Fiber lasers account for an increasing share of industrial lasers year by year due to their simple structure, low cost, high electro-optical conversion efficiency, and good output effects. According to statistics, fiber lasers accounted for 52.7% of the industrial laser market in 2020.
Based on the characteristics of the output beam, fiber lasers can be divided into two categories: continuous laser and pulse laser. What are the technical differences between the two, and what application scenarios are each suitable for? The following is a simple comparison of applications in general situations.
As the name suggests, the laser output by a continuous fiber laser is continuous, and the power is maintained at a fixed level. This power is the rated power of the laser. The advantage of continuous fiber lasers is long-term stable operation.
The laser of pulse laser is “intermittent”. Of course, this intermittent time is often very short, usually measured in milliseconds, microseconds, or even nanoseconds and picoseconds. Compared with continuous laser, the intensity of pulse laser is constantly changing, so there are concepts of “crest” and “trough”.
Through pulse modulation, the pulsed laser can be released quickly and reach maximum power at the peak position, but due to the existence of the trough, the average power is relatively low. It is conceivable that if the average power is the same, the power peak of the pulse laser can be much greater than that of the continuous laser, achieving a greater energy density than the continuous laser, which is reflected in the greater penetration penetration ability in metal processing. At the same time, it also Suitable for heat-sensitive materials that cannot withstand sustained high heat, as well as some high-reflectivity materials.
Through the output power characteristics of the two, we can analyze the application differences.
CW fiber lasers are generally suitable for:
1. Large equipment processing, such as vehicle and ship machinery, cutting and processing of large steel plates, and other processing occasions that are not sensitive to thermal effects but are more sensitive to cost
2. Used in surgical cutting and coagulation in the medical field, such as hemostasis after surgery, etc.
3. Widely used in optical fiber communication systems for signal transmission and amplification, with high stability and low phase noise
4. Used in applications such as spectral analysis, atomic physics experiments and lidar in the field of scientific research, providing high power and high beam quality laser output
Pulsed fiber lasers are usually suitable for:
1. Precision processing of materials that cannot withstand strong thermal effects or brittle materials, such as processing of electronic chips, ceramic glass, and medical biological parts
2. The material has high reflectivity and can easily damage the laser head itself due to reflection. For example, processing of copper and aluminum materials
3. Surface treatment or cleaning of the exterior of easily damaged substrates
4. Processing situations that require short-term high power and deep penetration, such as thick plate cutting, metal material drilling, etc.
5. Situations where pulses need to be used as signal characteristics. Such as optical fiber communications and optical fiber sensors, etc.
6. Used in the biomedical field for eye surgery, skin treatment and tissue cutting, etc., with high beam quality and modulation performance
7. In 3D printing, metal parts manufacturing with higher precision and complex structures can be achieved
8. Advanced laser weapons, etc.
There are some differences between pulsed fiber lasers and continuous fiber lasers in terms of principles, technical characteristics and applications, and each is suitable for different occasions. Pulsed fiber lasers are suitable for applications requiring peak power and modulation performance, such as materials processing and bio-medicine, while continuous fiber lasers are suitable for applications requiring high stability and high beam quality, such as communications and scientific research. Choosing the right fiber laser type based on specific needs will help improve work efficiency and application quality.
Post time: Dec-29-2023