Endurance is a Startup founded in 2015 by George I Fomitchev. It is an American startup that manufactures powerful laser attachments for 3D printers & CNC machines. Endurance makes lasers as an upgrade to augment 3D printers and engraving machines by installing powerful (solid-state) diode lasers with 445 nm / 808 nm wavelength and different output capacity: 2.1W – 20W (2100 mW – 20 000 mW).
Endurance has gained a name in the maker community owing to the powerful lasers it creates for the community. It makes diode lasers for hobbyists, enthusiasts, 3D printer makers, and CNC machine workers worldwide.
According to Endurance lasers, the last four years have been a great journey for them. In the last four years, they have sold more than 2000 laser units worldwide. Over the course of the four years, they have also continuously upgraded their offerings by developing many laser add-ons like 2.1W, 3.5W, 5.6W, 8W, 8.5W, 10W laser and 20W double-beam laser.
George I Fomitchev: CEO & Founder of Endurance
George I Fomitchev is a successful entrepreneur, futurist, speaker on international conferences about chatbots, robotics, laser, AI, machine learning and entrepreneurship. He founded Endurance, the startup, back in 2015.
Endurance lasers can cut up to 10 mm of wood, plywood, acrylic and can engrave on stainless steel, copper, brass and anodized aluminium. Endurance lasers are very reliable and have rated power output.
Right now Endurance 10/10+/20 watt lasers cut 3-4 mm of plywood and wood quite easily and engrave on almost any surface such as steel, stainless steel, copper, brass, stone, glass, etc.
In a second-quarter 2019, Endurance plans to announce: 30 watt (triple beam) laser, FAP800 25 watt, 32 watt Coherent laser modules, 10/15 watt 808 nm NIR laser modules.
Laser Attachments for 3D Printers
While working with 445 nm NICHIA laser diodes, the Endurance team found out that the laser attachments for 3D printers hit their physical limits. They simply could not increase the beam power any further. To overcome this, Endurance now is exploring new optics opportunities, fiber coupling and laser beam combining.
According to George Fomitchev, “We added some useful features to a 10 watt+ laser, such as an air assist, a bigger focusing ring, and a laser box to measure the temperature, voltage and current during the laser operation.”
He continued, “We are proud to announce that at the moment a 10 watt+ is one of the most advanced laser attachments on the market suitable for any 3D printer or CNC machine.”
A bigger focusing ring allows to keep the laser focused all the time as opposed to many Chinese analogs and advanced TEC (Peltier) cooling allows laser diode to remain cold all the time
Laser Research with Nescel
Endurance is always looking for more powerful units and therefore they redirected their attention to a variety of modules by Nescel and Coherent.
Nescel offers a 10 watt 520 nm laser model while Coherent offers FAP800 with 15/25/30/45 watt laser modules with a NIR wavelength of 808 nm.
But to operate these lasers you need specific voltage and current settings. Thus, a FAP800 Coherent requires 2V and 40A that is not typical, and to find affordable AC DC or DC-DC converters is a challenge. That is why Endurance have developed their own AC DC with an adjustable voltage of 1.5-3V and current settings. Now this AC DC converter is available for the public.
George said, “Our first launch of the FAP800 25 watt laser module brought us a good measure of optimism. It looks quite powerful.”
However, testing and running of the Nescel 520 nm 10 watt AVG is still underway and the laser is not at a stage where it can be launched in the market.
Community and support
Endurance believes that a friendly and supportive community is very important to a company or a business, especially to a startup that is why high responsive rate on all customers request is a top priority for them.
Endurance has a team of knowledgeable, supportive and interesting people in their expert group.
New & Unique Applications
We are always exploring new ways of using diode lasers in daily life and helping CNC users, enthusiasts & hobbyists try them in action. The most popular way of using diode lasers is laser marking (etching) on metallic surfaces and laser cutting of acrylic, wood, and plywood.
For this, the Endurance team constantly uploads loads of new videos showing what and how Endurance lasers can be used.
For example, Florian Kelsch, our customer, opened a new business Fizzle Grafix, with our 10 watt laser, and he is a real master of laser cutting and laser engraving on metallic surfaces.
To inspire people to do something with their own hands we run photo contests and giveaways from time to time.
Giveaway & Contests
Endurance recently conducted its sixth worldwide giveaway competition in February along with by a photo contest and have already announced its winners. The same giveaway attracted almost 1000 participants and we got over 60 nice pictures for our photo contest.
Upgrade Your Current Laser
All Endurance customers have an option when they can exchange an older version of the item for a newer one with an extra payment.
This works even for a customer who already has a laser from another manufacturer. It is quite simple to get a double beam laser with Endurance upgrade kit. (One of the US farming companies took advantage of this offer and cuts tape now with their new upgrade.)
Contribution to colleges
As a part of our social cause, Endurance donates older lasers free of charge to educators. In February 2019 we have sent 11 units worldwide.
Speaking on their social initiative, George said, “We believe that supporting academics and students is a key point of our social mission. Most research plans look quite perspective and seem to have much potential and practical value.”
He continued, “Endurance is planning to donate more lasers in the future and we are confident that there are much more ways to use diode lasers in other fields such as pharma, microbiology, medicine, quantum physics, classical physics, chemistry, etc. as well.”
About Endurance: Endurance is a Startup founded in 2015 by George I Fomitchev. It manufactures powerful laser attachments for 3D printers & CNC machines. Users can follow Endurance on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and Twitter.
(Disclaimer: All the statements and claims in the above article are made by the company Endurance. The article should not be viewed as a substitute for professional advice. This article does not seek to create any business-client relationship. Manufactur3D does not hold any liability on the claims.)
