Shenzhen Jpt Opto-Electronics Co.Ltd(688025) 22 disclosed that the company was selected by Contemporary Amperex Technology Co.Limited(300750) as the supplier of MOPA pulsed fiber laser. This is the latest case of domestic MOPA lasers.
Benefiting from China’s status as a manufacturing power and the vigorous development of emerging industries, China’s medium and high-end laser manufacturers have gradually risen in recent years.
Laser processing technology is a processing technology that uses laser to cut, weld, surface treatment, punch and micromachine (including metal and non-metal). Due to the good monochromaticity, coherence and directionality of laser, laser processing technology, as an advanced manufacturing technology, has been widely used in automobile, electronics, electrical appliances, aviation, metallurgy, machinery manufacturing and other industries. The laser industry chain includes upstream raw materials, laser devices, laser equipment and downstream applications. Among them, the core component laser is a device that can emit laser. According to the working medium, the laser can be divided into four categories: gas laser, solid-state laser, fiber laser and semiconductor laser. Among them, fiber lasers, which account for nearly half of China’s market, are mainly used in industrial fields.
The Asia Pacific region is the largest market for industrial lasers in the world. In China, around 2018, high-power fiber laser suppliers are still dominated by well-known fiber laser enterprises in Europe and America, among which IPG, a representative enterprise, is the world’s largest fiber laser manufacturer. However, in recent years, Chinese laser enterprises led by Wuhan Raycus Fiber Laser Technologies Co.Ltd(300747) have been constantly entering the high-power market and seizing market share.
Wuhan Raycus Fiber Laser Technologies Co.Ltd(300747) the results express disclosed recently shows that the company achieved a total operating revenue of 3.4 billion yuan in 2021, and the net profit attributable to shareholders of listed companies after deduction of non profits was 416 million yuan, with a year-on-year increase of 47.18% and 66.69% respectively.
Wuhan Raycus Fiber Laser Technologies Co.Ltd(300747) said that during the reporting period, the overall demand of the laser market was strong. The company has released a total of 23 new products, covering welding, cutting, cladding, 3D printing and other fields. It has successfully launched a number of new products such as ring spot welding laser and composite cleaning laser to the market, and successfully completed the commissioning of China’s first 100kW ultra-high power industrial fiber laser and supporting equipment jointly developed with Nanhua University.
Not only Wuhan Raycus Fiber Laser Technologies Co.Ltd(300747) , the overall level of lasers and laser processing equipment in China is constantly improving in recent years. For example, the leader of laser equipment Han’S Laser Technology Industry Group Co.Ltd(002008) , the operating revenue exceeded 16 billion yuan last year. Moreover, the company has begun to expand upstream and has become a supplier of Contemporary Amperex Technology Co.Limited(300750) mopa pulsed fiber laser.
The rise of China’s industrial lasers mainly benefits from China’s status as a manufacturing power and the vigorous development of emerging industries.
According to the latest data of China Machine Tool Industry Association, the added value of China’s equipment manufacturing industry increased by 12.9% in 2021. Under good macroeconomic conditions, the machine tool industry continued its restorative growth trend last year, the market demand continued to improve, and the import and export increased significantly. In 2021, the operating revenue of metal cutting machine tools related to laser equipment in China increased by 28.9% year-on-year.
In recent years, led, photovoltaic, new energy vehicles, lithium batteries and other emerging industries have developed rapidly, which also provides a place for Chinese lasers Han’S Laser Technology Industry Group Co.Ltd(002008) disclosed that business orders and shipments of special equipment for PCB industry, special equipment for power battery industry, miniled special equipment and LED packaging equipment increased significantly compared with the previous year.
The rise of China’s industrial lasers also depends on enterprises actively expanding to upstream links and high-end markets. In 2020, Wuhan Raycus Fiber Laser Technologies Co.Ltd(300747) continuously improved its ability in the research and development of high-end laser products and customizable solutions. The cumulative sales of 10000 watt lasers exceeded 800, with a year-on-year increase of 543%. If the company’s Multimode 100kW fiber laser market expands smoothly, it will open aerospace, ship, high-speed railway, nuclear power and other related markets in the future.
However, in the process of changing the market pattern, the price war of medium and high-end lasers continued for several years. Ye Mao, a researcher in the optoelectronics industry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and executive editor of the development report of China’s laser industry, introduced that the shipment of domestic fiber lasers above 3KW exceeded 8000 in 2020. With the continuous upward shift of power, the competition in the Chinese market tends to be white hot in the 3kw-8kw product segment.
Industry insiders believe that the future price war will spread from the mainstream power segment to the ultra-high power segment.
Relevant enterprises believe that price competition is inevitable in the rapid development of the laser industry. The price reduction of the laser can improve the penetration rate of “optical processing” and open a broader market.
