Shedding light on laser marking

摘要

Typical marking lasers come in three types - carbon dioxide (CO2), YAG or fibre. The most basic form of a CO_2 laser consists of a gas discharge with a reflector at one end, and an output coupler (a partially reflecting mirror) at the output end. CO2 lasers have a high wavelength (operating in the infrared) which makes them a poor choice for metal marking applications because the laser radiation is often reflected by the target material.