The CO2 reactor is larger and consumes more energy. To produce the laser beam, electricity is added to a mixture gas mixture. Mirrors are used to increase the intensity of light, and prepare it for exiting a resonator. The beam must travel through the path of several cooled reflectors until it reaches lens once it has left the resonance. This travel can cause a loss of power or quality in the laser beam.
With a laser tube-cutting machine, there are no standard towers. Bundle loads are the most efficient method for handling tubes. These loaders feed one tube per bundle into the tube cutter via a singularizing mechanism. This feeding method is not compatible with open profiles such as angles or channels. Because they interlock within a bundle, and don't allow for easy release, this type of feeding doesn't work. Step loaders are employed for open profiles. These machines sequence one section at a time and maintain the correct orientation.