brunt of fiber laser’s penetration into their largest revenue market, sheet metal cutting, resulting in a 4 percent decline in revenues with an almost 11 percent increase in high-power fiber laser sales. Additive manufacturing demand for more productivity has caused a spurt in higher power CO2
laser demand at the kilowatt level which is factored into the Other category.
The Future Economic projections for manufacturing in 2017 are a repeat of 2016 with pockets of sluggishness (East Asia, South America and Eastern Europe) continuing. For industrial lasers we are expecting a return to recent annual trends in total market growth with a projected 8.7 percent revenue growth. Marking laser sales are expected to show a decline as unit prices continue to erode mainly in the Asian markets.
Micro laser sales will be a bright light in the revenue picture as FPE laser shipments continue and non-metal processing grows in importance. This category will grow to 38 percent of total revenues.
Sales of laser in the Macro category level off to 47 percent of 2017 total revenues, with continued decreasing revenues in the CO2
segment and a shift into high single digit growth in the fiber laser segment with a more typical 8 percent projection. Solid- state laser (buoyed by UFP lasers) should return to the plus side with a 3 percent growth for 2017. An anticipated shift to high- power direct diodes will pump up the Other category.
David Belforte is Editor-in-Chief of Industrial Laser Solutions. Source: Strategies Unlimited
Applications Cutting as an industrial laser application is the most important on two levels: revenues generated and as a user of high-power fiber lasers. Globally over 70 integrators supply flat sheet cutters for metal fabricating. This sector is key among both industrialized and emerging nation economies, therefore its growth prospects are closely tied to a nations GDP. In 2016 global economic growth dipped below 2015 and is expected to expand only slightly in 2017. Thus sheet metal cutting, a key economy indicator, had an off year in terms of growth, with a concomitant softness in high power laser growth to 3.5 percent, which was irregular around the globe.
Fortuitously, expansion in global demand for laser welding (3.4 percent) led by the auto industry and boosted by pipeline and downhole oil pipe welding made up the difference.
Non-metal processing applications in paper converting and fiber reinforced polymers combined with fine metal processing (replacing mechanical fine blanking) to add 5 percent to total market growth. Additive manufacturing, more specifically laser metal deposition, grew 22.1 percent in 2016 spurred by acceptance in the aviation engine industry, with some growth in higher-power lasers accounted for in the Macro category. Both intermediate and high power CO2
and fiber lasers are used
depending on material selection. In 2016, other less advanced user industries moved more slowly on acceptance as realization of secondary post-LAM processing required ROI readjustment.
2nd
INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
ON ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING - ISAM 2017 -
February 8 - 9, 2017 International Congress Center Dresden, Germany
Hot topics:
- Hardware and software solutions - Process development - Materials and materials systems - Products and applications - Market development & business fields - Simulation, design & virtual environments
- Quality control and assurance - Closed versus open innovation
www.isam.network
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