CO 2 ‐Laser – The ultimate laser power

Since the introduction of laser cutting technology for sheet metal at the end of the 1970s, CO 2 lasers have developed into the most successful high‐powered beam sources. Laser cutting of steel requires 1 kW of laser power, which was a considerable challenge back then. Today, 6 kW is state‐of‐the‐art; CO 2 lasers with up to 20 kW are available for laser welding and for other applications that require high power. Although the fundamentals of the CO 2 laser concepts have remained unchanged for nearly two decades, today's beam sources have technically very little in common with the first generation of lasers.