NEWS


LASERS IN ACTION In brief


Photonics Systems Group, a manufacturer of laser machines for micro-material processing, has acquired LS Laser Systems, a provider of laser solutions for marking, trimming and micro processing.


Trumpf is acquiring 100 per cent of Photonics Philips, which for the past two years has doubled its capacity to produce VCSELs, and announced that it had shipped one billion VCSELs at the end of 2018.


IPG Photonics has appointed Gregory Dougherty as the tenth member of its board of directors. Dougherty has previously been an officer and director of numerous firms in the industry.


The VDMA Hybrid Lightweight Technologies Working Group has elected a new board of management. Marc Kirchhoff, of Trumpf, has taken over as chairman.


Electro Scientific Industries (ESI), a new division of MKS Instruments, has received a significant order in Asia for its recent CapStone laser drilling solution for processing flexible printed circuits.


This year, Laser World of Photonicswill present two €5,000 awards, one for start-up firms and the other recognising innovative products. The Start-Up Award and Innovation Award will be presented at the show between 24 and 27 June. Applicants have till 29 March to apply.


Coming up in the Summer 2019 issue


l Diode lasers l Cutting l Aerospace


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4 LASER SYSTEMS EUROPE ISSUE 42 • SPRING 2019


Multiple laser firms have experienced a decline in year-on- year sales to China, due to challenging economic conditions in the region. According to John Ambroseo,


president and CEO of laser manufacturer Coherent, a combination of tariffs, rising consumer debt and eroding consumer confidence and spending have taken a toll on the Chinese economy, which has impacted on materials processing sales. In addition to these macro


factors, a price war in certain fibre lasers, which last quarter were reported to be between 1-4kW in power, continues to exacerbate the challenges for the laser industry in China, he added. Coherent reported revenue of


$383.1 million and a net income of $35.6 million for its first quarter of fiscal 2019, down from $477.6 million and $41.9 million respectively for the same period in fiscal 2018. For its fiscal second quarter


Coherent expects revenue to decline again, to between $360 to $380 million, with the slowdown in China likely to continue affecting sales throughout the year.


CHINA’S TOUGH ECONOMIC CLIMATE HITS INDUSTRIAL LASER SALES


Fibre laser manufacturer IPG


Photonics also felt the impact of the slowdown in China, with sales to the region dropping 19 per cent, year-on-year, throughout its final quarter of 2018. Total revenue for the quarter


decreased by 9 per cent, year-on- year, to $330 million. Materials processing sales,


accounting for 94 per cent of the total revenue for the quarter, also decreased by 9 per cent year-on- year, due to lower sales in metal cutting and 3D printing. These were partially offset by higher sales in welding applications. The firm expects year-on-year


declines in revenue to persist in the first and second quarters of 2019,


with revenues for the first quarter predicted to be between $290 million to $320 million. ‘We expect pricing headwinds


related to more aggressive competition in China to continue, exacerbating this challenging demand environment,’ confirmed IPG CEO Dr Valentin Gapontsev. Despite these conditions in


China, semiconductor and industrial fibre laser manufacturer NLight has reported a 38.1 per cent increase in revenue for the full year 2018, up to $191.4 million from $138.6 million. President and CEO Scott Keeney said the firm has seen expanding opportunities with fibre laser customers in other Asian markets, North America and Europe.


NLight’s Corona fibre laser wins Prism Award at Photonics West


NLight has won the 2019 Prism Award for Industrial Lasers with its Corona fibre laser at Photonics West. The Corona fibre laser,


available in 3kW, 4kW and 5kW, offers real-time programmable beam quality, enabled by all-fibre technology.


This allows for rapid tuning of the laser to optimise machine tool performance across metal types, thicknesses and applications. The Prism award, presented


annually by Photonics West organisers SPIE, the international society for optics


and photonics, recognises outstanding examples of innovation in photonics. Industry expert judges reviewed more than 150 applications for design and technology; novelty and innovation; need, market opportunity and impact.


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