Well Log Scanner

We currently use a Contex Hawk Eye Cx 36; which is a wide format scanner.
We use this to scan well logs, usually several dozen feet long.

The glass plate has been scratched by dust attached to the logs being
scanned.
There is one deep scratch, a fraction of a mm deep (in line with the drive
wheel), and surrounding this there are minor scratches which I presume
could be removed by polishing, without reducing the thickness of the glass
significantly.

The glass plate is "user-replaceable"; 36 inches long, 45mm wide (39mm top
width) 4mm thick, with no obvious optical coatings. There are dark
coatings on the top and bottom, masking the 12mm wide transparent scanning
winow. It lifts out, and apparently a replacement costs $1500.

Can anyone suggest a way to repair the damage to the glass plate?

This scanner has worked OK, but we have had some issues. A single high
powered drive wheel does not offer control (or the "all wheel drive"
functionality of their more expensive scanners which they say are designed
for delicate media)
This scanner was not designed for delicate media!
Its overkill for scanning 3 inch wide logs!
While we can slow the scan speed down, the start of the scanning process
is always very fast and brutal. This can damage the media we are trying to
scan, or cause it to rotate, so the resulting scanned image is not
straight. There is no guide to stop the scanned media moving sideways
(warping the resulting image).
Since we discovered the scratches, we have been trying to find a solution.
The customer Service from our local distributor of Contex; Anitech, has
been fustrating, and for the most part, completely useless, refusing to
return calls or emails from us for the past 9 months, except today, where
they provided a quote of $1500 for a replacement glass plate.

We are assessing our options.

We need a scanner which can scan well logs, which are paper, plastic, or
films, usually 3-4 inches wide, or 10-12 inches wide, by indefinite
length. Up to several hundred feet long, these logs are delicate, and
irreplaceable.

The Kodak i280 offers "long document" scanning, however the width is
limited to 8 inches and the length to approx 6 metres.

The NeuraScanner has a 12.1" feed; but the main concern we have is the
requirement for software licences to run the software, in order to use the
scanner.

Are there any other similarly priced scanners out there which are suited
for well log scanning?

Are there any reasonably priced scanners out which would do what we need?

Speed is not an issue.
Resolutions do not have to be very high; 200 dpi is usually ample.
Colour depth does not have to be too high. In most cases, relatively low
bit depths are suitable.
Paper guidance of some form (such as physical guides, or multiple
drive/guide wheels) is required.
Output to TIF, or any other suitable non-proprietry image format.
Interfaced to windows xp.

$15,000 for a glorified fax machine seems a little mad.

"OccamTechnology" <adam@occamtechnology.com.au> wrote in message
news:eabafe8a271499ee4d3de01434fc453e@localhost.talkaboutcomputing.com...
> We currently use a Contex Hawk Eye Cx 36; which is a wide format scanner.
> We use this to scan well logs, usually several dozen feet long.
>
> The glass plate has been scratched by dust attached to the logs being
> scanned.
> There is one deep scratch, a fraction of a mm deep (in line with the drive
> wheel), and surrounding this there are minor scratches which I presume
> could be removed by polishing, without reducing the thickness of the glass
> significantly.
>
> The glass plate is "user-replaceable"; 36 inches long, 45mm wide (39mm top
> width) 4mm thick, with no obvious optical coatings. There are dark
> coatings on the top and bottom, masking the 12mm wide transparent scanning
> winow. It lifts out, and apparently a replacement costs $1500.
>
> Can anyone suggest a way to repair the damage to the glass plate?

It may be possible to glue a plate to the scratched one using a glass glue.
If it fills the scratch and has a similar refractive index the scratch
should vanish.
However it may spoil the focus.

Can you turn the glass over?