I agree that unshielded diode lasers are scary. But CO2 lasers like Lasersaur are a great tool for kids. I'm purchasing one for a school right now.
CO2 lasers at around 50W are not such a particularly scary thing. The laser light itself is absolutely stopped by the enclosure.
The thing being cut can glow, but only with about a quarter of the light power put into it at most (diffusely). So we're talking about a 12.5W omnidirectional small light, which is further shaded by the 75% tint on the laser enclosure.. It's quite reasonable to consider this class 1.
(I do see the scary sibling comment. Obviously one should not stare at the bright cut; one should have a tinted enclosure; and one should have safety glasses with tint, too).
When I go to the dentist, nobody questions the dentist leaving the room when we turn on the X-ray machine. Is it too much to ask the kids not to be in the same room as such a laser? If CD players need to be shielded inside DARK boxes, why not the multi-watt laser? The kids can watch the process through a camera.
1) the laser is already in a box that makes it into a class 1 laser device (same regulatory category as a CD-ROM!). Already adding goggles and extra distance is well beyond recommended occupational protections.
2) the process does need to be supervised and stopped and fires extinguished now and then.
3) the kids acting as the actual machine operator is an important part of the process, IMO.
I've been a laser safety officer for actual class 4 lasers. A proper commercial medium-power CO2 laser cutter is class 1. It's not free of hazards (fumes, fire, and somewhat bright non-coherent light-- not as bright as some LEDs), but the number of boxes of concern you can check are far lower.
CO2 lasers at around 50W are not such a particularly scary thing. The laser light itself is absolutely stopped by the enclosure.
The thing being cut can glow, but only with about a quarter of the light power put into it at most (diffusely). So we're talking about a 12.5W omnidirectional small light, which is further shaded by the 75% tint on the laser enclosure.. It's quite reasonable to consider this class 1.
(I do see the scary sibling comment. Obviously one should not stare at the bright cut; one should have a tinted enclosure; and one should have safety glasses with tint, too).