Unlike the large powerful lazers used in the Great Dragon War that cause nuclear explosions on contact with Shields, these lazers are much weaker and are used as tools.
Used in Asteroid Mining to obtain unrefined ore from the Asteroid Ring
Also common to find on Vesisaari being used to slowly cut through metal, stone, and anything organic.
After nuclear explosions decimated the land, the Federation banned all lazers, including these small 5 Watt Lazers. However, after some convincing and evidence they posed no threat to nuclear reactions, the ban was lifted on any lazer smaller than 5 Watts.