Industry Status and Competitive Landscape Analysis of Laser Welding

Laser welding refers to a processing method that uses the high energy of laser to join metals or other thermoplastic materials together. According to different working principles and adapting to different processing scenarios, laser welding can be divided into five types: heat conduction welding, deep penetration welding, hybrid welding, laser brazing and laser conduction welding.

As a new type of welding method, compared with other traditional welding methods, laser welding has the advantages of deep penetration, fast speed, small deformation, low requirements for the welding environment, high power density, and is not affected by magnetic fields. It is not limited to conductive materials, It does not require vacuum working conditions and does not produce X-rays during the welding process. It is widely used in the field of high-end precision manufacturing.

Analysis of laser welding application fields

Laser welding has the advantages of high accuracy, clean and environmental protection, various types of processing materials, high efficiency, etc., and has a wide range of applications. At present, laser welding has been widely used in power batteries, automobiles, consumer electronics, optical communications and other fields.

(1) Power battery

There are many manufacturing processes for lithium-ion batteries or battery packs, and there are many processes, such as explosion-proof valve sealing welding, tab welding, battery pole spot welding, power battery shell and cover sealing welding, module and PACK welding In other processes, laser welding is the best process. For example, laser welding can improve the welding efficiency and airtightness of the battery explosion-proof valve; at the same time, because the beam quality of laser welding is good, the welding spot can be made small, and it is suitable for high reflectivity aluminum strip, copper strip and narrow-band battery electrode. Belt welding has unique advantages.

(2) Automobile

The application of laser welding in the automobile manufacturing process mainly includes three types: laser tailor welding of unequal thickness plates; laser assembly welding of body assemblies and sub-assemblies; and laser welding of auto parts.

Laser tailor welding is in the design and manufacture of the car body. According to the different design and performance requirements of the car body, the plates of different thicknesses, different materials, different or the same performance are connected into a whole through laser cutting and assembly technology, and then stamped into a body. part. At present, laser tailor-welded blanks have been widely used in various parts of the car body, such as luggage compartment reinforcement plate, luggage compartment inner panel, shock absorber support, rear wheel cover, side wall inner panel, door inner panel, front floor, Front longitudinal beams, bumpers, cross beams, wheel covers, B-pillar connectors, center pillars, etc.

The laser welding of the car body is mainly divided into assembly welding, side wall and top cover welding, and subsequent welding. The use of laser welding in the automotive industry can reduce the weight of the car on the one hand, improve the mobility of the car, and reduce fuel consumption; on the other hand, it can improve the product’s performance. Quality and technological advancement.

The use of laser welding for auto parts has the advantages of almost no deformation at the welding part, fast welding speed, and no need for post-weld heat treatment. At present, laser welding is widely used in the manufacture of automobile parts such as transmission gears, valve lifters, door hinges, drive shafts, steering shafts, engine exhaust pipes, clutches, turbocharger axles and chassis.

(3) Microelectronics industry

In recent years, with the development of the electronics industry in the direction of miniaturization, the volume of various electronic components has become increasingly smaller, and the shortcomings of the original welding methods have gradually emerged. The components are damaged, or the welding effect is not up to standard. In this context, laser welding has been widely used in the field of microelectronic processing such as sensor packaging, integrated electronics, and button batteries by virtue of its advantages such as deep penetration, fast speed, and small deformation.

3. Development status of laser welding market

(1) Market penetration rate still needs to be improved

Compared with traditional machining technology, laser welding technology has significant advantages, but it still has the problem of insufficient penetration rate in the promotion of applications in downstream industries. Traditional manufacturing companies, due to the earlier launch of traditional production lines and mechanical equipment, and an important role in corporate production, replacing more advanced laser welding production lines means huge capital investment, which is a big challenge for manufacturers . Therefore, laser processing equipment at this stage is mainly concentrated in several important industry sectors with strong production capacity demand and obvious production expansion. The needs of other industries still need to be more effectively stimulated.

(2) Steady growth in market size

Laser welding, laser cutting, and laser marking together constitute the “troika” of laser mechanics. In recent years, benefiting from the advancement of laser technology and the decline in laser prices, and the downstream applications of laser welding equipment, new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, display panels, mobile phone consumer electronics and other fields have strong demand. The rapid growth of revenue in the laser welding market has promoted the rapid growth of the domestic laser welding equipment market.

2014-2020 China’s laser welding market scale and growth rate

(3) The market is relatively fragmented, and the competitive landscape has not yet stabilized

From the perspective of the entire laser welding market, due to the characteristics of regional and downstream discrete manufacturing companies, it is difficult for the laser welding market in the manufacturing sector to form a relatively concentrated competition pattern, and the entire laser welding market is relatively fragmented. At present, there are more than 300 domestic companies engaged in laser welding. The main laser welding companies include Han’s Laser, Huagong Technology, etc.

4. The development trend forecast of laser welding

(1) The hand-held laser welding system track is expected to enter a period of rapid growth

Thanks to the sharp decline in the cost of fiber lasers, and the gradual maturity of fiber transmission and handheld welding head technology, handheld laser welding systems have gradually become popular in recent years. Some companies have shipped 200 Taiwan, and some small companies can also ship 20 units per month. At the same time, leading companies in the laser field such as IPG, Han’s, and Raycus have also launched corresponding handheld laser products.

Compared with traditional argon arc welding, handheld laser welding has obvious advantages in welding quality, operation, environmental protection and safety, and cost of use in irregular welding fields such as household appliances, cabinets, and elevators. Taking the cost of use as an example, argon arc welding operators belong to special positions in my country and need to be certified to work. At present, the annual labor cost of a mature welder on the market is not less than 80,000 yuan, while handheld laser welding can use ordinary The annual labor cost of the operators is only 50,000 yuan. If the efficiency of hand-held laser welding is twice that of argon arc welding, the labor cost can be saved by 110,000 yuan. In addition, argon arc welding generally requires polishing after welding, while laser hand-held welding requires almost no polishing, or only slightly polishing, which saves part of the labor cost of the polishing worker. On the whole, the investment payback period of handheld laser welding equipment is about 1 year. With the current consumption of tens of millions of argon arc welding in the country, the replacement space for hand-held laser welding is very huge, which will make the hand-held laser welding system expected to usher in a period of rapid growth.

Advantages of handheld laser welding system

(2) The application field continues to expand, and laser welding is ushering in new development opportunities

Laser welding technology is a new type of processing technology that applies directional energy for non-contact processing. It is fundamentally different from traditional welding methods. It can be integrated with many other technologies and breed emerging technologies and industries, which will be able to replace traditional welding in more fields.

With the rapid advancement of social informatization, microelectronics related to information technology, as well as computer, communications, consumer electronics integration and other industries are booming, and they are embarking on the path of continuous miniaturization and integration of components. Under the background of this industry, realizing the preparation, connection, and packaging of micro-components, and ensuring the high precision and high reliability of the products are currently urgent problems that need to be overcome. As a result, high-efficiency, high-precision, low-damage welding technology is gradually becoming an indispensable part of supporting the development of contemporary advanced manufacturing. In recent years, laser welding has gradually increased in the fields of fine micromachining such as power batteries, automobiles, and consumer electronics, as well as in the high-complex structure of advanced technology fields such as aero engines, rocket aircraft, and automobile engines. Laser welding equipment has ushered in a new Development Opportunities.