CO2 Laser Projects
As rugged and relatively cheap as lasers go, the carbon dioxide or CO2 laser is used in projects from the laboratory to the hospital to the factory floor. The CO2 laser operates equally well as a steady, powerful hot beam or as an on-and-off pulse, so it can be used in projects that require cutting, welding, etching or, even in the case of tattoo removal, a painless abrading.
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Background
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All lasers work by amplifying and concentrating beams of light. Diamonds and highly purified crystals, both expensive options, can be used, for instance. However, the CO2 laser uses cheap, plentiful and easily made carbon dioxide with a few puffs of nitrogen and helium thrown in. Electricity shakes up the CO2 molecules to make the laser light. Highly polished mirrors focus the beam, which emerges as infrared light. As lasers go, CO2 lasers are considered highly efficient in converting electric power to light, so scaling up the beam to complete the particular project is fairly easy for the scientist.
Medical Projects
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Benign and malignant skin tumors can be targeted by the versatile CO2 laser, which works well as a pulsed laser, delivering short bursts at targets, or smoothly as a continuous light beam, removing layers of skin one thin sheet of molecules at a time. The Cleveland Clinic, a world-renowned medical center, says CO2 lasers burn off tumors without damaging surrounding healthy skin. Other researchers report using CO2 lasers as a high-tech scalpel to cut skin. The heat of laser light also is used to cauterize blood vessels to stop bleeding during surgery.
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Cosmetic Surgery
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Pulsing the CO2 laser reduces the irritation to a minimum in cosmetic surgery. Darker patches absorb more light than lighter ones, so patients with tattoos (and buyer's remorse) can see the body artwork lifted off. The lasers also attack wrinkles, scars, warts and birthmarks as well as resurface and rejuvenate sun-damaged skin.
Industrial Uses
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Infrared light, the kind a CO2 laser produces, tends to be absorbed by organic materials but bounces off metals. That seeming drawback can actually be an advantage over types of lasers. Say a factory project involves marking or engraving a metal, such as stainless steel, without weakening the metal by cutting into it or the metal has a coating that needs removing, without damaging the underlying metal. Infrared laser light does the job on anodized aluminum, stainless steel (with the help of a sprayed-on marking compound), painted brass and other coated metals. On the other hand, manufacturers take advantage of the tendency of organics to absorb infrared light by employing the CO2 laser to weld and precision-cut plastics and shape wood.
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References
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