IPG Photonics
Encyclopedia
IPG Photonics is a manufacturer of fiber laser
s and fiber amplifiers. The company developed and commercialized optical fiber
laser
s. IPG’s fiber lasers are used in a variety of applications including materials processing
, medical applications and telecommunications.
IPG has manufacturing facilities in the United States, Germany, Russia and Italy, and regional sales offices in Japan, South Korea, India, and the United Kingdom.
has been infused with rare-earth ions which create optical gain when pumped
by a diode laser. They can produce beams with good quality and high output power from a compact device, with long life, high energy efficiency, and lower total cost of ownership than comparable conventional lasers. Fiber lasers are replacing conventional lasers in many applications.
The firm received its first major contract from telecommunications carrier Italtel. IPG then won a second major contract from DaimlerBenz Aerospace (Dornier Branch). Following that second contract, IPG opened a facility in Germany in 1994. Through the late 1990s, IPG’s work garnered the company a reputation as a highly regarded engineering organization and a pioneer in advanced high-power fiber lasers and amplifiers.
IPG also became a leader in producing components for the telecom
industry, opening manufacturing facilities in both Italy and the U.S. in 1998.
In 2000, IPG made a strategic decision to invest in new high-capacity production facilities to manufacture its own diode pumps, a major component of its fiber lasers and amplifiers. This investment allowed IPG to cut its dependence on outside suppliers and produce the essential components for its systems for up to 90% less than what it paid outside suppliers. As a result, IPG is able to produce most critical components for its lasers and amplifiers, meaning that IPG can both sell high quality lasers and amplifiers at lower prices than competitors and act as supplier to these same companies.
By dint of its vertical integration
and its proprietary technology, IPG effectively scaled the output powers of its fiber lasers to levels that exceed conventional solid-state
and gas laser
s, permitting lasers to be used in new applications and supplanting conventional lasers in many applications.
The company went public at the end of 2006 and is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market
under the ticker IPGP.
Fiber laser
A fiber laser or fibre laser is a laser in which the active gain medium is an optical fiber doped with rare-earth elements such as erbium, ytterbium, neodymium, dysprosium, praseodymium, and thulium. They are related to doped fiber amplifiers, which provide light amplification without lasing...
s and fiber amplifiers. The company developed and commercialized optical fiber
Optical fiber
An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of...
laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
s. IPG’s fiber lasers are used in a variety of applications including materials processing
Materials processing
Articles on Materials processing include:* process a set of transformations of input elements into products* industrial process, a procedure involving chemical or mechanical steps to aid in the manufacture of an item or items...
, medical applications and telecommunications.
IPG has manufacturing facilities in the United States, Germany, Russia and Italy, and regional sales offices in Japan, South Korea, India, and the United Kingdom.
Fiber lasers
Fiber lasers consist of a special optical fiber whose coreCore (optical fiber)
The core of a conventional optical fiber is a cylinder of glass or plastic that runs along the fiber's length. The core is surrounded by a medium with a lower index of refraction, typically a cladding of a different glass, or plastic...
has been infused with rare-earth ions which create optical gain when pumped
Laser pumping
Laser pumping is the act of energy transfer from an external source into the gain medium of a laser. The energy is absorbed in the medium, producing excited states in its atoms. When the number of particles in one excited state exceeds the number of particles in the ground state or a less-excited...
by a diode laser. They can produce beams with good quality and high output power from a compact device, with long life, high energy efficiency, and lower total cost of ownership than comparable conventional lasers. Fiber lasers are replacing conventional lasers in many applications.
Corporate history
IPG began operations in Russia in 1990 and was founded by Dr. Valentin P. Gapontsev who was a research physicist. In the beginning, IPG made and sold customized glass and crystal lasers, wireless temperature meters for hyperthermy and laser components. In 1992, the company began focusing exclusively on the development of high-power fiber lasers and amplifiers.The firm received its first major contract from telecommunications carrier Italtel. IPG then won a second major contract from DaimlerBenz Aerospace (Dornier Branch). Following that second contract, IPG opened a facility in Germany in 1994. Through the late 1990s, IPG’s work garnered the company a reputation as a highly regarded engineering organization and a pioneer in advanced high-power fiber lasers and amplifiers.
IPG also became a leader in producing components for the telecom
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
industry, opening manufacturing facilities in both Italy and the U.S. in 1998.
In 2000, IPG made a strategic decision to invest in new high-capacity production facilities to manufacture its own diode pumps, a major component of its fiber lasers and amplifiers. This investment allowed IPG to cut its dependence on outside suppliers and produce the essential components for its systems for up to 90% less than what it paid outside suppliers. As a result, IPG is able to produce most critical components for its lasers and amplifiers, meaning that IPG can both sell high quality lasers and amplifiers at lower prices than competitors and act as supplier to these same companies.
By dint of its vertical integration
Vertical integration
In microeconomics and management, the term vertical integration describes a style of management control. Vertically integrated companies in a supply chain are united through a common owner. Usually each member of the supply chain produces a different product or service, and the products combine to...
and its proprietary technology, IPG effectively scaled the output powers of its fiber lasers to levels that exceed conventional solid-state
Solid-state laser
A solid-state laser is a laser that uses a gain medium that is a solid, rather than a liquid such as in dye lasers or a gas as in gas lasers. Semiconductor-based lasers are also in the solid state, but are generally considered as a separate class from solid-state lasers .-Solid-state...
and gas laser
Gas laser
A gas laser is a laser in which an electric current is discharged through a gas to produce coherent light. The gas laser was the first continuous-light laser and the first laser to operate "on the principle of converting electrical energy to a laser light output...
s, permitting lasers to be used in new applications and supplanting conventional lasers in many applications.
The company went public at the end of 2006 and is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
under the ticker IPGP.