At the end of March 2023, the shocking release of fiber laser cutting machine with power up to 60,000 watts attracted the attention of many industry insiders. And on the day of the 60,000 watts release, Pentium Laser Group President Wu Jean Da said clearly: "The development of laser cutting machine power to 60,000 watts can come to an end, because the current 60,000 watts laser cutting machine already has the ability to completely replace the plasma, flame cutting. Then go to further increase the laser power, the contribution to cutting efficiency and cutting capacity has been less obvious, but will further increase the cost of users, but also further increase energy consumption."
This view has triggered a major industry discussion on high-power laser applications: 60,000 watts in the end is a gimmick more than the actual, or to create a new era of thick plate processing of the magic weapon. 60,000 watts after the laser industry and how to develop?
Will 60,000 watts be the ceiling of laser cutting power?
There is no doubt that the 60,000-watt laser has significantly improved the thickness limit of thick plate processing, breaking the "laser no-go zone" of more than 100mm can not be stable mass production, so that ingots, iron ingots and other ultra-thick materials processing has become possible, the cutting range has also exceeded the flame cutting, plasma cutting, etc., with a complete replacement for plasma, flame, sawing and other 60,000 watts is of great significance to the technological innovation in the field of thick plate processing.
In-depth interpretation: after 60,000 watts, laser cutting machine and fiber laser road in what direction?
In the field of 10-30mm thick plate processing, 60,000 watts redefines the efficiency of laser cutting - in the past, 20mm, 30mm carbon steel are difficult to process thick plate, but now 60,000 watts cutting 20mm carbon steel plate can easily reach 11m/min, cutting 30mm carbon steel plate speed can reach 5m / min, speed far more than plasma, flame cutting methods, compared with the past 20kW, 30kW laser cutting also has a very obvious improvement. Therefore, 60,000 watts laser can significantly reduce the labor costs and maintenance costs of users in this power segment, which is also of great significance to the improvement of quality and efficiency in the field of medium and thick plate.
It can be said that 60,000 watts laser cutting machine is in the national advocacy of the "double carbon" economic background, blowing a comprehensive alternative to high pollution, low efficiency processing technology. If the future emergence of 80,000 watts, 100,000 watts laser cutting machine, and what impact will be brought to the laser industry?
Undeniably, the power to improve the processing efficiency and processing thickness, high enough power is the basis for the replacement of high pollution, low efficiency processes; but if the pursuit of higher power, will only be left with the internal competition of laser processing - the main theme of carbon reduction in the counter trend to increase carbon (enhance power, increase energy consumption), indeed, can make Medium-thick plate cut faster, 30mm carbon steel to 10m / min is not a dream - this inward-rolling efficiency improvement for the overall economic benefits of the industry chain, perhaps not as much as the resources invested in the pursuit of higher power process.
Of course, this does not mean that 60,000 watts is the upper limit of laser application power. In the nuclear industry applications, including laser remote cutting, high power thick plate welding, laser cleaning, etc., there is still a demand for higher laser power. But in terms of metal processing drop link, higher power may not be very beneficial to the development of the industry.
The future of laser cutting equipment - not in the pile of power but in the intelligent
If the power ceiling for sheet metal cutting is now, then the future of the laser cutting industry and where to go? For this question, we might as well look at how the domestic and foreign laser giants are laid out.
Compared to the power race that domestic companies are keen on, foreign companies have not chosen to follow suit from the very beginning. At some level, this is certainly one of the epitome of domestic technological progress and getting rid of foreign necking, but while domestic continues to pursue higher power, international laser giants such as TongFast and Bystronic have been thinking about how to realize the intelligence of laser equipment and provide one-stop full solutions for business users.
In 2018, TongFast established the Smart Factory Solution Smart Factory Solution team. The team consists of more than 30 experts with experience in different fields to customize exclusive smart upgrade solutions for multi-industry customers with individual needs, solving challenges that cannot be solved conventionally. At present, the users of TongFast Smart Factory in China include both leading companies such as KELIN Electric, TBEA and ShuangJie Electric, as well as start-up sheet metal processing factories in the electrical industry such as Jiangsu YunQiZhiZhuang (building a black light factory directly from 0), and sheet metal processing companies such as Ningbo ChenYu Machinery that have completed the transformation of digital intelligence step by step.
The Swiss Bystronic Group has also been pushing firmly in the direction of digitalization. Several years ago, the parent company of the Bystronic Group started to divest other non-Bystronic businesses one after another, and acquired a large number of companies related to sheet metal automation around the world, and set up Automation Technology Co., Ltd. and Software Division in China, and will gradually transfer its entire sheet metal processing software system to China. 2022, amid the downturn in the domestic market, Bystronic's performance in China has declined, but its automation company's performance is exploding. According to Dr. You Song, "Bystronic is committed to transforming from an equipment provider to a solution provider, a provider of smart factory solutions. This is a big change for the company, and we hope to make a positive contribution to our peers and the industry."
It is no coincidence that the leading domestic laser companies have actually started the intelligent layout early. As early as 2012-2013, Grand Laser has begun to transform to intelligent manufacturing, and the solution of "laser technology + robotics + automation" is determined as the company's long-term strategy for 10-20 years. After more than ten years of cultivation, the intelligent laser cutting production line of GrandTech Laser has entered Anhui Haili Group, CIMC Group, Shandong Lingong, Hitachi Elevator, Daming Heavy Industries, China Electric Group and other enterprises, helping users to realize digital, intelligent and automated production.
Huagong Laser has also started to lay out the overall solution of intelligent manufacturing in a forward-looking manner early on, and has entered six benchmark customers in six industries, including construction machinery, rail transportation, ships and bridges, and construction, "Large-scale flexible steel plate preparation intelligent 'black light' production line", "5G-based steel bridge whole process intelligent manufacturing plant", etc.
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Diversified exploration of lasers - high power is not the only solution
As the other core protagonist of this 60,000 watt laser cutting machine release - Chuangxin Laser has also made a multi-line layout outside of high power. In the past few years, Chuangxin Laser has achieved great success in the domestic market and played an important leading role in the development of the 10,000-watt laser application market, setting off landmark events such as the "10,000-watt application storm", the first 25kW, the first 50kW landing and the first 60kW release.
In 2021, Chuangxin Laser proposed the "integrated 10,000 watt cutting solution", i.e. "10,000 watt 3-in-1" solution, which organically integrates 10,000 watt fiber laser, 10,000 watt laser cutting head and 10,000 watt control system, and can realize the cutting efficiency under the same power. The solution integrates the 10,000-watt fiber laser, 10,000-watt laser cutting head and 10,000-watt control system, which can achieve the same power cutting efficiency. On this basis, Chuangxin Laser combines the advantages of high power and high brightness into one, and takes the lead in developing the 50μm core diameter 10,000W high brightness 3-in-1 laser and high brightness 50kW 3-in-1 laser.
In-depth explanation: After 60,000 watts, where do laser cutting machines and fiber lasers go?
On the question of whether higher power lasers will be released in the future, Chuangxin Laser said: "In the past few years, Chuangxin Laser has driven the domestic 10,000 watt laser market with a high (pump source light output high brightness, active fiber core high brightness), two small (pump source light small core diameter, signal light small core diameter), three cladding (original patent, bearing 10,000 watt pump light) technology route. Explosive growth, but also ate the dividends of the 10,000 watt market explosion, in the 10,000 watt laser market share in the forefront of the industry.
From the current process level, 60,000 watts is sufficient to cover all plasma replacement needs, and further development of power is not economically cost-effective unless there is a major new technological change. Of course, we are able to provide higher power light sources if users need them, but we will not blindly push them higher.
In-depth explanation: after 60,000 watts, laser cutting machines and fiber lasers where the road?
We believe that the more urgent task now is to feed the technical performance and quality standards of 60,000 watts to other 10,000 watt power bands, help each power band to achieve technical upgrades, and ensure the stable quality of each batch of 10,000 watt lasers. In addition, the demand for power for high-end applications can be said to be endless. In order to better match the demand for high-end applications and expand the ultra-high power application scenario, Chuangxin Laser is also developing higher power lasers according to the actual demand of users."
In addition to the deep plowing in the laser field, Chuangxin Laser has also developed cost-effective marking and welding tools for the trend of "tooling" of laser applications, and vigorously promoted the e-commerce of laser tools to promote the laser into thousands of households; in addition, Chuangxin Laser has also made sufficient technical In addition, Chuangxin Laser has also made sufficient technical layout for the hot new energy market, and now has become the core light source supplier of a domestic head power battery factory.
And the high brightness technology route that Chuangxin laser attaches importance to, there is no shortage of other participants. Hunan Dike Laser has insisted on exploring the optical limit of high brightness and application scenarios since the beginning of its establishment, and now Dike Laser Sirius series lasers have achieved M2 = 1.05 (close to the ultimate beam quality) at 3000W power and M2 = 1.38 at 5000W power, exploring more cutting-edge application scenarios through the ultimate brightness; FIBO Laser has also made a full technical deployment in " In the direction of "high brightness, pure light, long optical cable", FIBO Laser has developed a 30kW high brightness pure laser with 100μm fiber core and 50m output cable; under the guidance of "less is more" concept, Keplin Optoelectronics has developed a high brightness quasi-single mode 6KW combined beam based on the Thunder The series of high power and high brightness fiber lasers.
In-depth interpretation: after 60,000 watts, where do laser cutting machines and fiber lasers go?
Dike Sirius 3kW laser, beam quality M2 is 1.05
In addition to high brightness, there are also a wealth of technical routes. The leading domestic fiber laser company, Rike Laser, has launched high power fiber lasers with light gates for beam splitting, ring spot/adjustable spot welding version lasers, high power pulsed lasers for cleaning, etc. respectively in the past few years. Under the guidance of the flag series lasers, RICO Laser points to high-end applications and strives to achieve domestic substitution in the niche market which is still monopolized by imports.
In addition to actively consolidating the advantages of its own MOPA pulsed fiber laser, Jepte has adjusted the R&D direction of continuous fiber laser, shifting the team to welding applications after optimization, and customizing the development of annular spot laser according to the actual welding needs of power battery customers, which can better control metal spatter and other problems during laser welding and further optimize the welding effect.
Summary
Through the layout of the above selected industry representatives, we can clearly see that whether it is the equipment integrator or the core light source enterprises, have found a new development path in addition to simply improve the power, the whole industry pile than the power situation has become history.
Back to the beginning of this article, we can conclude: 60,000 watts in the breakthrough of the thick plate limit and improve the efficiency of the thick plate advantageous, and will further boost laser technology and engineering machinery, shipbuilding, steel structures, pressure vessels, mining equipment and other industries for deep intermingling, so as to expand the outreach of laser applications.
After the power reaches 60,000 watts, perhaps some fields may give birth to 80,000 watts or even 100,000 watts laser cutting machine under the ultimate pursuit of efficiency, but we hope that the laser cutting system can be more combined with automation and intelligence to promote Chinese enterprises to embark on a high-quality development route and seize the future development opportunities. For the existing mature sheet metal processing market, instead of increasing the cost to increase the power, it is better to refine each power segment, through the organic combination of light source, optical components, system and further research on laser process, to enhance the processing potential of each power segment, to achieve the effect that 12kW is comparable to 20kW and 30kW is comparable to 50kW. In addition, the diversification of light source enterprises will further expand the new market of laser applications and enhance the penetration of laser technology in the national economy.
After years of reshuffling, we believe that the laser industry will gradually return to the benign track, casting a real "great weapon of state".
