HBL Corp. (www.hblaser.co.kr) aims at securing global-level technology competitiveness in laser facilities for semiconductor industry next year, a company spokesman said.
At the same time, HBL plans to upgrade its technology in the processing fields of coated steel and aluminum to a world class level in 2007, he said. To this end, HBL will diversify models for pulsed Nd:YAG lasers for industrial application next year and expand relevant manpower.
For instance, the company will employ five or six technicians to reinforce production line and strengthen its marketing activities for high power pulsed Nd:YAG lasers for industrial applications both at home and abroad.
Through intensive education of technological power and use of various test facilities, HBL plans to produce high quality products that can compete with those from advanced countries in the global market on an equal footing. It will also collect various information on demands from customers and reflect it to product design in order to fully satisfy their requests, the spokesman said.
By increasing R&D investment and manpower, HBL plans to become a company leading advanced technology in the Daedeok Research Development Special Zone, he said.
HBL is the nation's sole laser equipment maker possessing basic technology related to high power YAG for industrial applications. It offers a world class laser system solution in many industrial sectors, including mobile equipment, semiconductors, automobiles, and atomic power.
The volume of the laser industry is not so great, but it is a very important core technology, considering technological factors and its ripple effects. HBL possesses all three of the most important core technologies in the laser industrial sector -- laser generation equipment technology, beam transmission equipment technology and optimum processing technology, he said.
For instance, HBL products are widely used for three-dimensional processing of car body and parts, laser processing of battery manufacturing facilities, semiconductor wafer processing, and glass processing of the FPD industry, mobile phone parts and electronics parts. Major laser facilities for industrial applications are YAG lasers, CO2 lasers, Diode lasers and fiber lasers.
In particular, 500W-class pulsed Nd:YAG lasers are produced only in Germany, Japan and South Korea in the world. In South Korea, HBL is the sole company producing the product.
Although Germany boasts of the world best laser technology for industrial use, its technology has been developed centered on the automobile industry. Lithium ion batteries are produced only in the three countries in the world -- South Korea, Japan and China -- and communication modules were developed rapidly in the three countries. Accordingly, South Korea has an excellent environment for development of high power YAG laser application technology, he said.
HBL also has world class technology in the high power Nd:YAG laser for industrial application fields, producing a variety of high quality products. The company also newly established a system for mass production of laser products at its new headquarters in Daedeok Research Development Special Zone to meet customers' growing demands.
Under the recognition that laser technology is the most important core technology considering its technological factor and ripple effects, such technologically advanced countries as Germany and Japan are exerting nationwide efforts to develop more advanced laser technologies with academic, industrial, research and government sectors joining together. As a result, they have been maintaining the world most advanced technologies.
Therefore South Korean, academic, industrial, research and government sectors should recognize the importance of laser technology and work together to develop systematic technologies even though the country has insufficient manpower and financial resources.
As the nation's key industries, including semiconductors, display, automobiles, electronics and parts, are expected to enjoy continuous growth, the laser industry is also likely to see a remarkable growth in the coming years, he added.
