What Lasers Can Do: A Look at the Latest Technology

There is a wide variety of portable lasers on the market. The same can be said of laser modules. With such a variety of choice in both laser color and laser strength, it is important to have an idea of what the various power levels mean for someone who is selecting a portable laser or laser module.

A common misconception that must be addressed is the belief that a correlation exists between the laser's color and the laser's power. These two are, in fact, mutually exclusive. Milliwats are the most important thing to consider when determining how powerful a laser is. A green laser of 85 milliwats is no more powerful than a blue laser of 85 milliwats. The reason color can be important is simple: visibility. If the user needs to see the laser, which is important considering the amount of damage an invisible laser can cause, then the user will need to select one that is easily seen. For example, a green laser can be seen more easily a blue laser.

Different power levels allow lasers to perform different functions and cause different kind of damage. Some government institutions assert that lasers that have between one and five milliwats can injure people's eyes. However, other experts argue that for eye injury to occur ten milliwats or more must be used in the laser. That ten milliwats can lead to eye injury is somewhat frightening because in order for the laser's beam dot to be seen in daylight the laser must posses fifteen milliwats or more. It is also possible to see the beam from the laser in the dark if it has fifteen or more milliwats. For the beam to be seen in a dim setting, or at least in an area that does not leave the beam in direct sunlight, the laser must be one with thirty-five milliwats of power or more. Incidentally, no laser beam is visible if subjected to direct sunlight and whether or not a beam is able to be seen has to do with the viewpoint of the observer as well as the colors in its environment.

At 55 milliwats or more, the laser can begin to do some real damage. At this power level, a laser is capable of damaging plastic, if the plastic is thin and black. If the laser is 75 milliwats or more it becomes capable of burning a person's skin, especially darker skin, as well as popping balloons that are of a dark color. At 95 milliwats these devices can set matches on fire if the match and beam remain in contact for long enough. Electrical tape can be cut by these lasers as well. If a laser is one of 125 milliwats or more it becomes capable of melting rubber. It is also capable of melting plastics, including credit cards.

It is important to remember that the capability of the laser to do damage relative to the amount of milliwats it possesses is only estimated in this article. Other variable such as how strong the batteries in each laser are must also be considered.

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