Laser Technology - Got Fiber?
Jeff Walters January 14th, 2008
Lasers and the supporting laser technology is advancing at an astounding rate. The old days of manually aligning lenses and tweaking setups to maintain performance are things of the past. This new laser technology comes to us in the form of solid state fiber lasers. Usually the gain medium is doped with ytterbium (Yb3+). Fiber lasers can come as continuous wave (CW) laser or as Q-switched (pulsed energy). Their advantages over YAG or CO2 lasers are numerous. Fiber laser systems are often compact and take up less space. Their delivery is flexible and can be placed in almost any location. They can often be air cooled, which further reduces the need for space - as no chiller is required for some applications. They are also extremely efficient, making them the choice for most production lines. High power fiber lasers are starting to be proven to be very effective in many industrial applications.