Welding Aluminum With A Hand Held Laser?!: Is This The Future Of Welding?

[@larrykent196]

Another tool in the tool box. Micro LASER Welding my first hands on experience with LASER welding, the whole process is unique yet powerful in it's capabilities and now has a big brother, LASER welder technology is just amazing. You, well done video thank you for sharing.

[@josephreagan9545]

They need to get these machines to some trade schools and community colleges and start teaching students to use them. These are amazing.

[@niceguydmm]

Right so the welder pay will be 15.00 an hour. Careful what you wish for!

[@STate-gd3ks]

@@josephreagan9545 sign fabricator. We use mig for aluminum sheet metal is this a method that could be used for thinner sheets? Or for thicker materials like 1/8" and thicker.

[@josephreagan9545]

@@STate-gd3ks No Idea. I am just a fellow commenter on the video.

[@lamania32]

Finally some real testing to none believers. We are running the IPG Lightweld 1500 since it is on the market, we are fabricating custom aluminum doors, gates. IPG has an awesome customer support.

[@robertnitschke1649]

amazing as a welder for over 30 years i can see the benefits .we just got the laser welder at work so checking out the youtube video's on how they work thanks guys

[@Ragnar-V]

Very cool. Welding X-ray for 25 years and that’s impressive.

[@pieshka4509]

We had to make some aluminum duct and I ran for this machine to save the spool-gun headache. I got funny looks because I kept rubbing the super smooth outside corner joint that looked more like a 3/16” wide line of soldier than a weld I got it so smooth with the settings

[@geonerd]

I have a VERY hard time believing that light 'penetrates' better than electrical current. Please provide a cut-and-etch shot for the thicker material welds.

[@felixlemuth1600]

We do have a lightweld XC and just ordered at XR and i can tell you that its pretty good. The heat effected zone is way smaller and travel speed is also faster then tig

[@White000Crow]

Ever seen a laser cutter? My old boss had one and it slices through metal with so little heat discoloration.

[@RagingShrimp67]

What you so call "light" is a laser with thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of Watts (in pulses). It puts electric current to shame in terms of actual energy penetrating into the weld.

[@CamiloSantana]

is your skepticism rooted in the amount of energy carried in either photonic or electronic form?

[@pieshka4509]

You can get fusion welds on outside corner joints with the typical penetration pattern on the inside you'd see with mig or tig, or not have it and the weld will hold. We tested welds with an 8 pound sledge hammer and the metal bends and rips, the weld doesn't break

[@seniorsanchez2286]

i would like to know how big of a weld you can produce with this lasergun and if you can do multipass🤔 something like a massive 1g plate and is it faster than stick welding or mig?? and how does it compare in strength to the common welding methods??? please make another video about this welding method and try to weld some thick material, would love to see that😅

[@stickyfox]

Laser welders can weld material thicker than 1/4 in a single pass, and do a better job than TIG. What's missing from the equation is the cost of equipment. A 2.5kW LightWELD costs $30,000 and is only good for material up to about 1mm. (Although aluminum welds exceptionally well with Yt and they claim 1/4" material thickness... this is where the absorption of aluminum outweighs its thermal conductivity I guess!) Fiber lasers can run over 10kW and can weld or cut anything if you've got money coming out of all your doors and windows.

[@punkinhaidmartin]

It is much faster, and the cost of a 1500 watt full kit is $30, but it is up to four times faster than TIG, faster than GMAW, and there is no cleanup to speak of in terms of spatter. You can reduce a weld to paint process cycle time by up to 80%. If you fasten anything with bolts, screws, adhesive, or use sealants it will save you money very quickly. It also allows you to weld dissimilar metals like copper to stainless, copper to aluminum, and I have welded tool steel to cast steel, though as far as I know, I am the only one that has, and there is scant information on how effective that is. It will also blast right through paint, oil, grease, dirt, and other cruds.

[@convincedag1108]

I use this whole setup at work. It's a big ass Baby! I weld too and it's nothing like welding.

[@fryloc359]

Is it wire feed? Shielding gas?

[@convincedag1108]

@@fryloc359 gas compressed

[@dannypascoemetalshaping460]

Just curious what watt setting are you using and how about .060 3003 for auto body panels can you weld this softer and thinner stuff what wattage might be intrested for my auto custom and fab shop.

[@apollorobb]

yeah 26-30K$ ill stick to TIG and Spool gun

[@dangerous8333]

Give it a few years....

[@Migman2020]

spool gun lololo..

[@satibel]

Yeah, though the great thing is that you can basically weld anything with it without sticking, and you go faster and with less material, so for a shop which does a lot of welding it's probably worth the initial cost. Another thing may be that you can get away with less skilled workers, so if you save 10k a year by getting yoounger workers, it's paid itself in less than 3 years Also if you're welding industrially with a 500k robot arm, 500 bucks or 30k on the welder doesn't change that much But if you're in a small shop, getting a cheap welder makes more sense

[@StarForgers]

@@Migman2020 The spool gun is often necessary for aluminum mig welding!

[@Migman2020]

@@StarForgers decent mig machines can run aluminium wire perfectly fine through the main wirefeed unit even at 10m

[@agler_]

omg the Beavis "Break It!" at 12:20 was spot on!

[@tommyzoladz5905]

Anyone Interested in Laser welding. Look up the Trumpf TruLaser weld 5000. I work at Trumpf and was blown away by the capabilities when I got hired.

[@stickyfox]

It took me a few days of a very affordable state-funded vo-tech class to learn to TIG and even stick weld aluminum. You can buy an AC TIG welder for $1000-$2000. Of course, I could have paid ten to fifteen times as much for a welder that doesn't require me to know anything about the process, but I think acquiring the skill to do it with the equipment found in any fabrication shop right now was worth the time and effort, because it makes me more valuable than a machine with a "weld aluminum" button. When we can source a solid-state laser at a reasonable price we'll be in a better place to discuss the future of welding, but remember! SMAW is an invention from the 1800s, and there are welders working today who do nothing else. There's no reason they should cost this much... fiber lasers are also a half-century-old invention.

[@Tigman396]

I'm sure in the hands of a skilled welder this would produce better welds than the average joe picking it up.

[@TonySopeano46]

*PLEASE DO A VIDEO EXPLAINING SAFETY GLASSES FOR LASER WELDING*

[@everettcalhoun8197]

I have tig, mig, stick, oxy-acetylene and laser welded all sorts of different materials. The laser was best at welding the most difficult alloys to join. Narrow HAZ and deep penetration similar to EBW.

[@kravselj]

tried the 1.5 kw laser welder on full power - 1mm to 3mm test pieces. Works on steel and stainless, on alu it's really hard to get any penetration at all. On stainless and steel it works if there are no gaps and if the laser is dead on corner. If there is a small gap it becomes a mess. You also get some penetration if you go slow enought. Very hard to do repeatable welds. Conclusion: Maybe usable for non constructional serial production welds with perfect fit up on thin stainless for example, but for normal user in no-go. Can't replace tig welding. i't not practical. If you're looking for precise concentrated arc, try manual plasma welding instead.

[@Slouworker]

Did you prep your metal properly!

[@stickyfox]

Aluminum absorption drops off very rapidly at 1000nm and you need the right doping in your fiber for this particular metal. LightWELD claims 1/4" thickness which I believe looking at the numbers... but for a guy who doesn't own a factory and just wants to make aluminum parts, an Everlast with a decked-out cart full of tools and gases is still less than 10% the cost of a laser welder. Fiber lasers also require thousands of dollars of safety equipment you never see in these videos.

[@garyschultz253]

The wire feeder really helped the new guy pick up the pace.

[@bobm6527]

Can you weld in any position with this? We do many aluminum box frames out of 1/8" square tubing , all fillet welds, but in every position imaginable. Would definitely want the wire setup, not the fusion only. Do you wear out tips like with spool gun welding? What are the consumables with this type of laser system?

[@abdulmalikalgodban6041]

Perfect weld seam, how much dose such a laser manual welder cost, name of the machine, is it cable of welding other low alloy steels, stainless steel, stainless steels and inconel alloys. Thanks

[@RYTHMICRIOT]

My employer purchased one of these. It provides an individual with little to no weld experience the ability to weld parts on par with those who have been doing it for years. However, the cost of the machine (nearly $40k), and the maintenance upkeep it's not quite worth it yet. Our operators have stepped on the guns cable causing it to strike the concrete floor and damage the optics. And the cost of repair is unbelievably expensive. Once the cost comes down over the years, this will be the standard.

[@unibeastbeats]

What gases are involved?

[@simkejso5056]

Where in Canada I can buy that machine. Can I welding Stanley steel and metal with same machine

[@waitemc]

Well this tec can sit on the shelf until it gets a bit more obtainable. I'll keep my tig machines and my wire machines burning until then. Might be ok in a window factory for thin stuff .

[@ericjackson9047]

We're about to start using it on ~0.75" wall 17-4 stainless tubes so I'd say it's not limited to thin (or aluminum) stuff. If you're watching @IPGPhotonics ... need your kit in Rialto yesterday. If you can expedite, please do!

[@billarroo1]

Talking about Space Age Technology, Wow just like "BUCK ROGERS" I like it !!

[@slevinshafel9395]

6:07 that is why i like friction weld. The high temps destroy the cristals near the soldering path,

[@mikewasniewski4048]

O.K. Here we go again. The pull test was cool but, show us a welded box and how "easy" it is is to get water tight corners. We need to know!

[@wwsoft]

Indeed, we need to see a few more practical demonstrations of this newfangled technology

[@pieshka4509]

Honestly I've had issues doing corners on an outside corner joint. Sometimes I get it but usually I need to fill holes with the mig machine and blend it

[@Slouworker]

@@wwsoft it's not new at all, they started using it way back in the 90s but invented around 70s

[@kalijasin]

@Banana Warrior, you are right. Its Not new. Lasers have been around since the 1950s.

[@wwsoft]

@@Slouworker I stand corrected. Maybe it's a cheaper and more common today? I'd be interested in seeing how the applications have changed over time.

[@brokenarrow2835]

What's with the aluminum cover over your shield?

[@guillaumedutoit5376]

how strong is laser welding compair with mig or tig welds .Is it better to buy a laser welder than a mig welder

[@cen7ury]

Lots of clipping in the audio, starting in the second section....beyond that, very neat. I'm assuming these laser machines aren't really accessible on a prosumer budget yer?

[@joansparky4439]

I've seen some on aliexpress starting at 3 grand US.. so give it 5 more years and you should be able to get it for 2 grand and 10 years down the road for 1 grand? Biggest problem is the radiation is invisible but way more damaging to your eyes, so proper protective workplace setup will be the biggest hurdle to overcome for the prosumer.

[@cen7ury]

@@joansparky4439 I think you're right as far as workplace safety is concerned, especially after reading some of their marketing wank. Work clamp for conductive interlock that only allows the laser to fire when in contact with the work, emergency cutoff switch connected to the door in case someone enters unexpectedly, keyed lockout to prevent unauthorized use (I seriously doubt the cylinder will be uniquely keyed or really much of a security device, but I digress), two-stage trigger (one button to enable, second to fire the laser) to prevent negligent discharge, and so on. Not mentioned was that 1500W is well into class IV laser territory, meaning momentary contact of the beam to your retina, even if the light is scattered or diffused, is enough to cause permanent blindness...and a standard welding hood is not enough to protect your vision unless laser safety goggles are worn underneath. Definitely not for the faint of heart, the forgetful, or those relying on standard homeowners insurance....so yeah, a very niche market, indeed.

[@f.k.b.16]

What are the gap tolerances? How's it handle welding tube? We have a laser cutter that keeps our saddle cuts (even on two tunes intersecting at an angel) fairly tight...

[@fanboy59]

I've only ever heard of this welding process being used into automotive auto body work and its limited to very thin material

[@chrisewing3272]

I can assure you that laser welding in general is already in use in far more applications than you might think. Ford laser welds at least some of their seat risers to their rails in F150 trucks, and those are safety tested as you are strapped to your seat during a crash.

[@carpediemarts705]

Laser isn't limited to thin. With the low heat saturation, it can weld very thin without blowing holes in the sheet metal. Of course you have to adjust the heat to the thickness of the metal. No need to use 3,000 watts on 18g metal.

[@HoosierDynamics]

All the welders getting mad because this will eventually put them out of business. This will get programmed just like a CNC machine and a robot will perform all the welding and inspecting. Along with it being recorded via camera the entire process. So any faults can be traced back to the exact piece and time to make future corrections. Simple human eyes and hands won’t be able to compete. These machines already out work a human 100:1

[@fryloc359]

It won't put welders out of work. You won't find these in fab shops, oil fields, or jobsites. Production welding is only a small percentage of welding jobs.

[@ifell3]

Do you still have to clean the surface?

[@chrisewing3272]

The end result may be better if you do, but in these examples we did nothing to remove the oxide layer in advance. Thanks for watching!

[@stephentyas4698]

can this be used on Stainless steel as well.

[@pieshka4509]

I've used it on black iron, galvanized steel, stainless, and aluminum. Aluminum is the only metal you need to use argon on, the others use nitrogen

[@joebidden4914]

So there's no filler material required to weld with this or does it feed from the machine like a MIG welder?

[@tenemax7849]

no filler, but filler can also be added in laser welding if you have larger gaps or uneven edges

[@fbi805]

Yea I've looked into buying a few of these for my engineering firms and I still won't pay 15k to 30k for one. I'll stick to Vulcan and or Miller welding systems. At least those are affordable even for your basic metal fabrication hobbyist.

[@sextwister]

Look at the other videos where the welds are tested. They go at least 10x slower.

[@fbi805]

@@sextwister you need to learn how to read. Your comment has nothing to do with what I said in my comment.

[@darrinjones9387]

If one is willing to import it himself, he can get it for about 8000. There's a huge mark up

[@tomdavis806]

How do you fill in a hole or large gap ? I’ve only ever seen this Lazer work on the most perfect conditions. Send me one to Wisconsin so I can “garage “ test it

[@chrisewing3272]

Probably not the right tool for filling holes and gaps, but the laser oscillates on the handheld unit, unlike using a robot where the conditions really do have to be very precise.

[@MelloJello894]

FREAKING LAZERS MAN!!!

[@chewdoobautomotivedetailtm2883]

Awsome for titanium piping..🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@hectorrodriguez4864]

Where can I find the setting for different material thickness.

[@JohnB-n4d]

1938 sunbeam motorcycsle primary chaincase which got damaged when I tooked it to be repaired by a very experienced welder the Whole case erupted in cracks all over the place. The welder had not seen anything like it before. Would lazer welding have the same problem

[@stuartrowe1079]

Think this be any good on cast aluminum ?

[@leeruss979]

Can you please tell me, what's is it like doing cast ALUMINUM. I have a job that requires two ALUMINUM castings to be joined. Crankcase.

[@MidEngineering]

"With TIG & MIG ya can't get a lot of penetration coz it takes so much heat to penetrate into Aluminum because of how dense it is..." Huh ?

[@Nightgig]

Tig and MIG aluminum welds always needs to be buttoned at the end of the bead else the resulting crack that develops can propagate down the length of the weld over time. I don't see this issue covered in the laser welder video.

[@justinsousa7624]

I am a substitute teacher at my local metal fab program and also a member of the advisory board. I have been trying to get a hold of IPG Photonics to try and set something up with them for the students.

[@zumbazumba1]

@@brink666 The future is now old man ! Adapt or extinct like a dinosaur !

[@21gioni]

They don’t seem to reply to anyone trying to communicate with them.

[@fbi805]

@@21gioni that's because the only thing they are doing is paid advertisment for a welding system that only aerospace manufacturing companies can afford to buy.

[@21gioni]

@@fbi805 I disagree with that

[@fbi805]

@@21gioni you obviously haven’t done your research on laser welders, so feel free to spend anywhere from 15k to 100k on a laser welder and don’t expect the prices to go down anytime soon. Right now laser welding is being used for specialized manufacturing in aerospace and certain automotive engineering. Laser welders are big and bulky and are not easily transportable which limits their use to in shop work only. Unlike regular welders where you can use 110 power or even a generator to operate them, laser welders can only use 220 or 440 voltage and the only generators capable of even having enough power would be those 30Kw or higher diesel powered industrial systems that cost more than a 1 bedroom home

[@thetruthserum2816]

Now someone just needs to invent a "roller head" or "roller tip" that is a powered roller feed dog mechanism to feed the wand at specific feed rates... Seems like a perfect process to attach to a robot arm.

[@toastrecon]

The crazy thing - I was watching another video that said that the wire feed from the bottom gently "pushes" the gun backwards, so it acts like a pacing/feed mechanism.

[@darrinjones9387]

They have them in China. The same supplier that the machine came from can help you find one. A six axis robot are

[@budmanzoom4441]

This is the future!

[@bartekmedes8281]

where are school courses on this lets get certification going , the Chinese and Japanese are way ahead on this.

[@Lala-w5e]

Fantastic.

[@SAXONWARLORD1000AD]

Like the Austin Powers and Beavis references

[@alvaroolvera9106]

What type of helmet you are using?

[@harshbhartia5175]

Hi, I want to know if round pipes can be weld around to make a truss structure? How will the gaps be covered?

[@SAXONWARLORD1000AD]

what about when you come to an end , how do you stop it burning away - seems a little more controllable with tig

[@dhamre]

Built in ramp down when you let go of the trigger. Like a pre-programmed foot pedal that doesn't need all the coordination and practice

[@hotironaircraftshop]

'would like to see an example of working with 0.032" aircraft aluminum.

[@Ghost-lo6ij]

Amazon has a laser welder for $14k This technology is great but is still very expensive, maybe in another 10 years it would become affordable.

[@user-dg7sy8cz3b]

Unfortunately in two years, the way the world is changing, you will only be able to lease one for a monthly service fee. Unless something drastically changes soon, private ownership the way you’ve experienced your entire life, will be a thing of the past. Fight for your children’s future! Don’t accept digital currencies or personal identification. Good luck!

[@danl.4743]

Actually between 10-11k for what I saw on some manufacturers websites. $10k for a MAX laser source, $11k for a JPT laser source.

[@DrCranberry]

14k for a laser welder?! Dog, in terms of engineering thats insanely cheap. Most shop welders can run between 5-10k for something as basic as MIG or TIG. Not to mention the setting where this is useful is a high volume CNC shop that makes precision parts, which will immediately have the cost off set by the amount they're producing. It's why you hear a lot that manufacturing thousands of parts, is 10x cheaper than manufacturing 1 specific part. Don't get offended this exists, it has very specific purposes and it's not gonna replace conventional welding yet, or at all, and a weld without filler is only as strong as the base metal, so the purposes are more in-line with low stress CNC parts. That being said, it IS very cool to see these becoming more prevalent and talked about because i do think if we can find a way to add filler, this is the future of welding.

[@Slouworker]

Tig welders at the shop i work at run for 8k before all the bells and whistles

[@kalijasin]

But if you got a laser welder you don’t need a mig welder, smaw arc welder, acetylene torch, tig welder, Gas tungsten arc welder, etc.. because the laser welder will do everything So you actually end up spending less.

[@franks471]

will it weld zamac (alum+zinc)?

[@garyschultz253]

Amazing ! I want one, I'm just $35,000 shy of owning one.

[@RiderRickMaker]

YESSSS SHARKS WITH LAZ0R BEAMS !!!! That joke will never die! Got myself one, and man, not joking, if you attach this to a galvo you can hypothetically build a DMLS printer ;) It's a form of welding thou... 🤪🤪

[@danssv8]

Can you do stainless welding with the same laser welder?

[@christopherdemakis5649]

Yes you can I’m a rep for ipg

[@christopherdemakis5649]

Yes you can I’m a rep for ipg

[@sidewinded1]

pretty neat!

[@turkeyboyjh1]

Am I the only one who thinks tig weld aluminum is easier than steel when it comes to tig welding?

[@ironeyex]

Would have preferred to see close up shots of the actual welding, the camera is too far away to see the actual process

[@sextwister]

Its apparently melting the metal with photons. Good luck getting a good close up lol

[@michaeld954]

Does it still need shield gas

[@Robertmillsjr]

This is awesome!

[@johncarson804]

12:54 clearly shows that is NOT the same coupon. It appears to be a surface bead Not a butt joint

[@chrisewing3272]

It's the same coupon, but it was machined into the traditional "dog bone" shape before being tested.

[@ericjackson9047]

OOOHHH how I wish I could afford one of these machines. Tough to go 20 grand as a hobbyist. Guess I'll just have to dream. :)

[@danssv8]

Amazing

[@MarkSkizzoo]

No closeups of the welds...cool

[@cen7ury]

Right? PICS OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN!

[@chrisewing3272]

My bad y'all. I took home a box of the samples we completed that day. No way for me to post pics here, but I'll see what I've got and post closeups in the WELD app.

[@dangerous8333]

@@chrisewing3272 Who needs another app on their phone...

[@jamiewalters9916]

The thing I don;t like about the LightWeld setup is that it looks cheap with the old digital readouts. The Chinese machine equivalents look much more robust and have great interfaces. Just my 2 cents.

[@luisarashirovideo]

This is the present in the aerospace industry atm.

[@GaryPierron-ym7xm]

Reminds me of Tip-Tig. I hope it's better.

[@wrench5692]

Did you see the part where they break the plate and it shears at the weld and they try everything to convince you the weld is just fine

[@1bentom1]

Also the piece they put in the pull test isn’t the same as the one they loaded lol

[@darrinjones9387]

The men are correct, the materials break before the weld would. I've done this same thing in my own shop

[@geoffgeoff143]

Be nice to see the pool

[@thomasettorre274]

That's awesome.

[@genkidama7385]

i was born to do this.

[@luvmechanix]

A welding process that is even worse for my eyes?? Sign me up bro

[@BigRobFPV]

that pull test isnt the same one they stuck in it first

[@kwhited2011]

The question is does it get the proper fusion of the two metals

[@LJC944]

Real question is how much is it gonna cost I weld with mig tig and mma and they’re all affordable sets what do the job.

[@Weldinginlove]

Welding masa depan 🤩👏👍

[@clansymbiont8688]

I wore a welding helmet while watching this video

[@mangravy2000]

Come on Harbor Freight, give us a affordable alternative.

[@lightmeupsigns5363]

Perfect for thin stuff weld looks great cosmetically maybe not so good structurally like all processes they have there place

[@bl4643]

I really assumed it would be a weaker weld

[@MatHelm]

ZOOM IN!!!!!! CLOSEUP!!!!!

[@jump4j]

MiG TIG your days are numbered

[@marklugo6002]

It seems the regulations are not keeping up with the technology. Lasers are now portable enough to be used anywhere. An enclosure is not.

[@claycallan8103]

If the whole point of this is to have more peneration why are they demoing it on thin aluminum? Try welding some 1/2"

[@MatHelm]

$26,950.00

[@robingibson7503]

Can't actually see what is happening at the weld sight.

[@xXQuick123Xx]

With showcases like this I’m expecting pinpoint information on the new technology. In the first minutes the company representative says that aluminum is much denser than other metals. This is objectively incorrect and only discredits the claims they make.

[@georgeforeman89]

If it were less than $33,000, I would say it’s probably the future. But until the price comes down to, like, $10,000, I would say absolutely not.

[@kamujugaapa]

Here in indonesia it's only $6,000 1500 watt fiber laser welding made in china

[@christianpaulroldan4010]

Strength test, definitely not the welded piece you guys did test right there 😅😅. . Dont trick us

[@jeffella2748]

Says stronger then tig proceeds to step on it 280 pounds and it breaks 😂

[@daveosland3199]

Didn't hear the cost? A downside???

[@user9_994]

Yup the end of the og welding is near anyone is going to be able to weld with those machines and would not take any skill. Thinking of getting into another trade now it has been feeling like welding is a dying trade..

[@CamiloSantana]

every skill learned is a diminishing window of opportunity

[@johnhudson5947]

I can see this technology will further enhance all of the robotic and cnc controlled systems. Which will lead to less human jobs for the workforces. If you want to have a job in the not too distant future better learn to program.

[@CamiloSantana]

@@johnhudson5947 github copilot and the no code effort. humans need not apply.

[@pieshka4509]

Despite having this machine in our shop, we still combine mig and tig with it. At the moment it has some limitations beyond metal thickness.

[@kennethtalbott2233]

hopefully they'll soon become affordable to hobbyists...

[@nzl2004]

I'm all for new tech, but I'm very suspicious of everything shown... The pull test was clearly fake too. Was different piece (not just cut down), you can see they run the 'laser' over a single piece, it's not a join at all!