Benefits of Fiber vs. YAG Lasers
Fiber Trumps Nd: YAG on All Fronts
Fiber laser marking and cutting technology is making a significant impact on the industrial manufacturing market due to its low cost, low maintenance and increased efficiency in comparison to Nd: YAG lasers. Fiber Lasers are also considerably more affordable. The early adopters of this ultra-efficient laser equipment are already seeing an increased return on investment. Still not convinced? Check out the side by side comparison of benefits and features and decide for yourself.
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Fiber Laser
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Nd: YAG Laser
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Reliability
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50,000 -100,000 hours
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500 – 1,000 hours (lamp-pumped)
10,000 – 20,000 hours (diode-pumped)
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Power Consumption
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170W per hour
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6kW per hour
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Maintenance
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· No maintenance
· No consumables
· No cleaning or aligning of mirrors
· No filters (chiller)
· No aligning of beam path
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· Optical path requires frequent adjustments to optimize power output
· Periodic replacement of flash lamps, diode packs and solid state crystals
· Diode pack maintenance requires factory-trained personnel and extended down time
· Cleaning, replacement and aligning of laser mirrors
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Power Efficiency
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Up to 50%
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2 -3% (0.2% with 3x Nd:YAG)
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Beam Quality
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Round, concentric
Near M2 = 1 (<1.05)
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No symmetric on both sizes
Inferior M2
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Spot Size
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50% smaller than Nd:YAG spot size
Requires less power to achieve the same result
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Significantly larger than the fiber laser
Requires more lasing power to achieve the same result
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Optical Path/Beam Path
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Flexible cable
Up to 50m
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Mirrors, Optical Path
Loss of beam quality and significant power drop-off with fiber delivery scan head system
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Cooling
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Air cooled
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De-ionized (DI) water
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Size
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19” rack mount unit
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Large footprint
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Chiller
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No chiller necessary up to 200W, Q-switched (pulsed) or CW
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30X Watt to laser output power (replacement required every 1- 2 years)
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For more information on fiber laser marking and cutting systems, please visit us on the web at www.laserphotonics.com
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