BCX Achieves Over 5,000 Installations of 3D Printing Lasers; Domestic Core Components See Widespread Application

On October 24, 2024, the "Fourth Aerospace Additive Manufacturing Conference" convened in Shanghai, drawing over 500 professionals from the aerospace industry. Domestic laser manufacturer BCXLaser（宝辰鑫）(under MaxPhotonics) made an appearance, with General Manager Wu Huapeng delivering a keynote presentation titled "High-Stability, High-Efficiency Laser Solutions Empower High-Quality Additive Manufacturing."

MaxPhotonics, established in 2004, stands among the earliest fiber laser manufacturers in China. The company has secured intellectual property rights over core technologies in fiber lasers and optical devices, enabling independent research and development, self-production, and vertical industry integration. Its multimode lasers reach a peak power of 200kW, with an annual laser output capacity of 200,000 units and cumulative sales of one million units, staffed by over 5,000 employees—making it a major domestic supplier of laser core components.

In 2016, MaxPhotonics began its research into specialized lasers for additive manufacturing, founding the subsidiary BCX to provide laser solutions tailored to additive manufacturing, new energy lithium batteries, photovoltaics, and more. According to Wu Huapeng, BCX has so far supplied the additive manufacturing sector with over 5,000 lasers, serving domestic metal 3D printer manufacturers including Farsoon Technologies, Hanbang Technology, Eplus3D, Zhongrui Technology, and Haitian Additive.

Previously, domestic metal 3D printers primarily relied on imported lasers and scanning mirrors. With the rapid advancement of domestic laser technology, however, an increasing number of devices have started adopting domestic lasers. For instance, one additive manufacturing equipment manufacturer used domestic lasers in 18% of its units between 2019 and 2022, rising to 30% by 2022.

Wu Huapeng noted that lasers suitable for additive manufacturing face significant technical barriers. Composed of a complex system of optical materials and components, lasers require cross-disciplinary knowledge spanning optics, materials science, electrical engineering, and computer science, as well as mastery of advanced manufacturing techniques. Manufacturing high-performance, stable lasers for additive manufacturing is no simple feat.

Following years of research and development, BCX has achieved technical breakthroughs. Its domestically produced lasers now match imported ones in performance metrics and stability, with the earliest units operating reliably for over six years.

BCX offers a range of 3D printing-specific lasers, including air-cooled models ranging from 300-500W, water-cooled models from 300-1000W, spot-and-ring beam lasers of 500/4000W, and green lasers from 100-500W. Their water-cooled lasers achieve short-term power stability of ±1%@24h, long-term power stability of ±1.5%, beam quality factor M^2≤1.1, and electro-optical conversion efficiency up to 40%. Meanwhile, their 532nm green lasers suit 3D printing of high-reflectivity metals such as copper.

BCX has also focused on achieving consistency across units. Its laser solutions support up to 40 lasers per device in synchronized, stable operation, ensuring high-quality printing results.

In terms of activation time, BCX’s 3D printing lasers respond to light-on signals within 5-6μs—one-tenth the activation time of traditional lasers—significantly enhancing operational efficiency and consistency.

Furthermore, BCX has achieved self-sufficiency in key fiber laser components, including pump sources, high-power output connectors, high-power collimators, pump combiners, fiber isolators, acousto-optic Q-switches, and transmission mirrors, all of which meet world-leading standards.

Owing to these advantages, an increasing number of metal 3D printer manufacturers are selecting BCX lasers for applications across various sectors, including shoemaking, industrial parts, and 3C product manufacturing. In one shoemaking project, over a hundred metal 3D printing devices featuring BCX lasers were deployed to produce shoe molds, enabling cost-effective investment.

Wu Huapeng remarked, "BCXLaser/MaxPhotonics has fully achieved domestic substitution in traditional manufacturing fields such as marking and cutting, as well as in new industries like new energy lithium batteries. In additive manufacturing, we are persistently working towards gradual domestic substitution. In the future, we will continue our commitment to localizing core components for additive manufacturing to promote comprehensive domestic replacement."