Hengmai Optics surpasses 1,000 ultra-precision optical processing systems shipped

Recently, Hengmai Optics loaded and shipped eight ultra-precision optical processing machines to customer sites. The equipment covers multiple aperture specifications of 2.2 m, 1.6 m and 1.8 m.

In fact, in September 2026, Hengmai Optics also delivered 14 ultra-precision optical processing machines with apertures ranging from 1.2 m to 3 m to customers, bringing its cumulative shipments past 1,000 units. From a startup to a national high-tech enterprise, Hengmai Optics has achieved average annual shipment growth of 100% over the past three years.

How has Hengmai Optics achieved these results, and what is its optics strategy?

In terms of market size, the global market for ultra-precision optical processing equipment remains relatively small. According to QYResearch, global sales were about USD 126 million in 2025 and are expected to reach USD 171 million by 2032, a compound annual growth rate of about 4.5%.

However, this modest growth figure may understate actual demand. Downstream applications for ultra-precision optical processing equipment are rapidly expanding from traditional optical lenses to strategic fields such as semiconductor lithography, aerospace spaceborne optics and high-power laser inertial confinement fusion. The focus of equipment competition has shifted from static positioning accuracy to thermal stability, dynamic error control, process databases and automation integration capabilities.

This is precisely the structural opportunity facing domestic equipment makers, and Hengmai Optics has seized it. Founded in 2020, the company is a key incubatee of the Hangzhou Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, with core technologies derived from frontier research at leading domestic institutes. Master's degree holders or above account for 80% of its R&D staff.

In its product strategy, Hengmai Optics follows a dual-engine approach of "processing equipment + inspection instruments," with proprietary intellectual property covering high-dynamic, high-rigidity machine tool design, real-time in-process inspection, and advanced interferometric measurement technologies. This dual-track layout enables the company to deliver end-to-end solutions that include process development, equipment customization, and personnel training, rather than simply selling hardware.

On the customer side, Hengmai Optics equipment has been adopted by leading companies in semiconductors, aerospace, high-power lasers and other fields, and is exported to overseas markets including Russia, Belarus, and India. In 2025, the company was included in the list of recognized Hangzhou enterprise high-tech research and development centers, an official endorsement of its R&D capabilities.

However, the challenges facing Hengmai Optics are equally clear. First, the global market for ultra-precision optical processing equipment is worth only about USD 126 million, so any single company's growth ceiling depends on whether it can extend from equipment sales into process services and expand from the domestic market into overseas markets.

Second, as shipments climb from the thousands to higher volumes, capacity reserves, supply chain management, and on-site service responsiveness will become the key variables limiting delivery quality. Hengmai Optics has addressed delivery surges through mechanisms such as multi-supplier sourcing, production forecasting, and flexible staffing, but the management complexity that comes with scale will continue to rise.

Hengmai Optics' delivery of 1,000 units is, in essence, a footnote to the shift of domestic ultra-precision optical equipment from "can be made" to "can be made in volume." Whether the company can build lasting barriers in three areas - process database accumulation, overseas market penetration, and product line depth - is something OFweek Optics will continue to track.