Beyond Darth Vader

Another downside to traditional Nd YAG lasers is that they "produce cells which have much greater angles of the cell walls and produce more of a 'test tube' cell profile, which can prohibit cell evacuation and cause cleaning problems," said Ehrenberg.

Jones agreed, "A smooth inner cell lining is desirable for better ink release, structural integrity, and ease of cleaning. The YAG lasers do not produce cells with these desirable properties." Recently, though, thermal YAG lasers have been developed that address some of these limitations.