In 1994, the Laser Research Institute of Hunan University successfully developed the first truss-type folding quasi-sealing release cutting and welding laser in China, and obtained the national invention patent. The selling price of each piece of equipment is only 1/2 of that of foreign products. In March 2003, the "CNC laser pipe processing equipment" developed by the Changchun Institute of Optics and Mechanics and Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences changed the situation of my country's oil industry relying on imported equipment for pipe processing. This marks that our country's ability to manufacture advanced equipment has reached the international advanced level. Jinan Casting and Forging Institute CNC Machinery Company has developed and manufactured the first domestically produced LC2-18*30 exchangeable double worktable double-sided drive CNC precision laser cutting machine. Two key technologies have been broken through in the design. One is to solve the synchronization problem of the two electrodes when the shaft is driven bilaterally, and the other is to solve the synchronization problem of the eight cylinders of the lifting table.
Japan already has 20,000 CO2 laser processing machines, accounting for about 1/3 of the world’s total laser processing machines, 80 of which are laser cutting machine equipment. Since 1995, Japan has produced more than 500 laser processing machines annually, including more than 100 YAG laser cutting machines. The total number of high-power CNC laser cutting complete sets of equipment in the world reaches about 35,000 units (sets), while the number of high-power CNC laser cutting complete sets of equipment in my country is about 1,500 units. The main features of domestic CNC laser cutting machines are: low price, about 1/3 of the imported price, and low laser power, generally below 1.5KW. Compared with foreign machines, the cutting slit is wider, the surface quality, mechanical accuracy, stability of the whole machine, and flexibility are poorer, but it has price advantages.
In 2007, the sales volume of domestic large-scale laser cutting equipment reached 1.5 billion yuan. In terms of mid-to-low-end products, it basically occupied the domestic market, and some products were exported. However, compared with developed countries such as the United States, the European Union, and Japan, my country's laser cutting equipment is still stuck in the low-end product stage, and most of the high-power lasers, laser-specific control systems, laser beam transmission control, laser cutting proprietary technologies, etc. Core technologies also rely on imports.
Internationally renowned companies such as TRUMPF of Germany, BYSTRONIC of Switzerland and PRIMA of Italy have developed high-power, large-format, high-speed, flying optical path, multi-dimensional, CNC automatic laser cutting machines. In the field of high-end laser cutting systems, there is a large gap between my country and the international advanced level. Products basically rely on imports, and we have to spend billions of yuan every year to introduce related technologies and equipment from abroad. For example, laser cutting equipment for medium-thick steel plates in the shipbuilding industry, three-dimensional laser cutting equipment, non-ferrous metal laser cutting equipment, etc. are expensive to introduce, have long ordering cycles, and cannot guarantee timely after-sales service, which seriously restricts the development of our country's national economy. And because foreign exports in this field have clear restrictions on our country, using a license system, and strictly stipulating that this technology cannot be used in military industry, aerospace and other fields, our country is in urgent need of a breakthrough in this technology.