What do you mean by effecting devices using heating elements? Do you mean would it be damaging?

The main issues with trying to use a laser would be the very small point at which it would heat up, and the intense amount of heat, and the speed at which it reachs that high temperature.

So if you were to point a single laser at the gvg ceramic filter, at the correct distance in a single spot without moving at all, that spot about the size of say 5 or less grains of sand, would heat up to 700° in about 3-4 seconds (varies with different wattages). You would then have to move it slightly, again and again, in order to heat up the other parts which would be cooling off. You cant move it very fast because it takes a couple seconds or so depending on the material to heat it up enough.

The higher the power the higher the temp it will produce. But the same size area you will heat up at one time. So yes at a certain wattage a laser can/will damage anything.

There's a YouTube video of a Glass tube laser at 1 watt or so that eventually starts smoldering a cinder block a little.

Here a link to a handheld laser for a decent price for how powerful it is.

[URL unfurl="true"]http://unitednuclear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=94[/URL]

You do not want to follow those cheap do it yourself tutorials on making lasers. Those diodes were not meant to handle the amount of amperage your sending them and will burn out shortly. They are also fairly low in wattage.

Mohgasm.com is a good site for parts. If your interested in building a laser I can provide you with some good links to gettin you started on a quality laser build.

Technically you can't buy prebuilt lasers in the US and some other countries, you have to buy the parts and assemble it. Australia a lot of time will seize any parts as well since lasers are kind of illegal there.