Laser welding spreads through German industry

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team May 5, 2006

The German laser welding equipment market earned revenues of $357.7 million in 2004 and is estimated to reach $481.1 million in 2011.

Strong growth in the German laser welding equipment market will be based on a three-pronged platform: first, from existing users increasing their use of laser welding equipment for specific applications and from competitors within the same industry sector following suit; secondly, from the development of new applications for existing technologies; and thirdly, from the identification of innovative technologies for new applications.

Together, these will extend the application range of laser welding and promote market expansion.

Frost and Sullivan finds that the German laser welding equipment market earned revenues of $357.7 million in 2004 and estimates to reach $481.1 million in 2011.

As existing users within particular industries widen their deployment of laser welding equipment and the benefits of such a strategy become more apparent, a positive ripple effect on uptake levels will ensue.

"Although car manufacturers, as a group, have been instrumental in pioneering applications, they still typically weld only a fraction of the metals using lasers, with significant scope for further technology penetration", adds Frost and Sullivan Research Analyst Titus Hocevar.

"Automotive manufacture is ideally suited to laser welding and end users are expanding their use, both through new applications of the existing technology and the implementation of newer technologies".

The identification of new applications for the existing technology is also supporting market development.

Research institutes and system integrators are collaborating with manufacturers and end users to achieve the desired results and are, in the process, extending the use of laser welding to other industry sectors.

Research into new technologies for novel applications is adding to market momentum.

While many of these technologies are currently at the development stage, they are poised to play an increasingly important role in shaping the market from 2005-2011.

New product developments and improvements in laser sources, beam delivery and work handling are reinforcing the potential benefits that laser welding present to particular industries.

As the costs of implementing technology fall to more acceptable levels and the number of benefits increases, both new and improved technologies will be used in an expanded range of applications.

In addition to the automotive sector (currently the largest demand generator of laser welding equipment in Europe), large-scale adoption of laser welding will be evident in the heavy industrial manufacturing sector (particularly, steel companies and railways).

The considerable growth potential present in shipbuilding will have to be leveraged, and high demand will also derive from the light industrial manufacturing sector, as well as the German electronics and medical equipment industries.

"While there is some ambiguity over the next generation of laser sources, fibre lasers and disc lasers will be in close competition for future laser welding equipment demand", notes Hocevar.

"The new laser types will to some extent also cannibalise the revenue base of the existing laser sources".

"Uncovering new applications where traditional laser sources can offer competitive joining solutions may offset the challenge from these novel alternatives".