At 09:23 AM 2/4/2003 -0500, you wrote:
>I recall a science center demonstration had a huge laser that would
>cause wood to burst into flame.  They said they had to use Quartz
>optics, as glass would melt under the laser.

Or explode.

>I imagine that the effect the fiberoptics has on the laser, and the
>laser on the fibers, would be directly related to the material the fiber
>is made of and the wavelength/power of the laser.

You can get fiber optics that handles IR, at least up to many watts,
which is enough to burn wood.

>This is an area that has likely been researched quite a bit for
>industrial purposes - powerful lasers are not small, and if you can move
>the laser via fiber then the machinery has a lot less work to do.

CO2 lasers are used for various cutting purpose. We sometimes get metal
parts cut by laser, but I'm not sure whether they move the laser or the
optics.

Best regards,

Spehro Pefhany --"it's the network..."            "The Journey is the reward"
speff@interlog.com             Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog  Info for designers:  http://www.speff.com

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