Lasers: classification and properties

Knowledge 20211213-1

Did you know – Lasers classification

For safety reasons, Lasers are classified depending on their potential risk of injuries to humans’ eye and skin.

By law, all lasers products must have a label mentioning the class level. This number can be written either in Arabic numeral or in Roman numeral.

In the case of European law, lasers are classified over 7 categories: 1, 1M, 2, 2M, 3R, 3B, 4. The danger increases with the number. The classification is done regarding the wavelength (i.e the color), the power and the emission mode (pulsed or continuous) of the laser product.

Lasers classification & properties © YellowScan 2021

The class 1 concerns the safest product range. In this case, the systems are not dangerous for the user under all normal conditions of use. This means that viewing the laser radiation by naked eye is safe.

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