Case study: Roundhay School

Top-notch school laser cutters are a great way to get your students excited about Design and Technology. These machines really help students bring their ideas to life!

However, this is only the case if you’re using an effective, well-maintained, accurate piece of equipment – so you need to take care when choosing your next model.

Roundhay School know all about this, having just leased a brand-new laser cutter from Utility Rentals. We asked the school for some advice on choosing the best device for its needs.

What was Roundhay School looking for?

The team at Roundhay wanted a replacement for their old school laser cutter. Josh Krzyworaczka-Robertson, a member of the school’s Design Team, said that they “decided to rent due to the increased downtime of our older laser cutter. We wanted peace of mind that the machine will be up and running and would be fixed without worrying about quotes, lead time or cost.”

That’s why it was essential the school’s package provided assurance that its machine would be installed and maintained with little disruption to school activities.

The school already knew it wanted the HPC LaserScript LS3040 35W Laser cutter, but had to find a way to finance it without breaking the bank … we’ll tell you more about that later.

What to consider when sourcing school laser cutters

When looking for equipment such as this, there are several things to consider:

1) Equipment must fit with the curriculum

Every school is unique, and has different requirements for its laser cutter. When choosing your model, you should think about: usage, downtime, accuracy, size/capacity and its overall ability.

Roundhay School thought carefully about these considerations before contacting Utility Rentals for a quote. The model the school chose is easy to use, and the most advanced desktop model available.

It features a rear pass-through to allow larger objects to be lasered, and a digital display water-temperature gauge to keep students safe.

Another key feature was the BOFA AD Oracle Extraction Unit & Chiller Unit. This makes sure the equipment doesn’t overheat and that any fumes created by the lasers are safely extracted.

All the extra research ensured this model would be a good fit for the school. However, Roundhay also stated that the “option to upgrade and replace the laser cutter in a few years is great too” as it meant the school wasn’t restricted to sticking with this model at the end of the lease.

2) Support package

School laser cutters require a great deal of maintenance, luckily Utility Rentals offer a comprehensive support package to ensure product satisfaction throughout the rental period. This includes:

• Delivery
• Installation
• Onsite training for a team of staff
• Parts and labour warranty for the full rental term
• Annual servicing of the laser cutter

This package was part of what attracted Roundhay School to Utility Rentals, as it meant repairs and servicing would be handled quickly and efficiently.

3) Cost and payment methods

Financing new equipment can be difficult for schools, but Utility Rentals’ option of spreading the cost over a long period helps relieve the pressure in the case of limited cash flow.

Roundhay was also impressed by the “multitude of plans to choose from” and stated that Utility Rentals offered “by far the most comprehensive package.”

The team at the school went on to say that the “pricing was at the lower end of the quotes I obtained”, proving that Utility Rentals’ prices are very competitive.

The Utility Rentals’ touch

Roundhay was very impressed by the team at Utility Rentals, and the service they provided.

They concluded that the entire experience “was great. The team were very friendly and informative. They always followed up work done by the manufacturer and even checked in when everything was up and running.

“Yes, I would (recommend Utility Rentals), primarily due to how painless the process was. Everything went smoothly and I know they will be there to help if I should need it.

If you need help choosing your school laser cutter, talk to the experts at Utility Rentals today.