---
title: "List of laser applications"
chunk: 3/3
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_laser_applications"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T03:27:56.948990+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

Industrial laser applications can be divided into two categories depending on the power of the laser: material processing and micro-material processing.
In material processing, lasers with average optical power above 1 kilowatt are used mainly for industrial materials processing applications. Beyond this power threshold there are thermal issues related to the optics that separate these lasers from their lower-power counterparts.  Laser systems in the 50-300W range are used primarily for pumping, plastic welding and soldering applications. Lasers above 300W are used in brazing, thin metal welding, and sheet metal cutting applications. The required brightness (as measured in by the beam parameter product) is higher for cutting applications than  for brazing and thin metal welding.  High power applications, such as hardening, cladding, and deep penetrating welding, require multiple kW of optical power, and are used in a broad range of industrial processes.
Micro material processing is a category that includes all laser material processing applications under 1 kilowatt.  The use of lasers in Micro Materials Processing has found broad application in the development and manufacturing of screens for smartphones, tablet computers, and LED TVs.
A detailed list of industrial and commercial laser applications includes:

Laser cutting
Laser welding
Laser drilling
Laser marking
Laser cleaning
Laser cladding, a surface engineering process applied to mechanical components for reconditioning, repair work or hardfacing
Photolithography
Optical communications over optical fiber or in free space
Laser peening
Guidance systems (e.g., ring laser gyroscopes)
Laser rangefinder / surveying,
Lidar / pollution monitoring,
Digital minilabs
Barcode readers
Laser engraving of printing plate
Laser bonding of additive marking materials for decoration and identification,
Laser pointers
Laser mice
Laser accelerometers
OLED display manufacturing
Holography
Bubblegrams
Optical tweezers
Writing subtitles onto motion picture films.
Power beaming, which is a possible solution to transfer energy to the climber of a Space elevator
3D laser scanners for accurate 3D measurement
Laser line levels are used in surveying and construction. Lasers are also used for guidance for aircraft.
Extensively in both consumer and industrial imaging equipment.
In laser printers: gas and diode lasers play a key role in manufacturing high resolution printing plates and in image scanning equipment.
Diode lasers are used as a lightswitch in industry, with a laser beam and a receiver which will switch on or off when the beam is interrupted, and because a laser can keep the light intensity over larger distances than a normal light, and is more precise than a normal light it can be used for product detection in automated production.
Laser alignment
Additive manufacturing
Plastic welding
Metrology - handheld and robotic laser systems for Aerospace, Automotive and Rail applications
To store and retrieve data in optical discs, such as CDs and DVDs
Blu-ray

=== Entertainment and recreation ===
Laser lighting displays accompany many music concerts
Laser tag
Laser harp: a musical instrument were the strings are replaced with laser beams
As a light source for digital cinema projectors

=== Surveying and ranging ===

== Images ==

== See also ==
List of laser articles
Non-lethal weapon

== References ==

== External links ==

Coherent.com article on Applications for lasers