Lasers have been around for quite a while but they are also very trendy little items. Laser printers are well-known, of course, but most people have no idea about where the laser itself is or how it works because the machine will not function if you have the cover open.  Even if you could peer into the machine's innards the little laser beams are hard to find or even notice.  

Happily, laser engraving is a totally different story. When we’re engraving you can actually watch the laser burning or cutting its way into the material and, believe me,  it's fascinating. 

The word laser is actually an acronym standing for:  
L(ight) A(mplification by) S(timulated) E(mission of) R(adiation). In layman terms it means that a device processes a ray of light in a plasma cartridge and transmits highly charged or energized output in an invisible region of the electromagnetic spectrum and then focuses all its output through mirrors and lenses onto an extremely small spot where the entire energy stream is unleashed. Little wonder the idea of laser energy has fascinated science fiction readers and writers and, when used as a  practical working tool, most of the rest of us, too.