Fiber Laser Continuous And Pulsed, How To Choose?

Fiber laser with its simple structure, low cost, high electro-optical conversion efficiency, good output, the proportion of industrial lasers is increasing year by year. According to statistics, in 2020, the proportion of fiber lasers in the industrial laser market has reached 52.7%.
Classified by the characteristics of the output beam, fiber lasers can be divided into two categories: continuous laser and pulsed laser. What are the technical differences between the two, and what application scenarios are they suitable for? The following is a brief comparison of the general situation of the application.
As the name suggests, continuous fiber laser output laser is continuous, the power is maintained at a fixed level, this power is the rated power of the laser. This power is the rated power of the laser. The advantage of the continuous fiber laser is its long and stable operation.
The laser of the pulsed laser is "intermittent". Of course, this intermittent time is often very short, usually in milliseconds, microseconds, or even nanoseconds or picoseconds. Compared to continuous lasers, the intensity of pulsed lasers is in constant flux, hence the concept of "peaks" and "troughs".
Through pulse modulation, the pulsed laser can be released quickly, reaching great power at the peak position, but the average power is relatively low due to the existence of the trough. It can be imagined that if the average power is the same, then the peak power of the pulsed laser can be much larger than that of the continuous laser, realizing a greater energy density than that of the continuous laser, which is reflected in the metal processing, that is, it has a greater ability to penetrate the depth of penetration, and at the same time, it is also suitable for the heat-sensitive materials that can not withstand sustained high heat, as well as some high-reflectivity materials.
Through the output power characteristics of the two, we can analyze the difference in application.
Continuous fiber laser is usually suitable for:
- Large equipment processing, such as vehicle and ship machinery, large steel plate cutting processing, and other processing occasions that are not sensitive to thermal effects, but more sensitive to cost
- Used in the medical field for surgical cutting and coagulation, such as post-surgical hemostasis.
- Widely used in fiber optic communication systems for signal transmission and amplification with high stability and low phase noise.
- Used in scientific research for applications such as spectral analysis, atomic physics experiments and LIDAR, providing high power and high beam quality laser output.
While pulsed fiber lasers are usually suitable for:
- Precision processing of materials that cannot withstand strong thermal effects or are brittle, such as processing of electronic chips, ceramic glass, and medical and biological parts.
- Materials with high reflectivity, easy to damage the laser head itself due to reflection. For example, the processing of copper and aluminum materials
- Surface treatment or cleaning of the exterior of easily damaged substrates.
- Processing applications that require high power and deep penetration for short periods of time, such as cutting thick plates and punching holes in metal materials.
- Applications that require the application of pulses as signal characteristics. For example, fiber optic communication and fiber optic sensors.
- In the biomedical field for eye surgery, skin treatment, tissue cutting, etc., with high beam quality and modulation performance.
- 3D printing for high precision and complex structure of metal parts.
- Advanced Laser Weapons
There are some differences between pulsed fiber lasers and continuous fiber lasers in terms of principle, technical characteristics and applications, and each is suitable for different occasions. Pulsed fiber lasers are suitable for applications requiring high peak power and modulation performance, such as material processing and biomedicine; while continuous fiber lasers are suitable for applications requiring high stability and high beam quality, such as communications and scientific research. Choosing the right type of fiber laser for your specific needs will help improve efficiency and application quality.