From Fiber-optic Communications to Fiber Lasers: Homogenization Competition Still

The 2012 Shanghai Light Fair in Munich came to a successful conclusion at the Shanghai New International Expo Center on March 22nd. The exhibition brought together laser cutting and marking equipment, fiber lasers, high-power devices, and laser crystal materials to fully cover the entire industrial chain of the laser and optical industry. However, the whole field gave us only one feeling: the homogenization competition of domestic companies is still serious.

At the exhibition, we encountered a teacher who has been engaged in the manufacture of fiber lasers for many years. At present, the competition of fiber lasers in China is very confusing and the prices are uneven. Even some coal owners are targeting this market to increase investment. Chinese companies always Bring them in. In the chat with some friends, we talked about the way out of homogenization. Here are some examples to share with you:

We were asked by a friend to look at the market conditions of the KPT double crystal at the scene. After asking several companies, we did not really understand what the market is like. Mr. Xiang Jianfeng, the deputy general manager of Aoptoelectronics, met with us and told us that this market price has already been pulled down by the impact of a large number of enterprises. In the past two years, the supply has exceeded demand. Aogu’s autofocus lens is also a homogenized product. Mr. Xiang said that their solution is to move toward an automated production line, and take the initiative to further reduce costs and improve quality. At the end of last year, they had already made an automatic production line. With some efforts, the manpower has been reduced by half, and the production capacity has increased by 30%. Now, the monthly production capacity of the lens can reach 300,000 pieces. He said that their goal this year is to fully automate the production line and save half the manpower. What should I do if I ask him to be fully automated? He said that he can only rely on his own years of experience to improve the process and further reduce costs.

Secondly, focusing on the niche market is one direction. Guoshen Optoelectronics displayed at the show. China’s first commercial femtosecond laser, Dr. Zhou Shi’an, general manager of Guoshen Optoelectronics, said that the domestic fiber laser manufacturers are not mature in their products. However, when prices are pulled down first, it is now too passive to go back to improving quality and stability. Therefore, Guoshen Optoelectronics has positioned itself as an ultra-precision 10ns femtosecond fiber laser and picosecond laser since its establishment. Dr. Zhou said that although the market is small, the profits are relatively considerable. In order to ensure brand quality, all Components are purchased overseas, because the domestic devices do not trust, but the domestic devices they have been testing the state, he also looks forward to one day with domestic brands of components.

However, the reality is that the Chinese themselves do not believe in their own brands, and foreign customers do not believe it. Dr. Yue of Langguang introduced that when they initially promoted the pump combiner to the domestic market, they were questioned by domestic customers because this product was not used by companies in the country. They believe that this high-end product can only be exceeded by foreign companies. In 2005, Langguang took the lead in the research and development of polarization-maintaining devices. It was formally introduced to the market in 2008. Today, it is recognized by some customers, but it is not enough to fundamentally eliminate the customer's opinion. Therefore, they also held a special small-scale technology exchange meeting during the exhibition to help customers solve some problems in use.

Mars was the first time to demonstrate its high-power laser module products. Dr. Li Ruolin, general manager of Mars, said that at the time of domestic innovation, Mars took advantage of years of advanced technology accumulation and an efficient Silicon Valley technology team to combine current In the domestic market, innovative products suitable for the current market are introduced.

In addition, when we communicated with Mr. He Zaixin, CTO of Tongxing Optoelectronics, he mentioned that in the face of the current market competition, Tongxing Optoelectronics is also looking for a new way out, due to the decline in product quality caused by the market price orientation of operators, the future Two years will be the time when the failure rate breaks out. Tongxing Optoelectronics uses its own consistent technology to dominate the market experience and transition to the operational level to assist operators in solving the problem of terminal connection and connection.

Whether in the field of optical fiber communications or the emerging field of fiber lasers, despite the homogeneity, if we have innovative ideas and guarantee of quality, our industry can achieve a true upgrade.