IPG Photonics to Supply Fiber Lasers to BMW

Fiber laser maker IPG Photonics Corp. of Oxford, Mass. announced today that its German subsidiary, IPG Laser GmbH, has received a major order for multikilowatt, continuous-wave Ytterbium fiber laser systems from the BMW Group in Munich, Germany. Specific details of the contract were not disclosed. The lasers, which total 63 kW in power and feature an integrated cooling system, an integrated beam switch and flexible processing fibers, will be used to weld car doors in BMW's new production line. While BMW Group has used IPG's high-power fiber lasers in production for several years, the contract represents the first large-scale production use of fiber laser systems for the German automobile manufacturer, IPG said. The lasers will be manufactured at IPG’s facility in Burbach, Germany, and are scheduled to be delivered in the fourth quarter.