Hey, industrial laser systems suppliers, wake up! You’re loosing the PR war to those pesky waterjet people. First it was those amusing Orange County Chopper guys stealing the show at the 2004 IMTS with standing-room-only crowds twice a day. And if you follow their cable TV show, you know they use their waterjet, routinely, to cut special parts for the various choppers they build. What’s more, the OCC people brag about the performance of this equipment for one-of part making.
And now I check my mail and find Jay Leno featured on the cover of a fabricating journal, touting waterjet cutting with equipment he has installed in his Big Dog garage. When asked, in a six-page feature, if he had looked at lasers also, Leno says, “…laser cutters are OK. I like them too, but the thing about the waterjet is that you can cut any material…even pizzas with it.” And worse; the editor of the publication gets his picture taken with Leno.
Come on guys; surely you can get some high-profile celebrities to act as shills for laser processing. ILS is ready to work with you on ways to carry your message to the multitude of readers who are not yet laser users and who might react to celebrity usage; you know, the people who used to beg suppliers for pin-up calendars years ago. Put your thinking caps on and let’s communicate. Is it important that the industry gets celebrity endorsements? Not really, but I notice the waterjet equipment suppliers to OCC and Leno are milking it for all its worth. Let’s talk! - DAB