Enterprises
One category consists of large and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises; these companies possess significant economic and technical strength and require the cutting of large quantities of sheet material for their products.
Processing Centers
The other category comprises processing centers (known internationally as "job shops"). These centers specialize in providing laser processing services to external clients and do not manufacture their own primary products. Their existence serves two purposes: meeting the processing needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and acting as demonstration sites to promote the application of laser cutting technology during its early stages of adoption. In 1999, there were 2,700 laser processing centers in the United States, 51% of which were engaged in laser cutting. In the 1980s, Chinese processing centers primarily focused on laser heat treatment; however, from the 1990s onwards, laser cutting operations gradually increased. Against this backdrop-and driven by the deepening structural reform of large and medium-sized Chinese enterprises and their growing economic strength-an increasing number of companies are adopting CO2 laser cutting technology.
An analysis of current domestic applications shows that CO2 laser cutting is widely used for 12mm-thick low-carbon steel plate, 6mm-thick stainless steel plate, and 20mm-thick non-metallic materials. Applications involving the cutting of 3D spatial curves are also beginning to emerge in the automotive and aerospace industries.