Design and performance of a sealed CO2 laser for industrial applications

A large amount of materials processing is done using an industrial CO2 laser operating in the mid-infrared (IR) spectrum. Their high efficiency and tremendous power output have made them one of the most commonly known transition wavelength at 10,6 microns facilitates laser cutting, drilling and marking of a wide variety of materials in the electronics and medical industries. Because lasers are feedback systems, many of their design parameters strongly interact with one another, and arriving at an optimum design requires a really thorough understanding of just how they interact. We report the construction of a sealed CO2 gas discharge laser with a glass laser tube design as well as clear acrylic housing makes this an excellent demonstrational tool. Sealed operation was characterized in mode, power, warm-up and stability over a long time. The results indicate a good operation, optimum wavelength, powers and beam quality will remove material more efficiently in effective industrial applications.