Every industrial marking, cutting or welding laser is a Class 4 source: it can burn skin and blind instantly, including from reflections. Whether the system is Class 4 or Class 1 depends on the enclosure.
Class 1 — enclosed and interlocked
If the beam is fully contained and the door interlock stops the laser when opened, the system is Class 1. Bystanders need no goggles and the machine can sit in a shared workshop.
Class 4 — open systems
Tabletop, handheld and robotic systems without an enclosure are Class 4. You need a controlled area, warning signs, wavelength-rated goggles for everyone inside, and trained operators.
Goggles are wavelength-specific
- 1064 / 1080 nm for fiber marking and welding.
- 10.6 µm for CO2.
- 355 nm for UV.
Fumes
Plastics, PVC, coated metals and rubber release harmful fumes when lasered. Run extraction with HEPA and activated-carbon stages, and never mark PVC without it.
