Laser Focus World - January 2015

lasers are and realize both the substantial direct eco- nomic impact and the leverage they bring, a ‘laser-like stimulation’ with ‘ amplification’ of public and private funding opportunities will result,” says Arthurs.

“Increased awareness will re-
duce some of the mystique—
and Star Wars mentality—
and replace it with factual
information about how la-
ser technology can improve a compa-
ny’s bottom line.”
“Over the past 25 years, I believed in
and strongly promoted the benefits of la-
ser welding for body-in-white and stamp-
ing assembly applications, to the point of
‘nagging’ high-level executives whenever
I found an opportunity,” says Mariana
Forrest, founder and consultant at LasAp
(Troy, MI) and previously senior manag-
er of the Advanced Joining Technologies
Development group at DaimlerChrysler
(Auburn Hills, MI). “Fortunately, that
uphill battle is over, and growing indus-
try awareness of lasers and photonics in
general, coupled with the decrease in la-
ser source prices and increase in their re-
liability, changed the mentality of ‘not on
my watch,’ leading to a rapid increase in
various applications.”
“Today, thanks to increased user confi-
dence and proven economic feasibility, la-
sers are widely accepted as industrial ‘tools
of the trade’ in high-volume automotive
sheet metal applications and are
now spreading out to other trans-
portation sectors,” adds Forrest.
“I believe that if laser manufac-
turers continue to expend ener-
gy in growing social, industrial,
and governmental awareness of
laser technology, they will con-
tinue to grow and prosper.”

The bottom line

Most of the major laser manufacturing companies are defi- nitely experiencing prosperity, with laser sales certainly exceeding low-single-dig-it, gross-domestic-product (GDP) growth rates. TRUMPF (Ditzingen, Germany) revenues in the 2013/2014 fiscal year ending June 30, 2014 were up 10.4% to $3.42 billion from the previous year’s $2.93 billion; of that total, the TRUMPF laser technology/electronics business division achieved sales of $1.05 billion— representing an approximate 30% of total sales—with 2588 employees.

FOR MORE IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS

Much more detail on the laser markets is available from Strategies Unlimited in its report, “Worldwide Market for Lasers 2014” ( www.strategies-u.com).

Details include forecasts to 2017 of laser units,
average prices, and revenues by segment, estimates
of market share, and discussion of the dynamics
within each laser segment. The report is the only
comprehensive report on the laser market and
the 12th in a series that includes fber lasers and
industrial lasers. Special topics reports in the series
cover mid-infrared lasers and ultrafast lasers.

Strategies Unlimited specializes in photonics markets, including lasers, LEDs and lighting, and imaging. It was founded in 1979 and is located in Mountain View, CA. Strategies Unlimited is one of Penn Well’s many brands, which also include Laser Focus World, Industrial Laser Solutions, BioOptics World, Vision Systems Design, LEDs Magazine, and Lightwave.