Laser technologies

Raising the Stakes on Compatible Laser Toner Cartridge Technology

Since 1986, Laser Technologies has worked to perfect the manufacturing of compatible laser toner cartridges. On a recent tour of their facility, Office World News was able to get an inside view of just how far Laser Technologies goes to ensure the success of their cartridges and the continued success of their company.

Laser Technologies prides itself on its 90,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility, recently expanded to include the production of color compatible cartridges. All work is conducted at this facility including sales, administration, production and distribution. With more than 150 employees, Laser Technologies produces 50 to 60 thousand cartridges per month with a capacity exceeding 100,000 cartridges per month.

THE PROCESS

Working through brokers, dealers and direct return mail, Laser Technologies collects hundreds of thousands of empty OEM cartridges for the manufacturing process. An initial inspection is performed on each cartridge to ensure that the cartridges meet stringent standards. After the initial inspection, cartridges are sorted by type and stored until needed. Laser Technologies has developed a sophisticated computer system to track the specific warehouse location of all cartridges and other raw materials. Every skid is bar coded so that Laser Technologies can find any type of cartridge at a click of a mouse.

The cartridges are disassembled and cleaned at the beginning of the manufacturing process. Components are inspected and processed for use according to the procedures and specifications written by the Research and Development department. The toner hoppers are sealed with an OEM style seal and then filled. The toner used varies from cartridge type to cartridge type and is carefully matched with the OPC drum to provide excellent print quality and page yields that meet or exceed OEM cartridge performance.

During the assembly process, any components that do not meet stringent quality standards are replaced with new components before the cartridges are finally assembled. Once assembled, the cartridges are print tested and inspected 100% before being packed.

Laser Technologies' packaging and labeling are also unique in the industry. To ensure cartridge safety, Laser Technologies has developed custom end-caps that keep cartridges safe and snug with little movement, even when tossed around busy mailrooms or delivery trucks. "We take our packaging seriously," said Bill Kopatich, president of Laser Technologies. "We want to make sure cartridges arrive at a customer's site in the same condition as when they left our facility." Customized programs allow customers to choose options for packaging as well. Labels with customized logos and contact information are available and, for very large accounts, customers can actually choose to have custom boxes made.

STANDARDS OF PERFECTION

Insisting on having cartridges that are equal to or surpass OEM performance, Laser Technologies tests each cartridge for quality. A small amount of extra toner is placed on each cartridge and tested through five pages of printing. These five pages include an entirely black page, an entirely white page, a grayscale page going from light to dark and other technical pages. Specially trained technicians examine these pages for any flaws or spots before cleaning and giving the cartridge a green light.

But wait, there's more to Laser Technologies' quality assurance.

Copyright B U S Publishing Group, Inc. Aug 2001
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