This article describes the advantages and disadvantages of YAG lasers.

1. The output wavelength of the YAG laser is 1.06um, which is just an order of magnitude smaller than the CO2 laser wavelength of 10.06μm, so it has high coupling efficiency with metal and good processing performance (the effective power of a 800W YAG laser is equivalent to 3KW CO2 laser power. );
2. The YAG laser can be coupled with the optical fiber, and with the help of time division and power division multiplexing system, a beam of laser can be easily transmitted to multiple stations or remote stations, which is convenient for laser processing to achieve flexibility;
3. The YAG laser can work in both pulsed and continuous modes, and its pulse output can obtain short pulses and ultra-short pulses through Q-switching and mode-locking technology, so that its processing range is larger than that of CO2 lasers;
4. The YAG laser has a compact structure, light weight, easy and reliable use, and low maintenance requirements, so its application prospect is promising.

1. Its conversion efficiency is low, only 1-3%, which is about an order of magnitude lower than that of CO2 lasers;
2. There is an internal temperature gradient in the working process of the YAG laser rod, which will cause thermal stress and thermal lens effect, which limits the further improvement of the average power and beam quality of the YAG laser;
3. The cost per watt of output power of YAG laser is more expensive than that of CO2 laser.