Asian giant makes history by selling 60 kW laser cutter, the world’s fastest, to the United States for the first time
A Penta Laser, a joint venture between Chutian Laser Group and an Italian company, shipped a 60 kW laser cutter – considered the first in the American structural steel industry – to an unidentified US client before new Chinese export controls took effect.
According to the official WeChat account of the Chinese Journal of Lasers, the cutting-edge machine left the company’s factory in Shandong province on November 24.
On December 1, China introduced new measures to control laser exports.
In its social media post on Thursday, the newspaper said the US client was a multinational company founded in 1903, known for its “leadership in the global steel structure sector.”
The machine is capable of cutting 20 mm thick carbon steel (about two-thirds of an inch) at speeds of 11-12 meters (36-39 feet) per minute, according to the report.
It is unclear whether the laser cutter or related technology is subject to Chinese prohibition.
A Penta Laser, headquartered in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, unveiled the world’s first 60 kW laser cutter in March 2023, according to the company’s website.
While a 20 kW cutter achieves cutting speeds of around 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) per minute, the 60 kW system operates at four times that speed, with unparalleled efficiency and precision, the company said.
