Industry: Lasers in the factory: Nd: YAG and CO2 lasers are growing in popularity for cutting, drilling, welding, scribing, and heat-treating a host of metals and nonmetals

The laser has moved rapidly out of the laboratory, where it is still a research item, onto the factory floor as a production tool. Capable of delivering enormous thermal energy with pinpoint precision at very high speeds, the industrial laser can be found performing a host of material-treatment applications, including surface hardening, cutting, drilling, engraving, welding, material removal and scribing. And the types of materials undergoing laser processing are growing. The list now includes a variety of metals, plastics, rubber, wood, paper, cloth, ceramics, semiconductor materials, and crystals such as diamonds.