How To Find, Buy And Use A Laser Welding Machine For Beginners?
As a tool to realize the permanent connection of metal, welding machine is used in various industries such as machinery manufacturing, electrical equipment, petrochemical industry, bridge, ship, construction, power engineering, transportation vehicle, aerospace and so on. It has become an indispensable processing technology in modern industrial manufacturing.
As another major invention of mankind since the 20th century, following atomic energy, computers, and semiconductors, laser has become a new welding tool and applied to different types of metal joints with its high energy density, high precision, and strong adaptability.
Laser welding has given full play to its features of environmental protection, fast, flexible, and high-precision in metal fabrication. It is not only a technical guarantee for the development of new industrial products, but also an indispensable technical means for high-quality, low-cost manufacturing.
A laser welding machine is a type of welder that focuses a laser beam on the joint of two pieces of metals for heat treatment to form a precision weld to connect the metals together. It can weld dissimilar or homogeneous metal materials with high melting point, high thermal conductivity, and large differences in physical properties, and get welds with no pollution and less impurities.
What You'll Learn In This Guide
- What Types of Metal Can Be Laser Welded?
- What Type of Metal Joints Can A Laser Welder Do?
- What Laser Welding Machine Is Best for Metal Joints?
- Laser Welding Video Tutorials & Instructions
- How To Buy A Laser Welder?
- How To Use A Laser Welding Machine?
- How to Protect Yourself and Others While Laser Welding?
- Laser Welding Frequently Asked Questions
What Types of Metal Can Be Laser Welded?
Stainless steel, structural steel, carbon steel, alloy steel, low alloy steel, mild steel, duplex steel, copper, brass, aluminum, titanium, magnesium, nickel, chemically active metals and refractory metals are ideal for laser welding.
What Type of Metal Joints Can A Laser Welder Do?
The most common types of metal joints with laser include butt joints (square, single bevel, double bevel, single J, double J, single V, double V, single U, double U grooves), tee joints (plug, slot, bevel-groove, fillet, J-groove, melt-through, flare-bevel-groove), corner joints, lap joints, edge joints (U-groove, V-groove, J-groove, corner-flange, bevel-groove, square-groove, edge-flange).
What Laser Welding Machine Is Best for Metal Joints?
There are a number of laser welding machines to join metal together, including handheld types, CNC types and robotic types, which is best for your needs?
If you use it in your own repair shop, a handheld type is enough. It is portable and can be moved around for your convenience. If your welding work is more delicate, then you need an automatic CNC type, which can effectively avoid manual errors. If it is used in large-scale industrial manufacturing such as automobiles, aviation, trains, and ships, it is necessary to choose a robot type, which can completely replace manual labor and increase production capacity and efficiency.
Portable Handheld Laser Welding Machine with Wire Feeder for Sale
LW1000
$5,600.00 - $10,800.00
Looking to buy a portable laser welding machine for metal joints? Pick up the best handheld laser welder with wire feeder to take over MIG & TIG welding tool.
Automatic CNC Fiber Laser Beam Welding Machine for Sale
LW1500A
$14,800.00 - $23,800.00
Shop the best automatic laser welding machine of 2023 at a great price. Get what you want for joints of butt, lap, corner, tee, edge with this CNC laser welder.
3D Industrial Robotic Fiber Laser Welding Machine for Sale
LW1800R
$50,000.00 - $60,000.00
Find valuable automatic 3D laser welding robots for smart manufacturing. Buy the best 6 axis industrial robotic fiber laser welder machine with FANUC robot arm.
Laser Welding Video Tutorials & Instructions
Here are three types of laser welding video tutorials you can watch online. In these videos, you can see how they work and what types of welding can be done, which will help you which type of welder can match your needs.
How To Buy A Laser Welder?
You can find laser welders in all the usual places online like STYLECNC, Amazon, Google Shopping and many others.
Next, you should make a shortlist of welding machines you're interested in, and then read reviews on these popular models, as well as user experiences.
Once you become familiar with the models and prices on your shortlist, you should compare features and costs based on your needs and budget, finalize the ideal machine, next, it's time to buy. Ideally, you will want to see live demos for sample welding and get to speak to a salesman.
After finalizing the seller, all that remains is to sign the contract, make payment, manufacture, inspect, and transport. It should be noted that during the manufacturing, we should pay attention to the production progress at any time, and contact the after-sales department for setup and debugging in time after receiving the welder.
How To Use A Laser Welding Machine?
Step 1. Check the power supply and whether the water circulation is normal.
Step 2. If all tests are normal, turn on the power and turn on the main power switch.
Step 3. Turn on the chiller and laser generator in sequence.
Step 4. Open the argon valve and adjust the gas flow.
Step 5. Input the current welding parameters to be executed.
Step 6. Perform metal welding operations.
Step 7. After finishing the welding work, exit the program and turn off the laser generator.
Step 8. Turn off the dust collector and chiller in order.
Step 9. Close the valve of the argon cylinder.
Step 10. Turn off the main power switch.
How to Protect Yourself and Others While Laser Welding?
• Do not touch the inside of the case. Do not touch the inside of the machine when it is turned on or within 15 minutes after it is turned off.
• Do not disassemble, install or refit the welding machine without permission. It may cause electric shock or fire, and any behavior other than that specified in the operation manual is prohibited.
• Do not look into or touch the laser. Peeping and direct laser beam on the skin are highly dangerous, and direct laser beam into the eyes may cause blindness.
• Wear safety glasses. Make sure to wear safety glasses before using the welding machine.
• Do not expose the laser directly to the skin. Direct exposure can cause severe burns to the skin.
• Do not touch workpieces that are being welded or have just been welded.
• Use only specified cables. Use of other cables or loose connections may result in fire.
• Do not damage the power cord and various connecting wires. Do not step on, stretch or twist the power cord and any connecting cords. Doing so may cause a short circuit or fire.
• If the machine is abnormal, please shut down immediately and stop using it. If the machine has accidents such as scorching, strange noise, overheating or smoking, please shut down immediately and stop using it, otherwise it may cause electric shock or fire.
• Must be grounded. Failure to do so may result in electric shock in the event of an abnormality.
• Use protective equipment. Lasers are harmful to the human body. In order to prevent the scattering of laser beam, some protective devices (some heat-resistant, laser-absorbing and radiation-proof materials) can be used.
• Set up a dedicated area where guardrails and "Do Not Approach" signs must be provided.
• The laser welding machine should be placed in a level and firm place, and the ground cannot be placed at an inclined angle.
• The ambient temperature is kept at 5-30°C, the humidity is kept at 85%, and the temperature fluctuation should not be too large.
• Do not store the laser welding machine in an environment with water, moisture, dust, strong electromagnetic field, corrosive gas or foreign conductive substances, which may cause failure of internal components of the product.
Laser Welding Frequently Asked Questions
The power of the handheld laser welding machine can be adjusted from 1000 watts to 3000 watts, which can weld metals with a penetration depth of 0.4-10mm. With a power of 1000W, it can weld metals less than 2mm. With a power of 1500W, it can weld metals within 4mm. With a power of 2000W, it can weld metals as thick as 6mm. With a power of 3000W, it can weld metals up to 10mm.
The initial investment of a laser welding machine is much more expensive than that of a TIG or MIG welder, but it's a machine that benefits permanently from one investment, moreover it is environmentally friendly and requires no consumables.
In primary laser beam welding, filler wire is not required. In this case, the structure and hardness of the weld are determined by the chemical composition of the metal material and the laser irradiation conditions. No doubt a laser welder can come with a wire feeder with a high-precision seam gap detection sensor. For laser welding with filler wire, the wire with any alloy composition can be used as the best weld transition alloy, which can ensure the best performance of the connection between the base metals on both sides, and the entire weld will be well and uniformly formed.
