business profile
Trumpf’s investment has enabled the company to double the size of its R&D operation since 2008, and move into new buildings. SPI Lasers is now a wholly- owned subsidiary of the Trumpf Group, whose broader industry expertise covers machine tools and laser systems. ‘We are still SPI Lasers as a complete separate entity,’ says Parker. ‘We operate under our own brand, with our own customers (some of whom are even competitors to Trumpf). Clearly, Trumpf is also a major customer of ours. From their point of view, they are assured of a roadmap of fibre laser technology that they can buy in from an owned subsidiary, and incorporate into its future systems. ‘We make our own fibre and fibre components, but unlike Trumpf, we are not a supplier of laser systems, nor are we a laser system integrator. We are a research, development and manufacturing company that owns its own core technology, which we feel is very important.’ Now, on the CW laser side, SPI
produces lasers in volume, up to 500W, opening up applications in cutting and welding for relatively light gauge materials, including metals, ceramics and more – and, at Laser World of Photonics in Munich this year, the company announced its entry into the kilowatt arena. ‘This will give us an inroad into thicker-gauge cutting and welding,’ says Parker.
SPI is well positioned to take advantage of broader industry trends. ‘The fibre laser market is growing at a much faster rate than that for general lasers,’ says Parker. ‘We are back in a growth phase after the recession. Fibre lasers are a popular choice as a replacement technology, and more importantly their characteristics are enabling newer markets.’
David Payne left the board of
directors at the time of Trumpf’s acquisition, but remains a member of SPI’s technical advisory board. He is also still the director of the ORC. Parker, as well as running SPI Lasers, sits on the management team of the
www.electrooptics.com december 2011/january 2012 l electro optics 9
Trumpf Group, and Trumpf also has representation on SPI’s board. SPI now has more than 250 employees, and is enjoying a period of expansion. Its revenues doubled in 2010 compared to the previous year, and the roadmap of product development promises more diversification. ‘We’re already introducing our latest family of G4 pulsed lasers,’ says Parker, ‘which
extends the capabilities of our nanosecond pulsed lasers in terms of pulse energies, power levels and so on. This will allow us to expand into new areas.
‘Over the next 12 months, we intend to become a major player in the kilowatt area, for both cutting and welding applications. We’re also working on numerous other technologies in the background for
release at some future date.’ Indeed, a recent investment has been an R&D laboratory located within the ORC, to allow SPI Lasers to work with researchers on future fibre laser architectures. ‘These product and R&D developments will ensure we expand our presence in the marketplace in the months and years ahead,’ concludes Parker. l
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