A brief analysis on the development of fiber laser in China

Core tip: fiber laser, optical fiber is used for the transmission and the laser gain medium, its design and production depends on the mature development of high power optical fiber devices, so the fiber laser from a technical threshold on the obvious difference with the traditional solid laser.This led to the world's biggest laser supplier, such as Newport, Trumpf, Rofin - Sinar, Coherent, and other famous optical devices and systems, such as JDSUniphase although has launched its own fiber laser product, but both technology and market performance.

At present, fiber laser is mainly used in marking, welding, metal cutting, prepress equipment and medical instruments.

Fiber laser, optical fiber is used for the transmission and the laser gain medium, its design and production depends on the mature development of high power optical fiber devices, so the fiber laser from a technical threshold on the obvious difference with the traditional solid laser.This led to the world's biggest laser supplier, such as Newport, Trumpf, Rofin - Sinar, Coherent, and other famous optical devices and systems, such as JDSUniphase although has launched its own fiber laser product, but both technology and market performance.

At present all over the world have mature product supplier of fiber laser with a total of more than 30, one of the dominant market share is interpublic, fiber laser's sales hit us $229 million since 2008, more than 2007 annual growth of 21%;SPI is the second largest fiber laser supplier in the market after IPG.Other major fiber laser vendors include JDSU, Nufern, Coherent, SpectraPhysics(NewportInc.), Hamamatsu, Keopsys, Aculight, and QPHOTONICS.

For fiber lasers, we know that the two factors that determine the cost of the system are the pump source and the gain fiber.So the analysis of the fiber laser supplier listed above, it is not hard to find, such as interpublic, SPI and Nufern, fiber laser products not only occupy market dominance, and itself has very comprehensive high power optical fiber devices, especially the gain fiber optic products.Others, such as JDSU, Coherent, SpectraPhysics, are traditional solid-state laser suppliers with their own high-quality pump source products.In addition, some companies, such as ITF, have very comprehensive products of high-power optical fiber devices and have the potential to launch their own optical fiber laser products.From the perspective of market positioning, some domestic optical device companies are similar to ITF in developing fiber laser products, but their products are not as strong as ITF, and all of them lack some key products., so to speak, the fiber laser products, grasp the gain of optical fiber technology (or the stable supply of goods), as well as the pump source with high quality, and proper has perfect high power optical fiber devices can be in an impregnable position.According to the investigation, IPG is promoting its own molecular beam epitaxy technology and developing its own pump source product line, so that IPG will have all the components needed for fiber laser production in the future.Maximize product cost reduction.From this perspective, we should think about where domestic companies start to develop fiber lasers, and how to compete with companies like IPG in terms of cost on the premise of ensuring qualified quality.Domestic company has the advantage of close to some of the smaller foreign companies, such as the ITF, including high-power fiber optic isolator, beam splitter, coupler, fiber Bragg grating, some device products, but there is no mature pump source and the gain fiber products, high quality to find long-term cooperation of suppliers, and to minimize the cost of supply is a precondition for our local companies to launch their products.

Fiber laser is a new market, but it is also an extremely competitive market.In order to develop fiber laser products, domestic companies should pay attention to how to break into the stable market pattern and develop their target customers.Internationally, IPG and SPI gradually have all the resources of fiber lasers, which means that the cost per watt will continue to decrease in the future.How to improve product profit in the context of lower prices of the whole machine is a problem that must be clarified for the promotion of its own products.