designed from the ground up to fit nicely in an office setting as well as on an industrial floor. Its USB connectivity and all com-puter-controlled operation testifies to the fact that it was intended to be used by secretaries in offices, in schools, by photographers, by salespeople in gift shops and a host of others. And that has proven to offer many new markets for ULS. Perhaps you’ve seen their ads in some of the non-industry magazines such as

VersaLaser™ Product Review - 14769 PRICE STRUCTURE

At the time this was written, these were the recommended U.S. prices for the various sizes of the VersaLASER:

VL-200/10 Watt: $7,695 VL-200/25 Watt: $9,995VL-200/30 Watt: $10,995 VL-300/10 Watt: $9,695 VL-300/25 Watt: $11,995 VL-300/30 Watt: $12,995 VL-300/40 Watt: $14,995 VL-300/50 Watt: $16,995 HPDFO Lens: $2,650 PC Magazine and PC World . One of the latest industries to begin installing lasers is the scrapbook industry.

For information on VersaLaser or any Universal Laser Systems product, please call 800-859-7033 or 480-483-1214 or visit www.ulsinc.com.

Copyright © 2006 by Davis Multimedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. As printed in May 2006, Volume 31, No. 11 of The Engravers Journal. THE ENGRAVERS JOURNAL/MAY 2006 1 www.engraversjournal.com