Xante x-98 Thoughts

[MarkSnelling]

Makes sense. Thanks for your input. Didn’t think about that’s why machines are shipped that way. I’m also really looking into the belt drive Roland. I’ve seen pictures of them getting delivered without their gantry attached. Might just fit.

You should also look at the entry level Arizona printers. They have a tool called a tilt-and-go which allows the machine to be tilted and pushed through a door. While this goes against what I just said about having the machine inked up and run before it ships, Canon has such a huge US presence that I do not have the same concern as I would with Chinese technology. Their entry level machines come in at really good pricing and there are local Canon techs in Richmond. I can send you over some information if you want it and there is a really good Canon rep who also lives in Richmond who could come to your shop and help you with layout, placement, electrical requirements, etc. Arizona printers are absolute tanks....they run for 10 years on average and their entry machines are priced right in your arena. My email is mark@hascographics.com if you want to learn anything more.

 

[cbdigital]

Isn't the Xante US office in Alabama or Mississippi? I wonder if it wasn't how quickly they would have been there. That's a genuine question...no intentional attitude.

Yes, they're in Mobile, AL, so they are fairly close to me. However, I know another X-33 owner in Houston, TX, who had an onsite last week. Not sure if it was a Xante employee or a dealer tech. From my conversations with the support guys there, I gathered that they often fly techs around. There's no doubt that they are a much smaller player than Roland or Mimaki in the UV space, but they are making a concerted effort to grow. You can't fault them for that.

 

[cbdigital]

Cmon guys, there is no such thing like Xante X-xxx blahblahblah whatever printers.... Those all are just chinese noname OEMs and don't really worth $75k.
You can find the same class equipment on alibaba for $10-20k max....

Yes, the OEM behind the X-33 is Nocai. And yes, I could have bought a Nocai directly from Alibaba, but I would have had to install it and set it up myself. I would have no support from either Xante or my dealer, and I wouldn't have the Xante IQueue software, which I personally love.
The fact that they rebadge a Chinese printer shouldn't be shocking. MOST American equipment companies only design their software here and either own a factory overseas or rebadge an overseas unit. It happens every day in lots of industries. If you look at the laser engraver space, 95% of all laser engravers on the market come from China, and most are just rebadged from the same two or three factories. Aside from Epilog, if you buy anything else, you're getting a rebadged Chinese laser. OMTech, Monport, Thunder, AEON...all Chinese-made, imported, and rebadged here. The difference is they are supported by the US importers who sell them vs. relying on email support from China. For me, there's value in that as it means I'm not wasting my time, which I know the value of.

 

[V. V.]

I would have had to install it and set it up myself. I would have no support from either Xante or my dealer, and I wouldn't have the Xante IQueue software, which I personally love.

Do you think it costs that much? Af for installation and support you could use any local freelancing FSE... ah, doesn't matter.

Aside from Epilog

Trotec, GCC?

 

[cbdigital]

Do you think it costs that much? Af for installation and support you could use any local freelancing FSE... ah, doesn't matter.

Trotec, GCC?

I don’t know of any freelance FSE’s in my market, and I’ve looked. Trotec is an Austrian company, while,they do have offices in the US, they don’t specifically state where their lasers are manufactured. They simply say that they manufacture in Austria, Germany, and the USA. That is pretty vague and doesn’t necessarily mean that the entire system is built in the US. Don’t get me wrong, I like Trotec and I think they and Epilog are head and shoulders above the rest of the industry. I almost bought an Epilog, and still may. GCC is not a brand I’m familiar with, but their website says they are based out of Taiwan.

 

[Dwalls@xante]

Makes sense. Thanks for your input. Didn’t think about that’s why machines are shipped that way. I’m also really looking into the belt drive Roland. I’ve seen pictures of them getting delivered without their gantry attached. Might just fit.

I work at Xante as technical support and I travel setting up the x-33/x-55/x-98 series machines and I can reassure you that the machines are ran, inked up with test heads and ran before packed and shipped to your shop. The larger units fit through a standard door because the gantry goes in seperately. The Arizona gantry’s do not detatch. I also am a trained canon arizona technician and understand them well. The printheads (toshiba) are also 5x the cost to replace then the epson i3200 heads we use.