Laser refers to the light generated by the excitation of specific substances by external strong energy. Compared with other types of light, laser has a series of characteristics such as small divergence, high brightness, good monochromaticity, and good coherence, so it is widely used in many fields such as industrial manufacturing, information communication, biomedicine, scientific research and military. , and played an extremely important role in social production activities. Therefore, the laser is also called the four new inventions of the twentieth century, along with computers, atomic energy and semiconductors.
1. Overview of the laser equipment industry
(1) Definition of laser equipment
Laser equipment is a tool for laser processing. It has the characteristics of concentrated and stable output energy, and can better handle materials with high hardness and high melting point that are difficult to handle by traditional methods. Laser processing is a technology that uses a high-intensity laser beam, after being focused by an optical system, to process materials (including metals and non-metals) through the relative motion of the laser beam and the workpiece. It is widely used in cutting and etching. , welding and fine micro-processing and many other industrial production fields.
(2) Classification of laser equipment
According to different uses, laser equipment can be mainly divided into: laser cutting equipment, laser etching equipment, laser marking equipment, laser welding equipment, etc.
2. Favorable industrial policies
China's laser industry is in a stage of rapid development, and the state has issued a number of policies to support the development of the laser industry. In recent years, laser technology is gradually expanding to the incremental market of fine micro-fabrication, which fully meets the process needs of fine micro-fabrication in the fields of communications, display panels, consumer electronics, integrated circuits, medical beauty, photovoltaic new energy and other fields.
3. Analysis of the status quo of the laser equipment industry
(1)The market size continues to grow
With the development of the national economy and the continuous improvement of people's living standards, the demand for downstream applications such as semiconductors, display panels, consumer electronics, and new energy vehicles is growing. This part of the business will help my country's laser equipment market to achieve rapid growth. Data show that the scale of my country's laser equipment market has grown from 38.5 billion yuan in 2016 to 69.2 billion yuan in 2020, with a compound annual growth rate of 15.9%. China Business Industry Research Institute predicts that my country's laser equipment market will reach 93 billion yuan in 2022.
(2)Analysis of application areas: laser cutting accounts for the highest proportion
The application of laser in industry is mainly reflected in the processing of materials by using the characteristics of interaction between laser beam and matter. Laser processing can be divided into laser cutting, laser welding, laser cladding, etc. according to the effect of laser beam on materials. The proportions were 38%, 18.8% and 5.1% respectively. With its advantages of high precision, fast speed and good processing effect, laser processing technology is gradually realizing the replacement of traditional processing technology, and has become one of the high and new technologies strongly supported and promoted by the state.
(3)Shipment analysis
a. Shipments of domestic nanosecond UV lasers
From the perspective of specific market capacity, domestic nanosecond UV laser shipments increased from 7,800 units in 2016 to 21,000 units in 2020, with a compound annual growth rate of 27.9%. China Business Industry Research Institute predicts that my country's domestic shipments of nanosecond ultraviolet lasers will reach 28,267 units in 2022.
b. Domestic shipments of pico-femtosecond lasers
Driven by the strong downstream demand, it is expected that domestic laser shipments will maintain rapid growth in the future. The data shows that the domestic shipments of pico-femtosecond lasers will increase from 150 units in 2016 to 2,100 units in 2020, with a compound annual growth rate of 92.9%. The China Business Industry Research Institute predicts that my country's domestic shipments of pico-femtosecond lasers will reach 4,180 units in 2022.
(4)Downstream segmented application analysis
From the perspective of downstream applications, as the world's largest manufacturing country, laser equipment is currently mainly used in industrial production. In 2020, the market size of laser equipment in the industrial field will be 43.21 billion yuan, accounting for 62.44% of the total market size; the market size of laser equipment in the information field will be 15.22 billion yuan, accounting for 22%; the share of commercial, scientific research and medical laser equipment None of them exceeded 10%, ranking third, fourth and fifth with 4.18 billion yuan, 3.43 billion yuan and 3.06 billion yuan respectively. It is expected that the scale of my country's laser equipment market will continue to grow in 2022, of which industrial laser equipment is still the most important growth point.
(5)Analysis of patent application volume
From the perspective of R&D innovation and technology application, Guangdong and Jiangsu are major provinces of laser technology innovation, with more than 2,000 patent applications, and have maintained a leading position for many years; Beijing and Shandong ranked second, with more than 900 patent applications ; Zhejiang, Shanghai, Hubei and other provinces and cities are in the third echelon. With the continuous deepening of laser technology in the field of scientific research and the continuous accumulation in practice, it is expected that the number of patent applications will continue to increase in the future, and laser technology will also play a greater role in my country's social production activities.
4.the development prospects of the laser equipment industry
(1)Government policy support to promote industry development
Laser processing technology is a key support development field in my country. As a supporting industry for modern manufacturing, it plays an important role in the development of the national economy. In order to support the development of laser processing technology, the state has formulated a number of policies and laws and regulations. In order to standardize the competition order of the laser industry, strengthen the protection of related intellectual property rights in the laser industry, and promote the development of laser technology, a favorable environment has been created. The implementation of national policies provides a guarantee for the development of laser technology and laser manufacturing, and effectively promotes the sustainable development of the laser equipment industry.
(2)Strong downstream demand provides development space for the industry
The industrial upgrading of traditional manufacturing technology and the acceleration of structural adjustment have accelerated the development of the laser industry, and the market demand in advanced manufacturing and other fields has driven the continuous growth of the laser processing market. With the development of modern manufacturing in the direction of automation and intelligence, the commercial application of 5G continues to deepen, and industries such as semiconductors, optics, display and consumer electronics are in a state of continuous growth. The demand for laser equipment in these industries continues to grow. The future market space of the product will be further expanded.
(3)The level of technology promotes the upgrading of the industry
In recent years, with the mass production and investment of my country's lasers and laser equipment, the technological gap between my country's laser processing industry and traditional advantageous countries and regions has gradually narrowed. At the same time, it also promotes the continuous development and upgrading of various technologies closely related to the development of the industry, such as precision machinery, electronics, automation, optics, etc., and provides a good technical support for the rapid development of the laser equipment industry.
(4)Localization rate enhances industry competitiveness
China's laser industry is in a stage of rapid development. The state has issued a number of policies to support the development of the laser industry. The gap between the design and manufacturing capabilities of my country's lasers and laser equipment and the international advanced level is constantly narrowing, and the demand for improving the localization rate of lasers and laser equipment is increasing. , The localization of laser equipment will promote the downstream industry to reduce investment costs, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of China's manufacturing.
