CO2 Laser Vs. Fiber Laser: Which Technology Suits Your Business?

Laser technology is an indispensable tool across diverse industries, including manufacturing, medical fields, and scientific applications. CO2 lasers and fiber lasers are among the most widely used technologies, each offering distinct advantages to suit varying applications.

How can you choose the right one for your business? Our in-depth comparative analysis of CO2 laser vs. fiber laser will help you understand the differences between the two and assist you to choose the most suitable one.

What Are CO2 Lasers?

CO2 lasers are a widely used and highly versatile type of gas laser with applications across numerous industries. It uses a blend of gases to generate light and create laser beams.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary gas used to generate the beam and it works together with nitrogen and helium in most cases. The carefully controlled mixture of gases is contained in a sealed chamber where an electrical current passes through electrodes to excite the gas molecules. This process results in the release of light particles known as photons, and a portion of the resulting laser light is transmitted as a focused beam.

CO2 lasers emit laser light at around 10.6 micrometers wavelength. This particular infrared spectrum wavelength is what determines its applications as it dictates its interactions with different materials.

Applications of CO2 Laser Technology

CO2 laser technology is used across a wide spectrum of industries for various tasks including:

Cutting: It can cut through diverse materials including plastic, fabric, paper, wood, acrylic, and some thinner gauge metals. This makes it useful in packaging and signage industries.

Engraving: This type of laser can be used to make permanent marks or etch designs, text, logos, and patterns onto various materials. It is therefore suitable for industrial labeling and for marking parts in the automotive sector.

While these are the most common applications, it is also used to weld select materials such as plastics and non-metals.

CO2 Laser Safety

Working with any high-powered laser system inherently poses potential risks and to prevent accidents and protect operators, it is important to implement safety measures. Exposure to the direct or reflected laser beam can cause serious skin and eye damage. Additionally, uncontrolled operation or accidental activation can result in unintended material processing or potential fire hazards.

With this in mind, laser systems feature safety devices such as CO2 laser shutters. These are specialized components used to control the passage of laser beams. They are positioned along the laser system’s optical path and can be opened to allow the beam through or closed to block it off and prevent accidental exposure.

NM Laser produces high quality CO2 laser shutters, designed to withstand the intense power of the laser beam without being damaged. The materials chosen are highly resistant to optical damage and this makes it possible to operate them safely in highly-demanding environments.

What Are Fiber Lasers?

Unlike gas lasers, fiber laser systems feature a doped optical fiber as the primary medium. This fiber consists of silica glass doped using rare-earth elements such as ytterbium.

Using a high-power pump source such as a laser diode, the system injects light into the optical fiber, which excites the rare-earth element ions. In turn, this reaction produces photons at a wavelength of about 1064 nanometers, generating light within the fiber. The light gets amplified as it passes through and a collimator shapes it into a usable beam.

Fiber Lasers Applications

Fiber lasers are popular in a variety of industries, particularly those involved in metal processing. Here are some of their most common applications:

Marking: This type of laser is highly efficient at permanently marking metals, plastics, and some ceramics with barcodes, text, serial numbers, and graphics. It is particularly useful for marking components in the electronics, manufacturing, and aerospace industries for making products traceable and identifying parts.

Cutting Metals: Fiber lasers are the predominant technology in cutting metals due to their high power density and beam quality. They are versatile and can handle varying metal thicknesses, making them a mainstay of metalworking industries.

Additional applications include welding and engraving in diverse industries.

Differences Between CO2 Lasers vs. Fiber Laser

Both CO2 and fiber lasers have a wide range of applications. However, due to the differences in their characteristics, each has distinct advantages and disadvantages in specific applications. Understanding these features can help you make the best choice for your business.

Beam Characteristics

Differences in the type and quality of the laser beams in these two systems affect the way they interact with various materials. CO2 lasers emit light at an infrared wavelength of about 10.6 microns while fiber lasers operate at a much shorter wavelength of about 1.06 microns.

The longer wavelength of the former is readily absorbed by non-metals, which makes it efficient for marking, cutting, and engraving wood, plastic, paper, and acrylic. However, most metals cannot absorb it and this type of laser is therefore less efficient for metal processing.

The shorter wavelength of fiber lasers makes it ideal for metals, particularly those with high reflectivity at high wavelengths. It offers better processing speeds and cleaner results when marking, cutting, and welding metals. While it can process some non-metals, the results are not as efficient as when using CO2 lasers for those materials.

Efficiency and Power Consumption

The two types of lasers use completely different mechanisms to convert electrical energy into laser light, and this results in significant differences in power consumption. For CO2 lasers, a considerable amount of electrical energy is lost as heat in the gas chamber, translating to higher power consumption. Fiber lasers are a lot more efficient in the conversion process, and are therefore associated with lower power consumption.

Maintenance Requirements

CO2 laser systems require frequent replenishment of the gas mixtures and the optical components can wear out with time, requiring replacement. Fiber lasers are solid state devices with a longer operational lifespan that CO2 systems.

Precision and Speed

CO2 lasers are ideal for thick materials where it is possible to manage the heat-affected zone effectively. However, they are relatively slower than fiber-based systems.

Fiber lasers have a small focused spot size and superior beam quality, ideal for intricate cutting and marking with fine detail. They offer faster cutting speeds particularly for thin and medium materials.

Choosing the Right Laser System for Your Business

Ultimately, the right laser system for your business will depend on the type of material you process, required cutting speed, and precision. A CO2 laser system is highly effective for processing non-metallic materials and is better at handling thicker materials. Fiber lasers are better at metal processing, with high precision and speed, particularly when dealing with thinner and medium-thickness materials.

No matter your choice of laser system, NM Laser is your go-to for all laser shutters and controllers. We have been producing laser and optical shutters for 35+ years and have established a track record for reliability and quality. All our products are made in the USA and we offer customization options to meet your unique needs.

Reach out to us today to discuss your optical shutter or laser shutter needs and get the best possible solution.