Analysis of China's laser market and the development of fiber lasers

Since 2001, the situation of the global laser industry has been relatively severe. In particular, the downturn in the telecommunications and semiconductor industries has hurt the development of lasers, optical devices, and optical fibers. If the influence of the optical communication bubble is excluded, the growth of the laser industry is basically stable and healthy. Although the entire Chinese laser market lags slightly behind the global market, its growth is also very stable. In the entire industry, the development of laser material processing has been strong in recent years, and there is a lot of space, and its proportion in the industry is also increasing. From 2001 to 2004, the sales of non-optical communication laser products in China were RMB 17.9, 25.6, 31.5 and 3.76 billion. The 2006 market is expected to exceed RMB 6 billion, of which the non-optical communication part will be around 5 billion and the laser processing will be around 2 billion. .

At present, there are 5 national-level laser technology research centers and more than 10 research institutions in the country; 21 provinces and cities produce and sell laser products, and there are more than 200 units that produce and sell stereotyped products all the year round. More than 20,000 employees are employed. The national laser market sales are mainly optical communication devices, laser processing equipment, lasers, laser medical equipment, etc.

The main gathering area of the laser industry

At present, the national laser market sales are mainly optical communication devices, laser processing equipment, lasers, laser medical equipment, etc. Currently, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Changchun and other places are establishing optoelectronic industry clusters, which will undoubtedly create greater development space for the domestic laser industry.

Table 1: Sales statistics of China's laser products in recent years (100 million yuan)

The domestic laser and equipment production markets are mainly distributed in Guangdong, Hubei, Beijing, Jiangsu, and Shanghai. Among them, "Wuhan ● China Optics Valley", which is dominated by optical communications and laser industries, has more than 300 optoelectronic information companies, showing a strong momentum of development. Beijing and Shanghai have also promoted the development of laser technology due to their special geographical locations; while in Guangdong, small-scale laser companies have grown faster. In addition, in Xi'an and Chengdu in the western region, with the industrialization of the technology of scientific research institutes, many laser companies have also emerged. As the old optical industrial base in China, Changchun, although there are many enterprises engaged in laser product research and development and production, many enterprises have not yet formed a large scale due to regional problems.

Laser processing and high-power laser applications

Among many laser technology applications, laser processing is the fastest growing application field in recent years. At present, there are dozens of companies engaged in the development and production of laser processing equipment across the country. Large-scale companies such as Shenzhen Han's Laser, Wuhan Huazhong Laser, Wuhan Chutian Laser, Shenzhen Tide Laser, Wuhan Tuanjie Laser, and Beijing Guoke Century Laser Wait.

Table 2: Annual demand for high-power lasers by major companies (2005 data)

In laser processing equipment, most of the lasers used are lamp pumped or semiconductor diode pumped YAG lasers, and some high-power fiber lasers have been used. In 2005, the global fiber laser sales reached a new height. The market research report from "Laser Focus World"/"Industrial Laser Solutions" showed that the sales of fiber lasers in 2005 increased by 53% compared with 2004. It will continue to show rapid growth in 2006. IPG CEO Valentin Gapontsev pointed out at the Photonics West conference that in 2005, the market share of fiber lasers was 135 million U.S. dollars, and IPG accounted for 75%. Valentin said that for the broader solid-state laser market, fiber lasers accounted for 18.5% in 2004, and this figure increased to 26% in 2005. In other words, at the end of 2005, every four lasers were sold. Among the solid-state lasers, one is a fiber laser.

In 2005, the domestic demand for high-power lasers (non-optical communications, civil) totaled about 8,000 to 10,000, of which about 2,000 could be fiber lasers, generating sales of more than 100 million yuan.

The main gathering area for laser equipment buyers

Laser equipment is widely used, involving various industries such as industry, agriculture, biology, medicine, chemistry, military, etc. The buyers of laser equipment mainly gather in:

1. The domestic economy is more developed and active, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong and other coastal areas. In these areas, due to the concentration of enterprises, the competition is more intense. Therefore, how to use advanced technology to improve its equipment process accuracy and technical content has become a necessary channel

In these areas, there are relatively more opportunities to get in touch with foreign advanced technology and equipment, and the influence of foreign ideas makes them more receptive to new things.

2. Areas where domestic laser companies are relatively concentrated, such as Wuhan, Jiangsu, etc. In these areas, because of the geographical relationship, enterprises in these areas can have more direct access to laser technology and have a clearer understanding of the advantages and feasibility of its technology. Therefore, it is more able to accept and use laser technology as a process of its production.

Note: The latest accurate domestic data is 2003

At present, many large state-owned enterprises, Sino-foreign joint ventures, and private enterprises have begun to use laser equipment. Due to different industries, the scale of laser equipment buyers is also quite different; due to the different nature of enterprises, their scales are also different.

China's laser market development direction

Based on the characteristics of China's current laser market, it can be said that the development of China's laser market has great potential, which is mainly reflected in the following aspects:

l Products closely related to popular life will become the main source of income. A large part of the sales of laser products will come from the optical information technology and entertainment industries, such as DVD players and games. The sales of low-power lasers in this area will have huge growth.

l With the development of manufacturing industries, especially automobiles, IC packaging and other industries, the demand for industrial laser systems will increase significantly. This aspect will become the key to developing the fiber laser market in China.

l The performance of medical laser systems is gradually improving, and the functions are gradually increasing. Laser solutions have become the only treatment for certain diseases. With the general improvement of people's living standards, the laser beauty market will also grow rapidly.

The development of fiber lasers

The double-clad fiber laser is a new technology developed in recent years. It is an important direction and inevitable trend for the miniaturization, full curing, and integration of high-power lasers. It is a new type of laser device that is currently being developed internationally. Compared with bulky gas lasers, solid-state lasers and DPSS, it has significant advantages such as full solid state, high reliability, good beam quality, high conversion efficiency, scattered heating sources, and easy realization of high power output. Therefore, the double-clad fiber laser is the third generation laser after the lamp-pumped solid-state laser and the semiconductor-pumped solid-state laser.

Starting from the application goal, the continuous working fiber laser can provide a lower target surface power density, while the pulse working fiber laser is more useful. Although double-clad lasers have the advantages of good heat dissipation, small size, high efficiency, and good beam quality, the current single-pulse output energy of conventional pulsed double-clad fibers is still lower than that of high-energy gas or solid-state lasers. Therefore, the double-clad fiber laser can achieve higher energy laser output while maintaining its small size, high efficiency, convenient cooling and heat dissipation, and good beam quality, which is an important direction for future development.

At present, the research of high-power double-clad fiber lasers is still in its infancy. However, due to its high efficiency, small size, light weight, and low cost, it is very suitable for laser weapons and other military applications. Wide application prospects. With the development of new double-clad fiber laser technology, high-power fiber lasers are the most promising direction in the development of military laser weapons.

Market development strategy

With the rapid development and maturity of fiber laser technology, the characteristics and advantages of fiber lasers have been recognized by people. The market demand and applications are increasing year by year, and there are great market opportunities. Related domestic manufacturers can refer to the following market development strategies.

(1) Targeting the Chinese market

This is the fastest way to get the maximum benefit with low investment and low risk. With the rapid growth of demand, the world's major suppliers inevitably concentrate their limited resources in the major markets of North America and Europe, thus ignoring the Chinese and Asian markets. In China, there are currently no manufacturers of fiber lasers.

(2) Reduce costs and increase product added value

Similar to EDFA, the degree of specialization in the initial development of fiber laser technology is relatively low. Manufacturers must develop most of the key technologies themselves, such as CD fibers, combiners, gratings, and pump sources. As the market becomes larger and more transparent, specialized companies enter the market by providing specific components or modules. These companies can use their specific advantages to develop a certain module of the laser instead of the entire laser. Their participation will greatly reduce the market entry barriers and reduce material costs. As the market scale expands, mass production will eventually be realized.

(3) Seek technological breakthroughs

Although fiber lasers have unquestionable advantages in terms of efficiency, reliability, high power, high brightness and volume, some of its shortcomings limit its wider application. When the current major suppliers such as IPG and SPI are focusing on developing its high-power advantages, domestic manufacturers can consider expanding the application of fiber lasers and seek breakthroughs in other areas.