Beyond Darth Vader

CO2 lasers incorporate a thermal process, while traditional YAG lasers are ablative. William Burrow, president of INTERFLEX Laser Engravers, expanded on the differences each technology provides. "CO2 lasers generate heat, melting ceramic into 'recast' which shapes the hexagonal cell walls and more importantly, hardens or anneals the engraved surface." However, in the ablative process, the ceramic goes directly from a solid to a vapor. "As the early ablative YAG lasers vaporized instead of melted the ceramic, the engraved surface holes were much softer and more prone to scoring," said Burrow. While the ablative YAGs produced high line counts, there are numerous benefits achieved from thermal engravings.