🚀 go-pugleaf

SJQ>   >
SJQ>   >      Are there any lasers available which will actually cut things?
SJQ>   > The ones I see for sale in catalogs (like Edmund Scientific) seem only
SJQ>   > to be for demonstration purposes. Is it possible to obtain a laser
SJQ>   > that will cut metal, or are they only industrial ones that weigh tons
SJQ>   > and cost millions? If anyone has any info on this (company names,
SJQ>   > etc.) please reply to mlevin@husc8.harvard.edu.

Since you already have received a relevant response, I hope you will
forgive some reminiscences from earlier days. I wonder how many laser
users know that in the early days(shortly after Maiman's little ruby lit
up the world in 1960) there was much confusion as to how to compare
various lasers with different pulse lengths, powers, energies,
coherence (goes to focusing ability), etc. For quite some time the
standard unit was a Gillette! I. e. the "strength" of a laser was
measured by the number of stacked razor blades that the laser could
punch a hole through in one shot. Those were the days when "MASER"
meant "military applications seem extremely remote" or maybe "more
applied scientists eat regularly". I still have some neat slides showing
sparks flying from one such shot. I guess I don't remember whether a
"hole in one" was par for the course? Regards.