how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
(OP)
My concern is this. Many of my customers are running 4kw machines with little or no protection. Their attitude is they're using 4kw, why would they need to be concerned with say a 2kw fiber laser?
Chris Krug http://krugtech.com/





RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
They are courting disaster, and presumably, if OSHA were to get involved, changes would be made.
Are these lasers are in the visible or UV? At the minimum, safety goggles and interlocks are mandatory, per Federal law. Even a reflection off a shiny bit of material could potentially damage your vision.
TTFN
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RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
Just another dirty laser industry secret I guess.......
Chris Krug http://krugtech.com/
RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
That said, any individual exposure will not necessarily cause complete blindness, unless blood vessels are ruptured, etc. Single spots will leave specific blind spots that only a full field vision test and determine and map. There are those that would presumably show large numbers of blind spots if tested, which they should get done every couple of years or so. An operator of a non-eye-safe laser must wear eye protection, as a minimum. You can get skin burns from most visible lasers, if powerful enough. A 50mW green laser can certainly warm up your finger.
TTFN
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RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
beam diameter in a fiber laser is appx .06 mm compared to co2 which is .125 mm so it is much more concentrated and much more susceptible to beam deflection
RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
There is a power/energy limit for which any laser of any technology at any wavelength will become unsafe.
TTFN
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RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
Chris Krug http://krugtech.com/
RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
532 NOHD 836 m
10600 NOHD 9.35 m
Based on those specific parameters, the CO2 laser was technically "safer"
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RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
I be honest with you, I've spoken to everyone from optics manufacturers to people who design resonators. Almost every one of them is concerned about the more dangerous wavelengths. The only ones I've heard that even remotely minimized the danger to the extent that you have, are either selling fiber lasers or making money supporting them.
Chris Krug http://krugtech.com/
RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
If you don't understand NOHD, then you should probably read the ANSI laser safety standard Z136.1
You are asking about a complete generality without any numbers or performance parameters or operational conditions. Asking whether a "fiber laser" is safe is not an engineering question. Makes me wonder what YOUR agenda is.
TTFN
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RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
Chris Krug http://krugtech.com/
RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
In that case, even when there are laws in place, and penalties in place, people will still do whatever they want. From that perspective, whether a fiber laser system is "safer" or more "dangerous" compared to a CO2 system is moot.
If it's not Class 1, beware. Even if it is Class 1, beware. There have been plenty of design and construction errors in laser systems that make something that's ostensibly Class 1 become Class 3.
TTFN
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RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
There's no cure for stupidity and/or carelessness. I work with a Class 4 systems every day, and it doesn't matter if I'm working with 5W or 5kW, the basic safety measures are all the same. If a floor manager cannot get his people to follow basic safety procedures, he has no right being a floor manager. If those people cannot follow procedures laid out by management, they have no right being on the floor. No 'if's, 'and's or 'but's.
I see no difference between a 2kW fiber and a 4kW CO2 system, and neither does OSHA. If one customer of yours cannot be bothered to provide a safe work environment, so be it, that's their choice... but I don't see it as an industry-wide issue. Once you hit the "several Watt" and up range, they're all dangerous, it just depends upon how long you're willing to wait for permanent damage.
Now if you all will excuse me, I have some acrylics panels that need to be sliced and diced...
Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
Chris Krug http://krugtech.com/
RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
By "basic" I mean from the user's standpoint... not looking into the beam, protecting myself from stray reflections, making sure system-specific safety devices are in proper working order before use, etc. The same rules of use should be followed regardless of laser type, and to do otherwise is inviting disaster. It is the user's job (and management's) to follow common sense rules, and the manufacturers cannot be expected to place a person next to the machine for the rest of its operating life to babysit users. Most shops do this (all that I've worked with certainly have). Therefore, like IRstuff, I'm not sure what the point of this thread really is... there will always be shops who think they can get away with running on the ragged edge, but it will eventually catch up with them, and I don't see them as being in the majority.
Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
I'm not hearing any stories about cumulative eye damage from CO2 lasers.
Chris Krug http://krugtech.com/
RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
Both laser types are dangerous... to argue otherwise is folly. While the damage may occur in different ways, the point to take home is there is damage. This is like arguing about how Mary Antoinette died; loss of blood or having no head. It's irrelevant, the potential for damage is real, and therefore both tools should be used with the care due them.
Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
Chris Krug http://krugtech.com/
RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
TTFN
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RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
Most of the older CO2 lasers in the kw range had a completely open cutting area. The only thing between the operator and the cutting process was whatever the operator was wearing. This has been going on for decades with little incident. How does this compare to some of the more dangerous wavelengths that are becoming more popular?
Chris Krug http://krugtech.com/
RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
TTFN
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RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
But there is more than blindness. When a CO2 laser reaches your skin, you will feel it right away and will have the natural reflect to pull away. I've seen some service engineers get burnt by CO2 laser, it leaves a nasty burn, but it's only on surface. With a fiber laser, the radiation penetrates through your skin. By the time you feel the heat, the internal damage is way too serious. There has also been a case of arm amputation. Again, this incident was not caused on a production machine, but during resonator assembly and testing at factory.
As long as the machine is completely enclosed, there is no danger for the operator. Seems like technicians and service people will be the ones having to really watch for safety; no shortcuts allowed.
RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
Chris Krug http://krugtech.com/
Maximum Up-time, Minimum BS
RE: how dangerous are the fiber lasers?
thanks
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