Editorial Digests

In the world of industrial laser materials processing, fiber lasers have been described as a "disruptive technology." This may well have been true a few years ago, but over the past three years fiber laser processing in the global manufacturing sector has grown 63%, proving its technical and economic advantages integrated into processing systems. Arguably, fiber laser technology has lifted the entire industrial laser material processing industry to a swift and profitable recovery from the recent recession in global manufacturing. With a more than 20% share of an $8 billion market, this no longer sounds like a "disruptive technology." Several of the expanding applications for fiber laser processing are described in this Digest.

This Editorial Digest brought to you by IPG Photonics Corporation.