A worker in Huagong Laser adjusts a laser cutter. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

At a smart manufacturing workshop belonging to Wuhan Huagong Laser Engineering Co, an advanced laser-cutting machine independently developed and produced by the company is capable of cutting glass thinner than hair.

The avant-guard processing tool is playing an increasingly vital role in the nation's manufacturing transformation and upgrading, said Deng Jiake, general manager of Huagong Laser, who also emphasized the widespread application of the laser equipment nowadays in display panels, semiconductors and new energy vehicles.

"A 6-inch wafer contains more than 6,000 chips, and the traditional cutting method is less efficient and also destroys the wafer more easily," said Deng. Huagong Laser's laser cutting equipment can process ten 6-inch wafers or larger ones in one hour.

HGTECH, the parent company of Huagong Laser, is at the forefront of China's laser industrial application and is based in the East Lake High-tech Development Zone (also known as Optics Valley of China, or OVC). HGTECH's products have been exported to over 80 countries and regions and have been sold across Europe.

OVC, the birth place of China's laser industry, excels in optical lasers and other laser processing equipment. On March 20, OVC rolled out its laser industrial hub plan in the East Lake Science City. The plan stipulated that by 2025, the output of the science city's laser enterprises above a designated size will reach 100 billion yuan ($13.79 billion).