Handheld Fiber Laser Welding's Time Has Come In Metal Fabrication

How handheld welder options became more appealing for manufacturers?

The advancement of laser welding technology has made handheld laser welding possible, which was previously impossible. For many years, manufacturers in the entire industry have used traditional welding techniques such as MIG or TIG. However, in this process, these traditional technologies also bring some limitations.

TIG welding, for example, is a time-consuming, two-handed welding method that requires an experienced, highly skilled operator. It generates extreme heat that deforms thin materials, has difficulty welding copper, and is limited when welding metals of different thicknesses.

Meanwhile, MIG welding requires a consumable wire, material precleaning, and beveled joints for full-penetration welds on thick materials. Travel and work angles are limited, and vertical positions can be challenging.

With the industry constantly changing, manufacturers are looking for new ways to stay competitive. They’ve come to realize this requires cost reductions, efficiency gains, and repeatable part quality. There’s also a new challenge: enabling new welders to be productive in a timely manner without sacrificing quality. The American Welding Society indicates the U.S. will have a deficit of 375,000 skilled welders by 2023.

This is why more manufacturers are switching to newer welding methods, such as handheld laser welding, which can increase welding speeds up to four times faster than MIG and TIG welding, to improve productivity and precision.



What Are the Benefits of laser welding?

For years, lasers were seen more as scientific instruments than industrial tools, mainly due to the traditional use of optical elements and mirrors requiring careful alignment and handling.

Pioneered in the 1990s by IPG Photonics, fiber lasers were introduced to the market for industrial applications. These laser sources are entirely solid state. The simplicity of the fiber laser accounts for its efficiency, compactness, robustness, and low cost, which drive its success in the industrial applications. Compared to legacy laser systems, fiber technology provides higher output powers and a quality beam at a lower cost with minimal maintenance required.

Laser technology improvements have made laser welding an increasingly popular technique in industries where high weld strength and repeatable weld quality are important. The quality and brilliance of fiber laser light precisely controls material heat input, which allows for welding thin materials. Lasers are not limited just to steels; they also can weld aluminum and copper. Even bimetallic welding is a practical reality.

Fiber technology simplifies beam delivery technology, opening up even more opportunities for process improvements. Modern beam delivery technology such as wobble welding, where the beam oscillates back and forth, allows for the stabilization of the melt pool, enhancing the process window (the ranges of weld parameters) and minimizing poor or variable part fit-up (within limits). In many cases, this eliminates the need for postprocess grinding, reducing labor costs.

laser welding also can be automated for high-productivity, high-yield manufacturing. Its high-precision accuracy allows for joining small parts with low heat input and minimal distortion.

In the beginning, the price limited its potential and was a barrier to entry. In industrial applications, lasers were expensive, required periodic refurbishment, and were used only on high-value parts, typically integrated to a robot or a dedicated laser workstation.

These early lasers consumed significantly more power than modern fiber lasers, which now offer up to 50% wall plug efficiency. This offers cost savings on the bottom line. This efficiency also may eliminate the need for chillers, making laser technology more portable than ever before. Finally, when compared to traditional manual MIG and TIG welding, laser welding is typically faster, improving production output and boosting profits.

By consistently driving down the cost of the laser source, improving the quality of light, and offering unique beam delivery options, laser manufacturers now can offer systems with a higher value proposition, making them more accessible and no longer reserved for premium applications.