Laser welding

PeteVS

PeteVS

Well-known member
I see a lot of “reels” on FaceBook showing laser welding. They make it look so easy! Do any of you Barners do laser welding? Comments? Thanks!
 
I don't know anything about that laser welding on the internet but I did buy one of those Arccaptain plasma cutters. I have a Lincoln Pro Cut 60 plasma cutter that probably weights 400 lbs. It is a hassle moving it around and consumables are impossible to find locally. I bought one of the small plasma cutters for about 300 bucks and it cutes everything I need it to cut with zero issues. I was hesistant but pleasantly surprised.
 
It looks to me like a TIG that pulses turned up high enough to melt the base metal without any filler rod. Notice it is fit up very well before the "laser" weld.
 
I wasn't being flip. Lately, there are two new laser welders out there. The first looks like a MIG and operates the same way except it uses a laser to produce the heat instead of an electric arc. In my opinion, they look promising, but aren't quite there yet. Consumer versions from China etc. are about $3500. (I think "3WHank" has one of these.)

Then there are the "cheapies" that look sorta like an old Weller Soldering Gun which I hear are complete rip-offs.

Quite a difference.
 
I have a tig welder, and a mig welder. For me, the problem is I don't see so good any more. With the mig, you can cheat a little, but tig welding you really need to see whats happening. Wonder if this new fangled thing is more forgiving?
 
cas3 said:
I have a tig welder, and a mig welder. For me, the problem is I don't see so good any more. With the mig, you can cheat a little, but tig welding you really need to see whats happening. Wonder if this new fangled thing is more forgiving?
Click to expand...

I had the same problem and talked to a friend of mine who is a union pipe-fitter. He put me on to a couple of things. The first is welding lenses are available in many prescriptions (like "cheaters"). Second, always have fresh cover plates handy and change them often. It's helped me a lot.

If using a prescription lens, make sure you DON'T leave your glasses on.
 
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Jewelers use laser welders everyday. They work great on gold, platinum, stainless steel and silver. Good for small work as the welding chamber is limited. Item to be welded is usually hand held and will get too hot to the touch under prolonged welding. Expensive machines, in the $20,000 range new but used units are half that or less. I’ve repaired circuit boards and other oddball stuff over the years.
 
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