Newsletter 29.6.2016:
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LitePlacer pick and Place kit prices are going to go up. Get yours now!
Don't you hate it when things change just when you were going to act?
When I bought my 3D printer, the manufacturer introduced a new model the very next week. I would have preferred the new model. Although I got what I paid for and I'm still happy about my purchase, there is a bitter side taste on my purchase.
This is not the experience I want to give my customers. Therefore, this email is to pre-announce some future changes. (Look for another mail when these actually happen!)
The kit design is going to improve
With the current design, the machine is not really a start and forget deal, as the pickup needles need to be changed manually. I have found a source for affordable SMD nozzles and adapters, which allow automated change of the pickup tool. The auto tool change will be the main user benefit, although the improvement means some more changes to the machine details.
Price of the kit is going to go up
The new design is more expensive than the old one. Further, even with the old design, the small profit I'm making does not justify the effort I'm putting in. I would have increased the price anyway, but with the changes, the increase is not going to be a small one.
Get your machine now, add the improvements later
There will be a conversion kit for the current design. My current customers got me this far, and I'm thankful for that. Therefore, it is only fair that the conversion kit will be priced reasonably.
If you don't have a LitePlacer yet, order yours now! You will have ample time to assemble the kit and learn how to use the machine. Once the upgrade is available you can upgrade your machine easily. This will save you money, as the price for the current kit plus the upgrade will be significantly lower than the price of the new kit.
Talking about new and upcoming features... OpenPnP!
I know of several cases where you wanted to use Linux machines, and refused to use Windows based software. This is no excuse anymore, I'm happy to tell that there is an alternative: OpenPnP can use LitePlacer hardware! There will be better support on this later, but it is already usable today. There is an OpenPnP section on LitePlacer support forum, and theOpenPnP discussion group is full of helpful people.
OpenPnP runs on Windows, Mac and Linux.
How fast do I need to act?
Good question, but I don't have an answer. I'm working on it, and I don't think this will take very many weeks. In any case, I won't install the new pricing before the last week of July. After that it will happen when the change is ready. I will honor all orders I get before that, of course.
Summer
I'm not going far, but I am taking some time off to enjoy the short Finnish summer. Therefore, unless the weather is really bad and I rather spend the time inside, Unless the weather is very bad, there are no shipments on Fridays during July or August nor between July 11 to July 24.
Have a nice summer!
Best regards,
Juha Kuusama
LitePlacer pick and place machine