In the past decade, China's laser cutting machine industry has emerged as a rapidly developing sector within the machine tool field. With the continuous upgrading of industrial manufacturing and the urgent demand for high-precision and high-efficiency processing, the power evolution trend of laser cutting machines has gradually become a focal point in the industry. Since the beginning of this year, mainstream laser cutting equipment manufacturers in the market have successively launched laser cutting devices with power exceeding 100kW, attracting widespread market attention and industry discussion. Next, we will delve into the trend of power changes in China's laser cutting machines and look forward to future market directions.

01 Laser Cutting Machine Power Change Trend
◉ Evolution of the Definition of High Power
As industrial manufacturing shifts towards high-end and intelligent transformation, the requirements for cutting depth and speed have become increasingly stringent, and the power of laser cutting machines has correspondingly risen. Although there is no unified standard in the market for the definition of "high power," with each company having its own interpretation, one consensus in the industry is that the numerical value of high power is continuously being updated. Looking back at the development history of laser cutting equipment, an initial power of 1kW was once considered unattainably high, whereas today, the advertised ultra-high power approaches the 100kW mark, with mainstream market power concentrated in the 12-40kW range.
In recent years, the rise in power of China's laser cutting machines has benefited from technological breakthroughs and market driving forces. In the early stages, the power of laser cutting machines was mainly limited to between 1kW and 3kW, a range sufficient to meet most conventional cutting needs for metal sheets under 3mm. However, during 2017-2018, 2kW became the dividing line between high power and medium-low power, and at that time, a 3kW domestic laser cutting machine was priced at over one million yuan.
It is worth mentioning that with breakthroughs in domestic laser technology and increased localization of components, the cost of lasers is gradually decreasing. According to market research, the current procurement price for domestic lasers in the 1kW-3kW range remains around 10,000 to 20,000 yuan, creating favorable conditions for the popularization and power enhancement of laser cutting machines.
By 2025, the lower limit for the definition of "high power" in China's laser cutting industry has been raised to 6kW, while the starting power for "ultra-high power" has reached 40kW. Currently, the mainstream high-end models in the market have power concentrated in the 12-40kW range, such as 20kW and 30kW models, which are very suitable for efficient processing of medium-thick plates.