Yan Dapeng, with the Fourth Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, said the breakthrough had ended China’s dependence on foreign technology, adding that an imported machine of this kind costs more than 6 million yuan (US$870,000). The fiber laser was being assembled and was expected to be put into use by 2018.
As the third generation laser product following carbon dioxide and semi-conductor lasers, fiber laser has been applied to shipbuilding, aircraft and auto manufacturing, aerospace and 3D printing.
Having one tenth the size of a traditional carbon-dioxide laser, a fiber laser only uses one fifth of the power of its predecessor and is environmentally friendly.
Yan said China had acquired technology to develop fiber lasers higher than 20,000 watts.
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By Buying the technology…developed and sourced elsewhere..this will end out dependence on Foreign laser sources..
…cannot buy your way into an innovative technology sector…
A lot of engineering went into the complex optics of NIF to give pico-seconds long bursts with peak power of 500 TW. Will we eventually get to the point where it will be possible to exceed the performance of NIF with COTS lasers?
Some components coming out of china, like non linear crystals, have been of descent quality over the last 20 years. Conversely, thinking about CO2 lasers I handled in the early 90s, these were produced at what I can only assume was an ex-pig farm, with a dirt floor. The glass blowing actually took place in those conditions. Fiber lasers still depend upon a high power semiconductor laser. These are only successfully produced by a number of companies in a few locations. The host fibers (amplifying mediums really)…I have no experience with these directly.
ipgphotonics has 2000watt (CW), 20kw (peak) f. laser. “Yan said China had acquired technology to develop fiber lasers higher than 20,000 watts.” did he mean peak wattage?