Solid state lasers with comparatively low average power are used for marking. With the aid of an acousto-optical switch - (Q switch) - high performance even pulses are generated, allowing very accurate interaction with the material.
Principle
The laser rod and the pump module - now mainly laser diodes - are in a housing whereby the pump module feeds energy into the laser rod. There the laser light is produced which reflects back and forth between two mirrors and on every pass through is amplified by the laser rod. One of the mirrors only partly reflects the light, and releases part of the laser light, approximately 20-30% from the laser making it available as a tool for marking.
Laser rod
The laser rod consists of an artificially cultured one-crystal made from Yttrium Aluminium Garnet (YAG), or Vanadate (YVO) in which part of the Yttrium ions are replaced by Neodymium ions (Nd), the actual active laser material. It is almost transparent and shines light pink. The dimensions of the laser rod depend on the specifications of the laser. The laser rod usually has a diameter of approximately 4 mm for a length of approximately 10 mm.
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