Mention the word "laser" to some people and they'll conjure up science fiction images of silver-suited galactic gunslingers zapping each other with beams of light.
To others, lasers are a valuable tool used in surgery.Ion Laser Technology, 3828 S. Main, isn't making laser pistols, but its laser machines are used for a variety of purposes, including surgery and dental work.
To begin with, laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. To put it simply, a laser is making light particles work in unison, and when that happens a laser can do a tough job like cutting steel or a delicate procedure such as eye surgery.
ILT was started in 1984 by Kevin Ostler, who no longer is with the company, and Edward D. Bagley, who still is a member of the board of directors of the public-held company. The company started in the Salt Lake International Center but moved to its present location 13 months ago when space became a problem.
Today, ILT is guided by president and chief executive officer, Lynn B. Barney, with help from Richard G. Collier, vice president of marketing and sales, and Michael A. Williams, vice president of operations. Robert S. Head is general manager of ILT Systems, a division that markets the medical laser machines.
ILT has 43 employees and this year had done $2.9 million in sales that should expand to $4 million in sales in 1994, Barney said.
Lasers are very inefficient, said Barney, which means there is plenty of heat produced. So, lasers must be cooled by water or air and ILT specializes in low-power air-cooled lasers.
Its market niche is in the industrial and scientific market and the lasers are sold to universities for scientific research, for blood cell sorting machines, printed circuit board inspections and as a light source in microscopes.
About one-half of the company's sales are outside the United States. "Japan used to be our best customer," said Barney, "but the recession hurt and now the People's Republic of China is a significant market for industrial and scientific lasers."
On March 31, 1989, the company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Ion Laser Technology Development Co., signed an agreement with Shanghai Laser Technology Co. and Shanghai Minhang United Development Co. to form a new joint venture production facility in Shanghai, China.
ILT received a 25.6 percent ownership interest in the joint venture and transferred $250,000 worth of equipment to the new facility. ILT has an option to purchase up to 51 percent ownership by purchasing additional interests from the other parties.
Company officials see mainland China as a sleeping giant that is slowly awakening, and they expect that lasers will be an important part of that process. According to the company's 1993 annual report, the facility in China will produce argon and krypton lasers for that country and other Pacific Rim countries.
Barney said that in 1990 ILT officials decided to use their laser technology to expand into other markets so they developed a low-priced, compact surgical laser that would fit in a dentist's office. At the time of the development, similar machines were selling for $50,000, but ILT's model sells for about $12,500.
Of the 120,000 dentists in the United States, Barney said only 1 percent have lasers in their offices, an indication of the large market potential for ILT. Industry experts believe 80 percent of all dentists worldwide will be using lasers in the next 10 years.
One of ILT's lasers is called the D-1000, designed for oral soft tissue surgery. Weighing less than 14 pounds and taking little space in a dentist's office, the laser system allows the dentist to work with no blood because the laser cauterizes blood vessels as it cuts tissue. It comes with three different tips, Barney said.
The newest ILT laser is the ACL-5500 that is used to cure composite materials that dentists use in tooth repair in lieu of amalgam. Barney said the laser cures the material 75 percent faster and saves time for both dentist and patient.
Barney said ILT has applied for a patent on the handpiece of the ACL-5500. With one power source, the 60-pound device can be set up in one location in a dentist's office and through fiber optics the power can be switched to three other locations.
In addition to lasers ILT has sold over the years for scientific purposes, the company's latest project is design of a water-cooled krypton laser for Bio-Rad, a company involved with research products, clinical diagnostics and analytical instruments for materials and biological research. The company is one of ILT's best customers and uses the laser as a light source for microscopes.
New products at ILT come from the engineering section where the parts are designed. The company has a machine shop where laser parts are made for the test models. If the machine is put in production, the parts and outside boxes for the lasers are purchased from a variety of companies in Utah and other states.
After the lasers are assembled they must be tested for 100 hours. In addition to the testing, there are several employees who repair lasers the company sold previously.
Perhaps one of the best sales approaches ILT has going for it is word of mouth. For example, Las Vegas dentist Dr. William G. Dickerson wrote about a restorative material argon curing system in an issue of Dentistry Today. Although not mentioning ILT's ACL-5500 by name, Barney said Dickerson does have one unit in his practice.
In a test, Dickerson said by using an ordinary light, three minutes is necessary to totally polymerize a three millimeter composite disk, but it took only 10 seconds to totally polymerize the disk with the laser.
By calculating how much the dentist earns annually and how much time he spends curing restorative materials, Dickerson said "it may actually be cost effective to obtain such a curing system."
Barney hopes other dentists have the same feeling.