A friend of mine that works in a factory was complaining about a cutting laser his company uses to cut steel. He said it was emitting a yellow gas and several of the employees were concerned it may be dangerous. He said something about the laser’s lens being damaged too. Nonetheless the laser was kept running and he seems concerned about it. Anybody know what the gas could be and if it is harmful or not?
I talked to him again and he wasn’t sure where the gas was coming from specifically, though he did add that he knows the laser runs on liquid nitrogen.
I bet the gas or smoke is not from the laser itself, but from the steel being cut. Laser is generated thru a media (laser = Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation). The media can be CO2, He-Ne, YAG or semiconductors. The first two types are gases, but the gas is sealed inside a glass housing. Once leaked, the laser will stop working, so there is no chance that the smoke is due to laser gas leaking.
When laser beam cuts a metal. Its energy is so high that it literally vaporizes (burns) the metal away. The smoke could be due to this burning (oxidation). Alternatively metal-cutting laser uses a lot of power, so it must be cooled somehow to prevent overheating. You can also smell something if the laser overheats. Overheated laser will not last long.
In any case, the gas/smoke is likely not good for your friend’s health. In general term, industrial waste is not good. Your friend should talk to the management.
http://ucrystal.com - laser and crystal are part of my life.
Was it the laser or where the laser was cutting? If a gas laser, it would not work very long if leaking. If the yellow is coming from the steel, it is perhaps the oil coating the surface of the steel.
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I bet the gas or smoke is not from the laser itself, but from the steel being cut. Laser is generated thru a media (laser = Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation). The media can be CO2, He-Ne, YAG or semiconductors. The first two types are gases, but the gas is sealed inside a glass housing. Once leaked, the laser will stop working, so there is no chance that the smoke is due to laser gas leaking.
When laser beam cuts a metal. Its energy is so high that it literally vaporizes (burns) the metal away. The smoke could be due to this burning (oxidation). Alternatively metal-cutting laser uses a lot of power, so it must be cooled somehow to prevent overheating. You can also smell something if the laser overheats. Overheated laser will not last long.
In any case, the gas/smoke is likely not good for your friend’s health. In general term, industrial waste is not good. Your friend should talk to the management.
http://ucrystal.com - laser and crystal are part of my life.
References :