SPI History
SPI Lasers was established in 2000 to exploit technology developed by the renowned Optoelectronics Research Centre at the University of Southampton.
Its core competencies and intellectual property in developing special optical fibers and Bragg gratings were initially applied to the manufacture of optical components for long-distance, high-speed telecommunications.
In 2002 the business was refocused on the design and manufacture of fiber lasers for manufacturing. The company released its first commercial products at the Laser Show 2003. SPI Lasers was listed on the UK stock market 2005. SPI Lasers was acquired by TRUMPF in September 2008.
SPI & The ORC
(Optoelectronics Research Centre)
SPI is continually expanding a comprehensive technology patent portfolio which it acquired from the world-renowned ORC at the University of Southampton. The ORC continues to form a key part of SPI's future by delivering advanced technology and know-how to the company enabling us to create new generations of products and extend our technical leadership in optical components and subsystems.
Professor David Payne, FRS, CBE, head of the ORC, is the inventor of the erbium doped fiber laser. Professor Payne led the team that invented the optical amplifier in 1986, the enabling technology behind DWDM and was jointly awarded the Benjamin Franklin Medal for developing the erbium-doped fiber amplifier in 1998. Professor Payne has also recently been awarded the Kelvin Medal - one of science's most prestigious honours.
SPI Strategy
SPI’s goal is to be a leader in the fiber-based laser manufacturing market. To achieve this goal, we will continue to seek to maximise the potential of our current products and to maintain our focus on key market segments, namely micro-manufacturing, marking and macro.