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Coherent, Inc. Announces New Market Initiatives and Product Introductions at Lasers 2009

Posted on: Monday, 15 June 2009, 07:30 CDT

SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Coherent, Inc. (Nasdaq: COHR) today announced key market initiatives and product introductions at the Lasers World of Photonics 2009 trade show being held this week in Munich, Germany. The company described a three-pronged strategy to address the high-power materials processing market, demonstrated the latest additions to its highly successful OPSL(TM) product platform and exhibited a development tool targeted at crystalline silicon solar cell manufacturing.

The high power materials processing market, which includes the cutting and welding of metals, relies on kilowatt class lasers. The company presented at the show a kilowatt version of its highly reliable, E-Series carbon dioxide lasers called the E-1000. The E-1000 is a compact design that is up to 80% smaller than competitive offerings, requires no consumables and has been shown to cut metals as fast as lasers with twice the power. In addition to saving space, the compact design allows the E-1000 to be mounted on a robot, eliminating the need for fiber delivery systems.

The E-1000 joins the Highlight(TM) 1000-F, a kilowatt class direct diode system, which was introduced in January 2009. The 1000-F is the most cost effective source for brazing, cladding, heat treating and welding where the optical quality of the laser beam is less demanding.

The company also announced preliminary performance results for a scalable, kilowatt class fiber laser based on a bar pumping design. Due to packaging efficiency, diode bars reduce the overall cost of a fiber laser. The company expects to ship prototypes next year.

"Coherent has long been a leading supplier of low-power carbon dioxide lasers to a variety of materials processing customers. The E-1000, Highlight(TM) 1000-F and the future fiber laser are a compelling solution set that enables a strong entry into the high-power materials processing market," said John Ambroseo, Coherent's President and Chief Executive Officer.

The company further expanded its OPSL product platform with the introduction of the Verdi G2 and G5 lasers, serving the instrumentation and scientific markets. The G-Series are a revolutionary approach to visible and UV lasers. They deliver leading performance in a robust, compact, electrically-efficient and easy to integrate package.

Finally, as part of its renewable energy programs, Coherent exhibited a process development tool for several fabrication steps for crystalline silicon solar cells. The tool can accommodate a variety of different laser sources so customers can easily optimize their manufacturing process and is already in use in pilot lines.

"Despite a very challenging economic environment, Coherent has maintained its commitment to delivering innovative and high value solutions to our customers. We are very enthusiastic about our current and planned product portfolio and believe it will further bolster our competitive positioning, growth prospects and financial performance as the economy recovers," Ambroseo said.

Founded in 1966, Coherent, Inc. is a world leader in providing photonics based solutions to the commercial and scientific research markets and part of the Russell 2000. Please direct any questions to Leen Simonet, Chief Financial Officer at 408-764-4161. For more information about Coherent, visit the Company's Web site at http://www.coherent.com/ for product and financial updates.

SOURCE Coherent, Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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