A friend approached me today asking if my laser could be used to remove the back glass on an iPhone. After some research, I discovered that the machines that are made for this are FIBER lasers, not CO2 lasers. If I’m understanding the technology correctly, the main obstacle is that fiber lasers, while lower wattage, have a more concentrated beam which directs the intense heat needed to melt the adhesive holding the glass. Conversely, a CO2 laser cannot generate the same level of heat and therefore cannot be used for this purpose.
Now, I’m a simple crafty girl and don’t know much about lasers beyond what my GF does. Can anyone elaborate on whether this could be achieved with a GF or not?
No.
The machine has just enough power to surface-mark glass.
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The way the fiber lasers are able to remove the glass is that the wavelength of light they emit passes through the glass and vaporizes the glue underneath. The wavelength from the co2 laser reacts with the glass and only will etch the surface. So no it cannot be done with a glowforge.
Here is a decent video explaining what is going on.
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