Basic knowledges on YAG and CO2 laser

YAG (Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet) and CO₂ (Carbon dioxide laser) – Two of the most common types of lasers you often hear about; however, did you get further on how it work or which market they applied for? Today, we wanted to give you some information about the two different types of laser systems from which you may choice the best one for your application.

YAG and CO₂ laser diagram 

Both CO₂ lasers and YAG lasers generate a very concentrated beam of light, but from there the lasers become very different in their uses and how they work. Particularly:

• The wavelength:

The wavelength of a YAG laser (1.064 microns) is exactly ten times smaller than the CO₂ wavelength of 10.64 microns, which makes it ideally suited for absorption in most metals, and many other materials (wood, acrylic, plastics, fabrics, etc.)

• The materials:

A CO₂ laser beam is not easily absorbed by metal, but can easily be absorbed by many organic materials such as wood, acrylic, rubber, etc, while it tends to reflect off of most metal surfaces.

• Others:

There are a number of other differences between the two lasers; thermal efficiency, heat transfer, minimum and maximum power output, etc.

<*> Advantages and disavantages: