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CHINA developed its first 20,000-watt fiber laser, which will help to reduce the cost of such machines by 40 percent, the developer announced yesterday.

Yan Dapeng, with the Fourth Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, said the breakthrough had ended China’s dependence on foreign technology, adding that an imported machine of this kind costs more than 6 million yuan (US$870,000). The fiber laser was being assembled and was expected to be put into use by 2018.

As the third generation laser product following carbon dioxide and semi-conductor lasers, fiber laser has been applied to shipbuilding, aircraft and auto manufacturing, aerospace and 3D printing.

Having one tenth the size of a traditional carbon-dioxide laser, a fiber laser only uses one fifth of the power of its predecessor and is environmentally friendly.

Yan said China had acquired technology to develop fiber lasers higher than 20,000 watts and might produce them if there was demand. “Developing higher-power fiber lasers or not will be based on market demand,” he said.