CO2 fractional or picosecond: what actually decides the purchase
Buyers comparing a CO2 fractional platform with a picosecond platform tend to start with output power, because that is the column the specification sheets put first. The differences that decide whether the device suits a particular clinic sit elsewhere: how the energy is delivered, what the cooling system asks of the clinic, and how much of the room the unit occupies. Supply voltage turns out not to be the dividing line at all — both platforms are built for 110 V and 220 V markets and configured per order.
01 · The output format decides the room, not the wattage
The CO2 platform delivers a pattern across an area. It carries a scan head and an articulated light guide arm, with a scan area from 0.1 × 0.1 mm up to 20 × 20 mm — which means the unit needs a fixed position, a working height for the arm, and clearance for the operator to move it between passes. It is a station.
The picosecond platform is a handpiece on a mobile chassis, shipped in a flight case. It can be moved between rooms and needs no arm clearance. What it does not carry is the scan head: where the CO2 platform paints a pattern across an area, this one is applied through the handpiece.
That single structural difference decides more about the purchase than the power figures do, because it sets how many rooms the clinic can use the device in — and whether the treatment position has to be arranged around it.
02 · What the two platforms are specified for
| CO2 fractional | Picosecond | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Sealed-off DC CO2 laser | Nd:YAG, 150 W / 300 W / 500 W options |
| Output | 1 – 60 W, 1 W increments | 0 – 2000 mJ |
| Modes | Pulse / super pulse / single pulse continuous | 1 – 10 Hz repetition |
| Scan | Max 20 × 20 mm, min 0.1 × 0.1 mm | Handpiece delivery, no scan head |
| Aiming | Red diode 650 nm | — |
| Cooling | Closed internal circulating water | — |
| Supply | AC 110 – 220 V, 50/60 Hz | 110 V / 220 V |
| Footprint | 700 × 450 × 940 mm with arm, 40 kg | Mobile chassis, flight case |
The scan row is the one that separates these devices structurally, and it follows from the delivery method rather than from the power rating. A CO2 fractional platform needs an articulated arm precisely because it works across an area; a handpiece device does not. Everything else in the table — footprint, installation, how the operator moves during a session — follows from that.
03 · Cooling is a maintenance item, not a footnote
The CO2 system uses closed internal circulating water cooling. Closed means the circuit is sealed and needs no tap connection, but it is still a system with a fluid volume, and it is the item most often left out of a maintenance plan. Ask what the interval is, what the procedure involves, and whether the clinic can do it or whether it requires a service visit.
The picosecond platform carries no comparable fluid system. That is a difference in operating cost and in downtime risk, and it belongs in the comparison alongside the specification table.
04 · Which buyer, which platform
| Buyer | Consider | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Clinic adding an ablative-fractional line | CO2 fractional | Scan head and articulated arm are built for patterned delivery across an area |
| Clinic working across several rooms | Picosecond | Mobile chassis; the CO2 unit needs a fixed position and arm clearance |
| Clinic with limited floor space | Picosecond | Flight case and mobile base; no arm sweep to allow for |
| Buyer who wants minimal maintenance load | Picosecond | No water circuit to schedule |
| Distributor serving several markets | Both | Each configured per market at order — confirm voltage and plug on the PO, not at packing |
| Buyer standardising on one supplier | Both | One documentation set, one support contact, two platforms |
05 · Documents to ask for
Both platforms fall under the same compliance framework as the rest of our range, but applicability is not identical across series. Rather than assume, ask which directive covers the model being quoted and read the report — the framework is set out in EMC and LVD testing, and the documents themselves are listed on certifications. Sixteen documents are published in full, including test reports, certificates of conformity and material safety data sheets for consumables.
Two questions are worth adding to any laser enquiry: does the test report name the exact model, and is the report still current? A report for a previous revision of a unit is not evidence for the unit being shipped.
06 · What this note does not cover
Nothing here describes treatment parameters, indications or outcomes. Output figures are the range a device can be set to; which setting suits a given application is a clinical decision for the qualified operator. Equipment on this site is supplied for use by trained professionals and is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
07 · Where to look next
The specific models are the CO2 fractional system and the compact picosecond platform, both within aesthetic laser and light. Consolidating a mixed order into one shipment is described in how a sample order runs.
Other notes and documents
OEM or ODM: what can be changed, and what it costs in time
Four layers can be changed on an existing model, and one of them takes months. Where OEM stops and ODM starts, and why approvals set the schedule.
Read the note →
What we check before your order leaves the factory
Multi-stage QC, a powered test run, a test video and packing photographs — sent for your approval before dispatch.
Read the note →
Choosing needle depth: a practical reference
0.5–7 mm on RF platforms with 12P / 24P / 40P probes, 0.2–2.5 mm on microneedling pens — and what the probe formats mean.
Read the note →Our certificates and test documents are listed on the Certifications section of the home page. Technical documentation is available to qualified buyers on request.