The development of fiber laser cutting machines in the past decade has been a revolutionary technological breakthrough in the laser industry, with particularly rapid growth in the Chinese market. From the early pulse fiber laser marking machine to its application in metal cutting in 2014, it marked its rapid development. Fiber laser cutting machines are currently widely used in industrial applications, and laser processing technologies such as laser welding, laser cutting, laser marking, and laser cleaning are jointly driving the development of the laser industry market.
China is an important global market for fiber laser cutting machines, with current market sales accounting for approximately 60% of the global market. As of the end of 2020, China's pulse type installation has exceeded 200000 units, and continuous installation has also reached nearly 30000 units. Foreign fiber laser cutting machine manufacturers, such as IPG and nLIGHT, also consider China as an important market, with sales accounting for about 40% of the Chinese market.
In 2014, fiber laser cutting machines were introduced for metal sheet cutting. At that time, lasers with a power of only 500W quickly became a favored target in the market due to their high cutting efficiency and high processing accuracy. With the development of laser technology, 1500W and 3000W power gradually emerged. It was not until 2016 that the 6000W power was broken and the 8000W fiber laser cutting machine was first introduced, opening up the competition for laser power. In 2017, the 10000 watt laser cutting machine was introduced, and the Chinese cutting machine market began to develop towards the 10000 watt era. Until now, 15000W, 20000W, and 30000W power have emerged, and domestic and foreign laser manufacturers are constantly launching higher power fiber laser cutting machines.
The trend of high-power development in laser processing is also very obvious, constantly exploring the height of cutting thickness. Data shows that since fiber laser cutting machines have become the mainstream of cutting applications, the overall average installed power in the market has been increasing year by year. It is difficult to determine whether the demand for laser processing has driven the rapid development of laser power, or whether the increase in laser power has driven high-power laser equipment.
Future prospects of the fiber laser market
Nowadays, laser power grading is severe, and the overall market distribution has formed a pyramid form. At the top of the pyramid, there are only a few devices with a power of over 10000W, while the middle layer has a power of 3000W-8000W, which is also a rapidly developing field in the domestic market. The bottom layer has a power of below 3000W, which is currently less widely used. The market is still in the middle stage, although the current market for 10000 watt level equipment is very hot. Returning to practical applications, the use of high-power is actually not significant, and the market demand for medium power is rapidly returning.
In fact, this pyramid structure is not static. Based on the current market situation, in the next five years or so, the domestic fiber laser cutting machine market will lean towards the middle stage, and the pyramid structure will transform into a diamond shaped structure, with small upper and lower parts and large middle parts. At present, the low-power prices in the market are gradually decreasing, and the price of high-power equipment will not change much in recent years. However, the price difference between medium power equipment and low-power equipment is not much. For economic and cost-effectiveness considerations, equipment in the 6000W and 12000W stages will gradually replace other powers.