A laser cutter is a prototyping and manufacturing tool used to cut or etch into a wide variety of materials. Acrylic, wood, paper, cardboard, glass, leather, textiles, rubber, multi-ply plastics, Traffolyte are just some of the materials that can be processed with a laser system!

Below is a list of materials that can be engraved or cut with a Laser Cutter/Engraver, such as the superb GCC models.

1. Annealing Laser Marking
2. Carbon Migration Laser Marking
3. Foaming Laser Marking
4. Coloration Laser Marking

Fiber lasers are similar to their counterparts, except the active gain medium is made up of an optical fiber with doped rare-earth elements. These may include erbium, ytterbium, neodymium, dysprosium, praseodymium and thulium.

These types of lasers use less energy and take up less space than other laser systems, saving you money and helping your business run more efficiently.

The MOPA fiber laser is the best of both worlds.

As with all lasers, the process of how a MOPA fiber laser begins is the same. In order to create the light, you need to get the atoms in an excited state. As they move, they create a weak light that becomes more concentrated as more energy is added. Once this beam of light is created, it is amplified in some way to produce a focal point.

In MOPA lasers, an optical amplifier is used to create the focal point.

This is a configuration that consists of a master oscillator, which is a single-frequency laser used to inject lock one or several other lasers, and the optical amplifier.

The master oscillator produces a highly coherent beam, which is then amplified by the optical amplifier to increase the output power while preserving the main properties of the oscillator.

If it also contains a fiber amplifier to boost the output power, these types of laser systems may also be referred to as master oscillator fiber amplifiers (MOFA).

With the ability to modify and increase output power without changing the geometry, shape or operation principle, MOPA fiber lasers are the most popular way to achieve power scaling.

Future workers will spend less time on routine tasks and more using technology. Advancement in technology will continue to replace manual tasks, allowing more time for creative thinking and problem solving.

The short answer can be both, depending on your requirements and budget.
Both glass (DC) and metal (RF) tubes have their advantages, depending on the application.
Metal laser tubes have for many years been the industry standard, however they are expensive to manufacture and consequently you will outlay more money to purchase an investment of this type.

Glass laser tubes were manufactured as a cheaper source of power, predominantly for cutting. Seen as a consumable, a quality glass laser tube should still give you 3 or 4 years of service.

’Do I need fine detail engraving?’

This is possibly the most relevant question you should ask yourself. If fine detailed engraving is not a requirement in your decision to purchase a laser, outlaying more capital in the purchase could be a wasted investment. However, if the answer is yes, then the cost comes down to the brand and working area that best fits your needs and budget. In general, a quality “brand” name CO2 laser fitted with a metal laser tube could be up to 3 times the cost of a reputable CO2 laser fitted with a glass laser tube.

There are other factors and features that need to be considered with metal tube lasers, apart from simply the tube itself. These can vary from brand to brand and many have features that some glass tube machines do not have and therefore must be considered in the pricing.