5 Reasons Laser Technology is Better for the Environment

Environmental concerns are becoming more prominent for all businesses as we become more conscious of our impact on the world around us.

In every industry, companies are finding ways to reduce their ecological footprint without sacrificing profit or revenue.

Adopting green policies also shows your customers that you’re committed to social issues.

While many people don’t associate laser technology with environmental health, lasers actually offer many ecological benefits over their competitors.

They have been used effectively in the place of many older, less environmentally friendly technologies.

These are some of the most common ways lasers have been implemented to help the environment.

Laser marking decreases waste without using harmful resources

Traditional methods of affixing visuals like serial and barcodes, logos, and safety information generally involve additional labels.

By contrast, laser marking can engrave directly on a variety of materials, removing the need for extra materials.

When used on recyclable items, laser marking is clearly a uniquely beneficial option for the environment.

In addition, laser marking doesn’t involve any ink or contact with the material.

Traditional inks, which often use nonrenewable, harmful resources, should be eliminated whenever possible.

This also makes lasers especially valuable in fields like medicine and food, as lasers can be used on the product itself without risk of harm to consumers.

Manufacturing parts with lasers use more of the raw material

Just like laser marking, part manufacturing has long been a wasteful process, and substantial sections of the material would be discarded after the correct shape was carved out.

Lasers have changed the way parts are made in a diverse range of industries from air travel to medical technology, as they provide both functional and environmental benefits.

Lasers are also capable of working on an extremely small scale, which has led to their implementation in many industries in which precision is paramount.

Overall, laser part manufacturing has been adopted for many reasons, most prominently its quick turnaround, ease of innovation, and reduction of waste.

Laser light sensors cut down on unnecessary energy use

People all over the world waste significant amounts of energy by merely leaving lights on that they aren’t using.

While it would be great if everyone could remember to turn lights off when they leave a room, this isn’t a practical large-scale solution.

Many people have implemented laser light sensors in both business and personal settings to cut down on waste.

These automatically turn on lights when movement is detected, ensuring that energy is only used when needed.

Laser printers are becoming a viable alternative to ink-based printers

While laser printing has been criticized for its significant energy use compared to its competitors, it’s clear that inkjet printers come with their own set of problems.

While neither option is currently a perfect solution, there have recently been significant strides in laser printing technology that have cut down on its environmental impact.

Inkjet cartridges, which contain many harmful parts, can be recycled.

But the vast majority are simply thrown away, representing a significant ecological cost worldwide.

Laser printers, on the other hand, are creating less heat and waste every year as technology improves.

Of course, printing, in general, should be used only when necessary.

Laser technology is being used for research on climate change

In addition to its everyday implementations, laser technology is also being used to help us understand more about climate change and other environmental issues.

The Natural Environment Research Council now uses a Laser Heterodyne Radiometer to monitor the atmosphere as part of their ongoing studies.

Laser sensing is also used to study rainforests, which can be hard to access with other methods.

It has even been implemented in the cleanup of oil spills.

Scientists add oil-consuming bacteria to the surrounding area to cut down on the impact of spills, and lasers can be used to examine the effects of these bacteria.

While these are just a few examples of many, it’s clear that lasers have an important role to play in our ongoing efforts to protect the environment.

Many traditional industrial methods involved significant inefficiencies that lasers have been able to correct, and this trend will only continue as the underlying technology is improved.