by Sam A. Rushing, Advanced Cryogenics, Ltd. | July 2019 (gasworld US Edition).
Carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers were one of the earliest gas lasers to be developed in 1964 by Bell Labs, and some claim them to be one of the most powerful continuous lasers available today.
The active laser medium is a gas discharge, which is either air or water-cooled, in part dependent upon the power being applied. Applications are diverse in medicine and dentistry; in the industrial sector, they range from laser marking of various materials, to processing of glass, ceramics, plastics, and wood. In the metallurgical sector, uses include cutting and marking metals from copper to stainless, to aluminum.
They are also used in the defense industry, for anti-missile weapons…