Wanted to know if there has been a decision on the purchase of 2 new Thunder lasers?
Thanks
Shaun
The laser committee wants to increase our capabilities and cut down wait times, so we have gotten a quote for new smaller Thunder lasers. We currently have no space though until we determine the fate of the lasersaur. Initially we thought we’d sell it or donated to another makerspace, and now there’s a makerspace in need so that’s the direction we want to go. I’ve gotten conflicting information on how to go about this from the board though. Once we get all that lined out, we’ll look to purchase. They ship from China, so it’ll still be a while before more lasers are up and running.
Hope this fills everyone in. Thanks for your interest and patience!
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Thanks Merissa for the quick reply. Look forward to seeing the board resolve this issue.
Shaun
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Does the Lasersaur have performance/capability issues, or is it a user preference/training issue? Not trying to stir up a storm, not suggesting anything, just asking.
I know that I use the Thunder because I don’t remember much (OK, anything) about how to use the more complicated Lasersaur user-interface.
If it’s a user preference/training issue, could we offer some brief Lasersaur-specific classes as a short-term fix to alleviate the queuing while we await new Thunders?
I think there are a lot of little reasons why the lasersaur is underutilized. People seem more comfortable on the Thunder, until recently the saur couldn’t raster, it seems to have alignment issues more frequently, etc. Saur-specific training might help folks use it more before it’s gone, so if anyone wants to work on that I’m totally supportive. We only have a few folks that actively give classes on the lasers though, so I don’t want to overtax them.
The best thing we can do to streamline training and open teachers up to more advanced or project based classes is get basics on Moodle. If anyone wants to help with that project let me know 
In general, even if the saur were used more, I think we could benefit from more mid sized lasers so there is more equipment available for use.
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I guess I’ll ask a stupid question. Why does the lasersaur have to be “out the door” before ordering the others, if it’s a largely foregone conclusion the others will be ordered? If it were a $$ thing, that’d be different, but it appears we are considering GIVING AWAY the 'saur, making the money obviously not the point. So order the new ones, when they arrive, if the 'saur isn’t yet out the door, off-site it til that avenue becomes cleared/traversable…less overall down time, more swaths of fun…
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I didnt say it had to be gone before new ones come in. I just want to know for sure what the plan is, and there’s also floor space rearrangement to figure out for electrical and venting.
Until recently we didnt know if the space would be expanding. If we had expanded, we could have kept the saur and asked for more floor space to add more lasers. Now we know that’s not an option.
Definitely will try to minimize any decrease in laser availability.
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What models are the two new thunder lasers? Somewhere in between the current thunder and the zing (size/capacity)?
Funny enough, I took laser basics before we had any of our current machines, thus haven’t been formally trained on them.
My laser needs have - until recently - revolved solely around cutting, thus the 'saur was a good machine for me. Haven’t tried the new UI and hope the workflow hasn’t changed drastically. I’ll miss it when it’s gone, but not to the point of protesting its departure.
Now that there’s a laser basics course not on a Saturday, looks like I’ll get up to speed on the Thunder next Monday.
Agree. I wasn’t suggesting the 'Saur instead of new ones - just trying to think of a way to alleviate the wait on the Thunder. Thanks.
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Looking at getting two Nova35 Thunder Lasers. 130 Watt and bed is about 2Ă—3ft.
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Do any of the lasers we are considering share any common replacement parts with the Thunder that we already have?
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