Pioneering visionary behind the fiber laser

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The company entered a new chapter of its development by adopting the name VPGLaserOne. This rebranding honors the legacy of its founder, Dr. Valentin Pavlovich Gapontsev, while carrying forward his vision, scientific excellence, and entrepreneurial spirit.

The most meaningful tribute to Dr. Gapontsev is the ongoing advancement of his legacy. Today, VPGLaserOne collaborates with leading enterprises across the engineering, metallurgical, railway, and automotive industries, delivering high-performance laser solutions known for their reliability, ease of use, and low total cost of ownership.

NTO "IRE-Polus" separated from the IPG Photonics group and became an independent company, opening up new opportunities for flexible growth, product innovation, and partnerships.

Launch of the FL-Hydro hydro-laser cutting complex — a universal 5-axis system for ultra-precise cutting and drilling. Designed for advanced materials such as semiconductors, ceramics, composites, metals, and dark-colored plastics, the system serves a variety of industries requiring exceptional accuracy and versatility.

Precision innovation in float glass cutting

Developed a unique automated laser system for high-quality, industrial-scale cutting of monolithic and laminated float glass. This innovation marked a major advancement in laser-based glass processing, enabling precise cutting of complex geometries and meeting production requirements with tailored, high-performance solutions for specialized industrial applications.

Introduced to the market LightCLEAN — the most powerful and compact hand-held laser cleaning system, setting a new standard in portable surface treatment. Enabling non-contact, damage-free cleaning of materials such as rubber, plastics, metals, glass, and stone, it effectively removes rust, oxides, oils, coatings, and other residues without heating or altering surfaces.

Developed the world’s first manual laser welding system, LightWELD — a breakthrough in industrial welding technology. Designed for both thin and thick metal applications, LightWELD combines high precision, deep penetration, and operator-friendly control in a compact, portable solution.

More than 10 state-of-the-art laboratories were opened to support advanced laser processing, application development, and customer training.

Established a strong global presence with over 30 representative offices worldwide, strengthening international partnerships, customer support, and market accessibility.

Introduced a new generation of medium- and high-power flagship lasers — YLS-U, YLR-U, and YLS-AMB — setting new benchmarks in performance, efficiency, and adaptability for a wide range of industrial applications.

Achieved a major technological milestone with the development of the world’s first orbital laser welding system — TongWELD — designed for automated, high-precision welding of casing pipes and other cylindrical components. This innovation enables laser welding to replace traditional threaded couplings, offering superior strength, reliability, and efficiency in demanding industrial environments.

FiberLase U1 was recognized as the “Gold Standard” in urological laser treatment, setting new standards in precision, safety, and clinical efficiency. Widely adopted for procedures such as lithotripsy and soft tissue surgery, it became the preferred solution for leading urology clinics and specialists worldwide.

Launched FiberLase U2, the world’s first SuperPulsed thulium (Tm) fiber laser, setting a new benchmark in medical laser technology with enhanced precision, control, and safety for advanced surgical applications.

Launched the FiberLase series — a new generation of advanced medical laser devices designed for minimally invasive procedures across various clinical fields. This marked a strategic expansion into the medical technology sector, combining precision laser engineering with patient-centered innovation.

Expanded the enterprise to 5 ha, with 13 new buildings and over 60,000 m² of production and R&D space to support industrial growth.

IPG Photonics held its initial public offering (IPO) on NASDAQ, marking a major milestone in the company’s growth. In December 2006, the company and investors placed 20% of shares. On the first day of trading, IPG’s share price rose from $16.60 to $25.00, reaching a market capitalization of $1.2 billion.

Developed the world’s first 1 kW industrial fiber laser, marking a breakthrough in high-power laser technology and setting a new standard for cutting, welding, and other advanced manufacturing applications.

Launched in-house production of super-bright pump diodes, a critical step toward vertical integration, enabling greater control over quality, performance, and scalability of fiber laser systems.

Launched the first IPG Photonix medical laser devices, marking the company’s entry into the medical technology sector.

Established a U.S. production facility — IPG Photonics, marking a strategic expansion into the North American market. This site later became the parent company of the global IPG Group, accelerating its growth and leadership in fiber laser technology.

IPG Fibertech S.r.l. was founded in Italy, marking the start of serial production within the group.

The largest order, valued at several million dollars, was placed by leading U.S. telecom operator Bell South.

Valentin Gapontsev moved to Germany and founded IPG Laser GmbH to fulfill a strategic order from Daimler-Benz Aerospace — the development of an obstacle detection system for helicopter navigation. This marked a key step in expanding IPG’s presence in Europe and entering the aerospace sector.

A small team of company researchers developed the first prototypes of diode-pumped fiber light amplifiers, surpassing existing global technologies in power output. 

In Fryazino, near Moscow, the newly formed NTO "IRE-Polus" began its operations. Starting in a small rented room at IRE RAS, Dr. Gapontsev assembled a dedicated team of physicists and engineers from IRE and Polus — one of the USSR’s leading laser research institutions. Together, they began exploring practical applications of laser technologies, laying the foundation for what would later become a global leader in fiber laser innovation.

The first order came from the Italian telecom company Italtel. 

In December 1991, the Scientific and Technical Association "IRE-Polus" was established by Dr. Valentin Gapontsev, then head of a laboratory at the Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IRE RAS). The founding team included his colleagues, students, and a group of engineers from the Polus Research Institute, led by A. V. Shestakov. As both IRE RAS and Polus acted as co-founders, the association was named "IRE-Polus" to reflect this joint origin.

V. P. Gapontsev and I. E. Samartsev presented a 4.9 W fiber laser and published a scientific paper outlining the potential for scaling fiber lasers to tens and hundreds of watts — a foundational insight that shaped the future of high-power laser technology.

V. P. Gapontsev and I. E. Samartsev presented a breakthrough erbium-doped fiber laser with a wavelength of 1.54 µm and an output power of 2.0 W — exceeding the previously achieved output power of VL radiation by a factor of 20.

This achievement was the result of over two decades of scientific research and marked a major turning point in the development of high-power fiber laser technology. The team became global pioneers in the field, maintaining their leadership to this day.