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.

	Fiber Laser	Nd: YAG Laser
Reliability	50,000 -100,000 hours	500 – 1,000 hours (lamp-pumped) 10,000 – 20,000 hours (diode-pumped)
Power Consumption	170W per hour	6kW per hour
Maintenance	· No maintenance · No consumables · No cleaning or aligning of mirrors · No filters (chiller) · No aligning of beam path	· 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
Power Efficiency	Up to 50%	2 -3% (0.2% with 3x Nd:YAG)
Beam Quality	Round, concentric Near M2 = 1 (<1.05)	No symmetric on both sizes Inferior M2
Spot Size	50% smaller than Nd:YAG spot size Requires less power to achieve the same result	Significantly larger than the fiber laser Requires more lasing power to achieve the same result
Optical Path/Beam Path	Flexible cable Up to 50m	Mirrors, Optical Path Loss of beam quality and significant power drop-off with fiber delivery scan head system
Cooling	Air cooled	De-ionized (DI) water
Size	19” rack mount unit	Large footprint
Chiller	No chiller necessary up to 200W, Q-switched (pulsed) or CW	30X Watt to laser output power (replacement required every 1- 2 years)

For more information on fiber laser marking and cutting systems, please visit us on the web at www.laserphotonics.com