October 8, 2008--Laser and machine-tool manufacturer Trumpf (Ditzingen, Germany) has assumed control of SPI Lasers (Southampton, England) effective October 7, 2008. The bid submitted by Trumpf became effective after shareholders of SPI Lasers approved the sale of more than 90% of the company's shares to Trumpf.
SPI produces fiber lasers with up to 400 W power (water-cooled) and 200 W power (air-cooled), both suitable for cutting and welding; the company also produces lower-power (10 and 20 W) fiber lasers that are popular in the medical market and are useful for micromachining and marking.
Trumpf's laser technology division is especially well-known for its disk lasers, which can produce high power with excellent beam quality due to the geometry of the disk, which allows the laser active medium to be cooled uniformly so as not to degrade beam quality. These emit up to 8 kW; Trumpf also makes multikilowatt lamp-pumped solid-state lasers, as well as CO2 lasers. Trumpf is expanding the range of its disk-laser technology: the company has recently introduced an ultrafast thin-disk laser product, which has an average power of up to 50 W.
The Trumpf Group achieved sales growth of 10% in the 2007/2008 fiscal year; compared to the previous year, its sales increased to approximately $3.15 billion.
"Both companies will benefit from the acquisition," says Peter Leibinger, vice-chairman of the managing board and head of Trumpf's Laser Technology and Electronics Division.