A CO2 gas laser that uses blowers for high-speed gas circulation and heat exchangers for cooling. In transverse flow lasers, the gas flows at right angles to the direction of laser beam propagation. In this configuration, the gas travels a much shorter distance across the laser cavity. This allows for even quicker cooling and higher power output per meter of laser cavity length. Since the gas runs through a wide aperture, it doesn’t have to flow as fast as in fast axial-flow lasers. This reduces the requirements on the blowers and lowers the temperature. In addition to this, the close proximity of the electrodes allows for lower operating voltages. These compact and powerful lasers can produce about 10 kW per meter of cavity length and about 20 kW overall. However, pulsing is difficult and beam quality suffers at higher powers. High power outputs make transverse flow lasers ideal for surface treatments and welding and cutting thick sections.
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