Ahmedabad, India — According to the Times of India, Sahajanand Laser Technology (SLT; www.sahajanandlaser.com) has been selected to receive a national award from the Technology Development Board for successful commercialization of the company's diamond planning machine. This machine, based on laser scanning and marking technology, is priced less than imports and additionally offers up to 20 percent savings in material costs for diamond polishing companies.
Arvind Patel, head of SLT, says, "We started off by modifying Swiss machinery and marking machines suitable for Indian conditions. The focus was on building high-quality machines, which can be operated by regular workers and would not require highly trained operators." The company now sells 90 percent of its machines to the diamond industry with the rest going to the defense industry. Most of SLT's machines are sold into Surat, a city noted for its diamond cutting and polishing industry. Other sales go to Mumbai, another Indian center for the diamond industry, and exports go to Russia, Israel and some European countries.
The company also manufactures laser diamond cutting machines, as well as other industrial laser systems for metal cutting and machining. It recently introduced a new laser marking system that uses a fiber laser, which offers high reliability and low maintenance time.