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Global market for laser materials processing systems reaches record $19.8bn
The global market for laser systems for materials processing reached a record volume of $19.8 billion in 2018, despite slowing market growth, a report from Optech Consulting – host of the International Laser Marketplace at the Laser World of Photonics – has revealed. Market growth was 17 per cent last year,
down from 30 per cent in 2017. ‘2017 was an outstanding year for laser
materials processing, and in 2018 some of the drivers paused or lost steam,’ the report states. This led to growth rates weakening throughout 2018, with the trend continuing into the first quarter of 2019. The report also showed that market
growth in Europe exceeded 20 per cent in 2018, outpacing growth in North America and China. This was caused by European investments in laser equipment increasing substantially in line with growing capital equipment spending, defying the comparably weak growth. High power laser cutting and welding,
the largest application segment of laser materials processing, once again spurred the growing demand for laser equipment worldwide. Demand for welding systems was stimulated by automotive applications, especially with the industry’s continued transition towards e-mobility. It was noted in the report, however, that car sales are in fact decreasing worldwide, especially in China, which has spurred fears of decreasing investments in the automotive industry. Market growth for laser applications in the electronics industry was mixed. While demand in the semiconductor segment continued to grow due to EUV and advanced packaging applications, market growth in the flat-panel display segment dipped, caused by mobile electronics manufacturers cutting back
4 LASER SYSTEMS EUROPE SUMMER 2019
“2017 was an outstanding year, in 2018 some of the drivers paused or lost steam”
capital spending in response to a decrease in smartphone shipments. Microelectronics processing also felt the decreasing growth rates of the mobile electronics market. The global market for industrial laser
sources reached $5.1 billion in 2018, up 10 per cent year-on-year. The growth is short of that for laser systems because the average sales price for laser sources decreased more than the average price for laser systems. High-power fibre laser prices were especially under pressure in 2018, due to more suppliers gaining market traction by cutting prices. Most visibly, the US-China trade row
was often cited as a major reason for the slowdown of growth in the industrial laser market, according to the report. While the direct impact of the dispute on the laser market appears to be small, however, it does have an indirect impact by creating
investment uncertainties and slowing down global economic growth. The report stated that adoption of laser
technology in Chinese manufacturing continued at a slower pace – as reported in the last issue of Laser Systems Europe.
Tides turn for IPG in China IPG Photonics’s has reported that business trends have improved in China throughout the first quarter of 2019, following reports of sales to the region declining in the second half of 2018. ‘We have seen further signs of improving business conditions in China, our largest region, with sequential growth in orders and good momentum through the first three weeks of the second quarter,’ confirmed Dr Valentin Gapontsev, CEO of IPG. ‘If this momentum in China is maintained, it should continue to drive better performance.’ Despite this improvement, sales to the
region were still reported to be 24 per cent lower than they were during the first quarter last year. The firm also expects pricing headwinds related to competition in China to continue going forward.
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