AI laser tube cutting is becoming one of the most important developments in the global machine tool industry. As manufacturers face rising labour costs, skills shortages, and pressure to reduce downtime, artificial intelligence inside the machine is moving from optional to essential.
Longxin Laser is one of the Chinese machine tool builders pushing this shift forward. With more than 20 years of experience in laser and tube cutting, the company has integrated an AI assistant called AI SmartCut into its laser tube cutting machines, built in collaboration with DeepSeek.
In this interview, Eric Yueng, Sales Director at Longxin Laser, explains how AI SmartCut works, why AI matters for China’s next manufacturing phase, and what this means for European and US fabricators considering Chinese-built laser technology.
MTN: For readers who do not know Longxin, can you explain in simple words what your AI SmartCut system does for a laser tube cutting customer?
Eric Yueng:
AI laser tube cutting at Longxin is mainly about assistance. Many customers are new to laser tube cutting and do not have very experienced operators. Learning from manuals is complicated, and hiring highly skilled operators is expensive.
With AI SmartCut, if an operator has a problem with machine operation, cutting parameters, or service issues, they can type their question directly into the AI system. The system gives clear, step by step instructions on how to solve the problem. In many cases, the answer comes within one minute.
This makes laser tube cutting easier, faster, and less dependent on highly skilled labour.
MTN: You worked with DeepSeek to build the AI in your machine. What does DeepSeek technology add to your system, and what new things can the machine do because of this AI assistant?
Eric Yueng:
DeepSeek provides the base AI technology for our system. On top of this, Longxin Laser developed its own software that runs inside the machine.
We sell machines to more than 50 countries, and it is not possible for any manufacturer to provide 24 hour service support in every time zone. When customers have problems, waiting for support can stop production.
With the AI assistant, customers do not need to wait for a service engineer. They ask the machine directly and receive guidance immediately. This reduces downtime and helps customers keep production running.
MTN: Traditional laser tube cutting needs very skilled operators. How does your AI SmartCut assistant help a new operator on the first day to run the machine with confidence?
Eric Yueng:
New operators can communicate with the system using normal daily language. They can say what material they want to cut and the thickness.
The AI SmartCut system then generates the correct cutting parameters and explains how to apply them step by step. This allows new operators to start cutting quickly and with confidence, even on their first day.
They do not need deep knowledge of laser power, ratios, or advanced technical terms.
MTN: Your system uses a large database of cutting parameters for many materials and thicknesses. How do you collect this data, and can the AI keep learning from customer jobs in real production?
Eric Yueng:
We trained the AI using more than 20 years of Longxin Laser experience and a large internal database. This includes thousands of cutting parameter records and over 10,000 real customer cases.
If a customer uses the recommended parameters and the result is not ideal, they can describe the result or upload an image. The AI then suggests how to adjust the parameters.
When the same or similar situation happens again, the system remembers this and provides improved guidance. In this way, the AI continues learning from real production use.
MTN: China already has tens of thousands of smart factories and very high automation in many sectors. How important is AI inside machine tools, like laser cutters, for the next stage of China’s manufacturing development?
Eric Yueng:
AI inside machine tools is very important for the next stage of manufacturing in China. Automation is already common, but intelligence is the next step.
We believe AI laser tube cutting will expand across more products and production lines. In the future, AI will support automatic production, better machine coordination, and smarter factories. This is part of the move toward Industry 4.0.
MTN: Are AI laser machines in China mainly used by very large companies, or are small and medium metal shops also starting to buy them? What is the biggest problem that still slows AI adoption for these smaller customers?
Eric Yueng:
AI functions can be used by companies of all sizes. At Longxin Laser, we plan to include AI as standard on all machines, not only for large customers.
One challenge in China is operator education. Some operators find it difficult to write or describe problems clearly. To solve this, we are developing voice-based AI. Operators will be able to speak to the machine in normal language, and the AI will respond in the same way.
This will make AI laser tube cutting even easier to use in small and medium factories.
MTN: Many Chinese laser brands now say they have AI in their machines. In a simple way, what is really different about Longxin’s AI SmartCut compared with other AI laser solutions in the market?
Eric Yueng:
Our main advantage is experience in tube and pipe cutting. Tube cutting is more complex than sheet metal cutting, and Longxin Laser has many years of focused experience in this area.
Another key difference is our collaboration with DeepSeek. Our AI SmartCut system is trained on real production and service data and designed specifically for laser tube cutting. It is not only a marketing feature.
MTN: Looking three to five years ahead, what new AI functions do you want to add to your machines, and what will this change for your customers?
Eric Yueng:
In the next three to five years, AI will allow even small factories to operate with higher efficiency and fewer interruptions.
Customers will rely less on highly skilled operators and will reduce downtime caused by human availability. Machines will continue running with AI assistance, even when operators are unavailable.
AI laser tube cutting will help customers save time, reduce production losses, and solve problems immediately. In manufacturing, time is money, and AI helps protect both.
MTN Analysis: This interview highlights how Longxin Laser represents a broader shift taking place across the Chinese machine tool industry. With AI SmartCut, developed in collaboration with DeepSeek, Longxin is embedding artificial intelligence directly into laser tube cutting machines to address long-standing issues around operator skills, training time, and machine downtime.
Rather than positioning AI as an add-on, Longxin is using it as a core operating layer inside the machine. By allowing operators to interact with the system in simple language and receive immediate, practical guidance, the company is reducing reliance on highly skilled labour and improving machine uptime. This approach reflects a wider trend in China, where machine builders are moving quickly from basic automation toward intelligent, software-driven manufacturing equipment.
China already has one of the world’s most advanced smart-factory ecosystems, and the speed at which AI is being integrated into machine tools is accelerating. Collaborations with AI developers such as DeepSeek show how Chinese manufacturers are combining large-scale industrial experience with modern AI models to create machines that are easier to run, easier to support, and faster to deploy.
For European and US manufacturers, this evolution is significant. Chinese-built machines are no longer competing only on price, but increasingly on intelligence, usability, and embedded support. As companies like Longxin Laser continue to push AI deeper into laser tube cutting and broader factory workflows, the next generation of machine tools emerging from China is becoming more capable, more autonomous, and more relevant to global production environments.
For more information please visit: https://longxinlaser.com/
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