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Industry Perspective

Nature Photonics 2, 24–25 (1 January 2008) | doi:10.1038/nphoton.2007.269

Industrial applications: The all-round performer

Bill Shiner

The fibre laser brings many advantages to many industrial markets, be it welding large car parts or micromachining tiny medical devices. When established manufacturing sectors, such as the automotive or machine-tool industries, are asked to invest in a new technology, even one that promises to bring many advantages to their production processes, they are understandably cautious. So when the fibre laser was launched onto the market several years ago, adoption was at first slow.