Laser source

01

Choose fiber or CO2 by material, thickness and edge

Messer Cutting Systems, a cutting machine maker, compares the two: a fiber laser cuts the same materials as CO2 plus copper, brass and aluminium much better because its 1.07 µm beam is absorbed rather than reflected, giving about three times CO2 speed on aluminium of 0.125 inch and thinner; on mild steel with oxygen the speeds are similar but fiber pierces faster; on stainless with nitrogen fiber is faster; CO2 gives finer edge quality, and the difference grows with thickness. [1]

Messer also notes the safety difference: the fiber wavelength is more hazardous, so fiber machines are fully enclosed Class 1 systems with special viewing windows, while CO2 machines are Class 4 and less enclosed. [1]

On running cost, Messer states that a 4 kW fiber laser and chiller at full power draw about 18 kW against about 70 kW for an equal-power CO2 laser and chiller. Editorial calculation: the difference is about 52 kW, or about 104,000 kWh over 2,000 hours at full power; beam power divided by total draw is about 4 ÷ 18 ≈ 22% for fiber and 4 ÷ 70 ≈ 6% for CO2, chillers included. [1]

Give the supplier the materials and thickness range, cutting or welding duty, required power and beam quality, machine and cutting-head interface, delivery fiber length, electrical supply, cooling capacity and service expectations.

02

Check power, beam quality, fiber and utilities

Raycus's 3,000 W single-module CW fiber laser (RFL-C3000S-CE), for example, lists 1080 ± 5 nm wavelength, ±1.5% output power instability, 10–100% power adjustment, 5 kHz maximum modulation, a 50 µm output fiber 20 m long, beam quality BPP of 1.5–2 mm·mrad, 380 V ±10% three-phase input, RS232, analogue and Ethernet control, water cooling and 10–40 °C working temperature. [2]

Editorial calculation: M² = BPP × π ÷ wavelength. With BPP 1.5–2 mm·mrad (1.5–2 × 10⁻⁶ m·rad) and 1.08 µm, M² ≈ 1.5 × 3.14 ÷ 1.08 ≈ 4.4 to 2 × 3.14 ÷ 1.08 ≈ 5.8. [2] Ask suppliers to state beam quality in one form, with the fiber core it applies to.

Machine sellers can also supply the source: DMK lists Raycus, MAX, JPT, GZTECH and IPG fiber sources with repair and diagnosis services. [3] Confirm the cutting head, connector and control interface match the source.

03

Check the US laser product rules for a source sold as a component

The US Food and Drug Administration's laser product performance standard, 21 CFR 1040.10, applies to laser products manufactured or assembled after August 1, 1976. It excepts a laser product sold to a manufacturer of an electronic product "for use as a component (or replacement)" when it carries a general warning notice and a label stating it is designated for use solely as a component and does not comply with the requirements for complete laser products, and it is not a removable laser system. [4]

The rule defines a Class IV laser product as one that permits human access during operation to laser radiation above the limits of table III-B, and its footnote describes Class IV levels as "an acute hazard to the skin and eyes from direct and scattered radiation". [4] A source such as Raycus's 3,000 W RFL-C3000S-CE [2] is supplied to machine builders, so ask whether it ships under the component exception with the required notice and label, and which of the interlock, key and emission-indicator functions the source provides for the machine builder to wire in.

The same section requires a manufacturer of such a component, if made after August 20, 1986, to register and list the products by type with the product name, model number, laser medium or emitted wavelength(s) and the manufacturer's name and address. [4] For a fiber source at 1080 ± 5 nm [2] or a CO2 tube, the wavelength on that listing should match the datasheet.

Editorial calculation: the remote interlock limit of 130 V rms equals a peak of about 184 V for a sine wave (130 × 1.414). [4]

Text is from the eCFR version of 21 CFR 1040.10 dated 2026-09-01; the accessible emission limit tables were not reproduced here. Other markets apply their own laser safety rules.

04

Fiber sources with repair, CO2 tubes, diode pumps and UV or green solid-state lasers on offer

DMK lists fiber laser sources from five named brands (Raycus, MAX, JPT, GZTECH, IPG) with repair and diagnosis; Laserchina lists laser sources alongside its laser machines; StartNow lists CO2 laser tubes and power supplies with fiber and CO2 machine parts; Focuslight lists open-package and fiber-coupled diode laser sources, including fiber-laser pumping components; RFH lists UV and green solid-state lasers; CNI lists laser sources from UV to infrared for scientific and industrial use. [3]

05

Gain medium, pump, delivery fiber, controls, chiller and enclosure

The pump source is the one part with no published detail in the sources reviewed, so ask for its design and redundancy; the fiber row gives Raycus's 50 µm core and 20 m length. [2]

06

Power, wavelength, BPP, supply, chiller and laser class for a source order

The worked values come from one Raycus 3,000 W model and Messer's 4 kW draw figure; cooling water temperature, storage temperature, humidity, IP rating and weight have no published value here and need the supplier's own figures. [2] [1]

07

Send the material, machine and site data together

Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.

Process: [cutting, welding or marking; materials; thickness range]
Source: [fiber or CO2; power; beam quality; wavelength]
Interface: [cutting head; connector; fiber length; control signals]
Utilities: [voltage and phase; chiller capacity; water quality]
Environment: [temperature; humidity]
Service: [warranty; repair; spare modules]

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