Increasing automation and new applications are currently shaping industrial laser technology. Particularly in microelectronics, energy, aerospace, and medical technology, powerful lasers and photonic technologies are opening up new growth prospects. The developments that are moving the industry were discussed in April at the AKL'26 - International Laser Technology Congress in Aachen. For 30 years, the AKL has been the platform where users, manufacturers, and developers exchange information about the current state and the latest trends in industrial laser technology.
Moderate growth in the laser market
The Technology Business Day traditionally opens the congress with several presentations on the market situation. With growth from 14.5 billion USD (2024) to over 15.5 billion USD (2025), Dr. Thierry Robin (TEMATYS) identifies moderate growth in the laser market. With 4 percent growth in the global market for laser material processing systems, Dr. Stefan Ruppik (Coherent) from the board of the Working Group on Lasers and Laser Systems for Material Processing in the VDMA sees a similar trend. Dr. Henrikki Pantsar (at that time still TRUMPF) pointed out that investments by automobile manufacturers in the USA have collapsed. Alternatively, the high expenditures for new data centers promise growing revenues for laser manufacturers.
The presentation by Dr. Bo Gu (BOS Photonics) on the Chinese laser market was eagerly anticipated. There is still solid growth there, as evidenced by the trade fairs: The LASER Shanghai, according to Gu, reached new records in March with 1,500 exhibitors and 58,000 visitors. In the Chinese market for laser material processing systems, he expects growth of 6 to 7 percent for 2025 and 2026. The fiber laser market has grown by 9.8 percent, while lasers with ultrashort pulses (USP) have even grown by 14.7 percent.
However, Gu's figures on the market share of Chinese manufacturers in their home market were noteworthy: For lasers with 3 to 6 kW power, this is 98 percent, and for >10 kW, about 80 percent. Thus, the Chinese laser market is firmly in domestic hands.
Photonics as a cross-sectional technology
While revenue from laser-based machine tools is usually estimated at between 10 and 20 billion euros, the market for laser-enabled products is in the trillion range. No smartphone, no computer chip, and hardly any car is produced today without the use of laser technology. Photonics is the cross-sectional technology that enables advances in these areas through the use of lasers, optical components, and complex processes.
In the Gerd Herziger session of AKL'26, trends in the application of photonic technologies were discussed under the title 'New Perspectives for Lasers in Science and Industry'. Trevor Ness (IPG Photonics) had a clear vision: 'The laser will be integrated, scalable, and intelligent'. Robots will achieve significant productivity gains with lasers and will also work where humans cannot.
The photonic components and technologies for this are being developed today. They are increasingly digitized and offer ever higher performance. 'The average power of USP lasers,' says Dr. Jochen Stollenwerk, acting director of Fraunhofer ILT in Aachen, 'is advancing into the double-digit kilowatt (kW) range with developments in the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Advanced Photon Sources - CAPS.' For continuous wave lasers, it is now even over 100 kW, as heard from representatives of various companies.
Prof. Constantin Häfner, Fraunhofer board member for research and transfer, looked beyond these boundaries. His topic is fusion power plants and how they can be realized in Germany. They would also significantly change the laser market: The costs of laser diodes for a few fusion power plants would exceed the volume of the current laser market, Häfner said. This primarily means that in the future, component costs must decrease significantly.
Lasers in the energy sector
With the action plan for fusion, the German government has not only announced more than two billion euros for fusion research but has also fixed the plan to build the world's first fusion power plant in Germany. In his plenary lecture, Constantin Häfner addressed the importance of the emerging fusion ecosystems for the future of fusion research in Germany: the bundling of national competencies from science to industry to achieve common goals.
The complex technological challenges offer enormous potential for the development of spinoff markets and growth in the photonics market from industrial drying processes to space applications and the defense sector.
The topic of fusion research was accordingly deepened in a whole session at AKL'26. Among other things, Prof. Markus Roth (TU Darmstadt, Focused Energy) presented his plans for a laser fusion facility at the Biblis site.
'Normal' high-performance lasers are already present in power plant construction today: 'The energy sector is one of the first application areas for laser systems with over 50 kW power,' states Dr. Alexander Olowinsky, head of the Joining and Cutting department at Fraunhofer ILT. With such laser powers, thick steel walls can be cut during the decommissioning of nuclear power plants, or doors in wind turbines can be cut. Likewise, new containers with decimeter-thick walls can be welded with them.
Congress attendees were able to view a 50 kW system as part of the 'Laser Technology Live' event on April 23, 2026, at Fraunhofer ILT, the largest R&D laser facility park in Europe.
Automotive technology on the way to autonomous manufacturing
The production of automobiles is now highly automated. Lasers as digital tools fully exploit their advantages here. In his presentation 'Next-generation battery production and challenges for laser technology', Dr. Andreas Russ (Bosch Manufacturing Solutions) demonstrated what is possible today. Compared to 2015, both battery and machine sizes have multiplied. At the same time, the machines are becoming increasingly intelligent. The production line is networked, uses digital twins, and can make autonomous decisions based on simulations.
At Markus Harke (Volkswagen), one could see how a German process is literally changing the world. With the 'High-speed laser cladding' developed at Fraunhofer ILT, brake discs are produced there that generate 90 percent less fine dust. This not only protects the environment but also meets the Euro 7 standard. And it enables a largely automated production that is now embarking on its victorious march around the world. 'At high production volumes, the laser is no longer the cost driver,' comments Dr. Thomas Schopphoven, head of laser cladding at Fraunhofer ILT. 'It is primarily the material costs for the additional materials.'
Lasers in aviation save costs and emissions
Up to 3 percent fuel savings in airplanes – that is promised by the shark skin of 4Jet GmbH from Alsdorf near Aachen. The technology, awarded the 'Innovation Award Laser Technology 2026', enables large-scale microprocessing with a CO2 laser. It uses interference structures for processing, allowing over 1,000 'riblets' to be created at once. This introduces microstructures over large areas that reduce air resistance. The company has now deployed more than 800 systems in the field, needed in aviation, semiconductor, and solar sectors.
In addition, many laser processes have arrived in practice, especially in laser cladding. Companies like Rolls Royce successfully use the processes in engine repairs and continuously refine them.
24/7 laser use in microelectronics
In the beginning, the laser was a solution in search of a problem. Today, laser technology in various forms is involved in producing electronic consumer goods in the highest quantities. This is evident in display manufacturing, as seen in Oliver Haupt's (Coherent) presentation on the perspectives of laser use in micro-LEDs. In microelectronics, the next breakthrough is just around the corner.
Dr. Christian Buchner (SCHMID Group) showed in his presentation that glass substrates offer a solution for the bottleneck of increasing data transfer rates between processors and high-performance memory (HBM). Glass is robust, cheap, and established in semiconductor processes. With laser-induced etching (Selective Laser-induced Etching, SLE), precise holes can now be drilled in transparent materials such as glass (Through-glass vias). The industrial process enables excellent surface qualities and large aspect ratios.
'Another trend in microelectronics is beam shaping,' explains Dr. Dennis Haasler, head of surface technology and shape removal at Fraunhofer ILT. 'Both special beam shapes like Bessel beams and multi-beam systems are increasingly being used industrially.' The latter allows for the parallelized use of ultrashort laser pulses.
Lasers in medical technology bring more safety for patients
From diagnostics to therapy, optical technologies are now indispensable in clinical practice. The concrete benefits, as presented by Prof. Christian Blume, neurosurgeon at UK Aachen, are quite impressive. He demonstrated how the success rate of complex spinal surgeries has developed from 40 percent (freehand surgery) to 99.5 percent in recent years. The breakthrough was the intraoperative computed tomography. Another step towards more safety is promised by the SaveCut project. There, experts from Fraunhofer ILT are jointly developing a robot-assisted laser osteotome for minimally invasive surgery on the spine.
Similarly significant progress is being made in implantology. Additive laser processes have been used for individual implant shapes for some time. Frank Reinauer (KLS Martin) showed in his presentation how digital workflows make patient-specific solutions with selective laser melting even more effective. 5 to 15 implants are produced in one run. New resorbable materials such as magnesium alloys or polyethylenes promote the growth of bone tissue. The implant gradually dissolves at these sites.
Quo vadis quantum technology
'We received an excellent overview of some of the most promising platforms for scalable quantum computers – presented by leading companies and research institutions from Germany and Europe,' summarizes Dr. Bernd Jungbluth his impression of the first conference day of AKL'26.
The focus was primarily on current advances in different hardware platforms for quantum computers – among others based on neutral atoms at planqc. Prof. Stephanie Wehner (Quantum Internet Alliance) also provided an overview of the current state of the quantum internet and outlined initial short-term application perspectives, such as in the coordination of distributed systems. In the long term, the networking of quantum computers will also gain importance.
Photonic interfaces are considered a key technology here, as they enable the transmission of quantum information over fiber optic networks and can connect different quantum platforms.
AI makes lasers faster, more flexible, and more autonomous
The last presentation of the conference was also one of the most exciting: Prof. Carlo Holly (RWTH Aachen University and Fraunhofer ILT) spoke about 'AI-driven innovation in photonics'. The topic now runs through all parts of the supply chain, from the design of optical components to quality assurance and the simulation of complex processes on digital twins.
Among the news from his research are advances in self-supervised learning, which reduces the time required for AI training in quality control from weeks to minutes. Also exciting was a new AI-generated optics, where arbitrary beam profiles can be changed in the process without mechanical components.
In the end, he sees how AI permeates all areas of laser technology. From planning to process control, where only AI can process the flood of data, to autonomous control. The self-learning machine is coming, as are autonomous laboratories and factories. The technology for this is being developed in Aachen.
The next AKL - International Laser Technology Congress will take place from May 3 to 5, 2028, in Aachen.
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