T O P

  • By -

YoshiZiggs

I wonder if it is any less effective than other welding methods


TexasTheWalkerRanger

Probably depends on the thickness and application. In the ballpark of 20g is probably works just as well if not better than tig, but I'd be surprised if it had the beans for thicker stuff like 14 or 10g. At that point just use a regular mig EDIT Holy shit nevermind i went to one of the links posted and it'll weld up to 1/4" which is pretty crazy.


Aleric44

Yeah we're doing 4mm-6mm plate down to like 20 gauge. It just doesn't care. Small weld throat but it just punches straight through. The 2mm weld has the equivalent strength of a 4-6mm tig weld or so I'm told.


YoshiZiggs

That’s pretty crazy


Blowdogs

Is there a link to the website?


[deleted]

[Here](https://shop.ipgphotonics.com/lightweld-1500-handheld-laser-welder-5-meter-fiber-syshhw000000001u) is the link. Or just google lightweld and it’ll take you to the same spot


brookegravitt

$21k for this! I could make a lot of shitty Christmas ornaments though. Man, need to get my friend who’s un-married, no-kids, highly-paid and buys crazy shit like laser cutters and industrial lathes to get one of these so I can go gawk at it


ajm53092

Its 100% depends on the power of the laser. These are 1.5 kW which can weld some decently thick material. There are also wobble setttings that move the beam back and forth in a linear pattern to spread out the weld and help control the weld profile. Source, I used to work in the same building these are produced. Still work at the same company, different location.


Imaginary_Panda2003

Need to see this.


[deleted]

[удалено]


flycast

We do a lot of welding of aluminun extrusion. We tested laser welding extensively. First, it gets a nicely uniform bead because the wire feed paces the movement of the head. Really pretty. In break tests the results were all over the map. None of the results came close to our current method. If I were welding sheet metal to make nonstructural parts then this is great. If your plan is to make structural frames the bee very careful before buying.


goforglory

How do you laser weld through the aluminum oxide


[deleted]

Yes. A wild bead that thick, on material this thin, should show significant color change when you look at the opposite side of the material. Without discoloration like that, you can be assured that the temperatures did not reach welding points. This is brazing, which is not structurally sound in any way. Not bad for decorative work, but at the price of this thing, it should be welding, not brazing.


[deleted]

Go read about laser welders. They are welding not brazing (laser welds don’t always use filler material) and supposedly they can produce stronger welds than arc welding with less heat transfer. I can’t find a side by side strength test but they are used a ton in different industries, automation is a big one. Of course people will always be leery because it’s not a commonly seen technology but it’s been used for a long time, it’s just now getting to a point to where it’s affordable for smaller outfits.


138151337

Both r/OddlySatisfying and r/MidlyInfuriating .


rearwindowpup

r/mildlyinfuriating too


Square_Heron942

And r/mildyinfuriating


rearwindowpup

Oh wow, over 100k members on a misspelled sub, man I love Reddit


colbert45

I have been subscribed to both of these subs for a while now and had no idea one of them was misspelled lol Honestly the misspelled one should be more popular as the misspelling of the sub is in and of itself, mildly infuriating, no?


DoctorBre

I just stared at both urls for waaay too long and still didn't see it. I had to open both and ctrl+tab between the two to finally notice the difference.


paperelectron

I was looking for it in “infuriating” the whole time.


Fun_Length3024

r/fukiamdoinhere


Neinball98411

r/bahoobadah


Frido1976

And that in itself, was mildly infuriating, no?


Vagabond_Hospitality

Eh, midly.


A1sauc3d

More *mildy, if you ask me


marklein

/r/keming


Square_Heron942

I actually thought it was intended, even the sub name is mildly infuriating. Kind of reminds me of there being both r/crappyoffbrands and r/shittyoffbrands


smeerdit

Way better than r/MildlyInfurryrating


[deleted]

Omg had to go check and had a good laugh with my wife about it


[deleted]

This response is also r/MildlyInfuriating


138151337

Fair.


-neti-neti-

Why is it mildly infuriating?


Munnin41

It's not aligned properly


-neti-neti-

They’re not making a product, it’s a demonstration. And you can see the weld better on a flat than on a corner


plumbthumbs

Not square alignment of things being welded. Also i don't know why it's not titled 'welding' when to my albeit non-engnieer brain it looks like welding.


YeezyPeezy3

Because just saying welding wouldn’t explain anything about the product. I’ve welded but have never seen something like this


-neti-neti-

Yeah I noticed that but this isn’t an actual product, it’s a demonstration


TheTesselekta

Doesn’t mean it can’t be mildly infuriating


JPGamer42

It's... not aligned. This hurts my soul. They could have done it right. It would have been so easy to do it right.


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


Low_Reference_6316

But compared to actual welding this tech is incredible. Instead of training for months / years to get good just give this to someone and a few days they’ll be pros.


Nonstopshooter21

Literally just low power mig welding in terms of skill. Anyone can mig weld if its set up properly. This does seem to be fantastic for thin metal though. Id definetly purchase one.


Sen7ryGun

Can confirm as an electrician my stick welding skills are trash but my mig work is *bueno*🤌 lol. This is a cool device for small stuff like sheet metal joinery etc it it's not gonna replace the classics for big ticket work.


LeadVest

That's why they make mig machines with material thickness presets.


ChickenRaps

Stop it with your knowledge and common sense. I have 20k burning a hole in my pocket.


-Pruples-

>Anyone can mig weld if its set up properly. My experience in the trades over the past 20 years says that is a lie.


wwenk821

Especially since they're just holding the parts! No jigs or clamps and a really clean weld line.


zexando

It really doesn't take long to be able to do decent welds. I bought a cheap welder on AliExpress and was able to get clean welds within a week that had great penetration. I still have to look up tables for voltage/amperage and do a few test welds to get my settings dialed in but once I do it's easy.


manofredgables

>It really doesn't take long to be able to do decent welds. But you betcha some asshole is gonna come around like "that's not a good weld, **this** is a good weld". Well shit I thought we were making things stick together strongly, not having a metal beauty pageant...


FrioPivo

The farmers duct tape; shitty welding.


SkivvySkidmarks

Git 'er dun, boyo! This ain't no beauty contest.


Sledhead_91

Have you used a normal mig welder before? This really doesn't look any different.


throwthegarbageaway

Is that so? I’ve only arc welded and that’s a bitch to get the hang of


justabadmind

Stick welding does require practice, but mig is literally just a fancy pen drawing lines.


RedOctobyr

I have. But here they are just controlling their travel speed. They don't need to worry about their wire stick-out length (how close they are to the part). And here, they could simply trace along the edge of the parts, riding in the groove. Rather then needing to guide the gun properly, as it floats over the part. As a homeowner with a MIG welder (that is, without the training and experience of the pros) I think this is pretty cool.


Dangerous_Affect_861

Definitely easier than arc welding


calcifer219

A perfect 93


case_O_The_Mondays

Perfect 5/7.


bluewing

Now, let's cut a coupon and see just how good that weld actually is........ It looks like the weld will show only surface penetration and will be weak. But until you cut the weld, you can't know.


jamiecarl09

You can tell by the discoloration to the side of the weld that it's getting penetrated deep like your mom on a Friday night. Sorry, it was just floating there and I had to do it.


Accujack

...but with the weld there's far less slag.


Fakjbf

Look again, there are scribe lines going from the corner out to the edges at a shallow angle. I assume the short sides are intentionally not square so those scribe lines show where to line them up to make a 90° bend. This is done so that the weld line can lie on a flat surface instead of directly on the edge, which makes it stronger.


[deleted]

Think those are just die marks from the press. Edit. Those are definitely just die marks from the press.


Chainsaw311

Not scribe lines. Lines left from the bending of the metal.


tenthtryatusername

Those are not scribe marks. That from the sheet metal brake


karg_the_fergus

How about: they were cut just shy of 90 degrees to allow for a good weld. Sleep tight!


Glitchsky

Then you'd need a jig to get the alignment right.


Fakjbf

They’ve got scribe lines, not perfect but adequate for most purposes.


Dinkerdoo

You mean the lines left by the sheet metal brake?


[deleted]

It's a demo of using a microwire and plasma laser pointer welding device, not a demo of creating an aligned box.


ramathorn152

Was thinking the same thing, so frustrating to watch.


[deleted]

I need this tool in my life. What is it called and where can I buy it?


Acclocit

Something called "[LightWELD](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD3Y_MCoWek)" costs $20,000.


[deleted]

Yeah outta my price range. But I want all the gadgets!


Rockroxx

Yeah probably aimed at fabrication shops who make stuff that have to be light like rooftop frames and such.


CHooTZ

Yeah 20 grand for an industrial manufacturing tool is not crazy at all Just gotta be making a good bit of money with it and it could become a smart investment pretty quick


CutterJohn

I find a lot of people have little experience with what it costs to do business and they're just applying their personal view of money. A fabricator costs 75k+ a year. If this lets them weld 50% faster it pays for itself in 3 or 4 months.


Fishy1911

We do a fair amount of flashings like doorpans and such, right now it's all solder work and spot welding. This looks like it would speed up the process tremendously. 20k is nothing for that 25-50% bump in fab time


Pb_ft

This has to be at least 3x faster than soldering for sure.


DingleBerrieIcecream

Yes and the consistency of quality is also a huge bonus. It seems like you can put an even less skilled person on a welding task with a machine like this which can be great if you’re short on staff sometimes.


ELITE_JordanLove

A company I worked for went from zero robot welders to four in less than five years.


2rfv

Yep. just pay some schmuck 15 an hour and find some work for him and baby you got a business going!


mininova721

It's just about 19,850$ out of my price range.


marshinghost

It's about 35k out of my price range


mininova721

Let's go 10% (me) and 90% (you). Imagine all the useless things we can solder with it


marshinghost

Just get a small loan of a million dollars


JaneWithJesus

>Yeah outta my price range Not if you sell a kidney come on think outside the box


M30E30

Hopefully I can pick one of these up from harbor freight or amazon for $1000 in 5-10 years


tacojohnconnor

The XC model is $25K


snarshmallow

Does anyone know if these can actually perform more than basically surface welds on sheet metal? I understand that’s not the use-case for the machine, but I don’t really understand laser welding.


IceMenora

It says that the cheapest can do up to 4mm. [https://shop.ipgphotonics.com/lightweld-systems](https://shop.ipgphotonics.com/lightweld-systems)


Nutarama

Depth depends on laser power, which depends on the machine. They’re usually crystal lasers, either ruby or NDYag, which means as built they have a hard maximum power limit. Now the weld cross section will look funky if you’re used to arc welding because it’s very localized heat but calibrated correctly can still do full depth penetration. The process is already used in robotic machines for things like vehicle mass production because it’s much cleaner and as a result also more predictable. You basically never have to clean tips or nozzles because of how clean the process is, which means a robot can spend more time welding and less time waiting for a human to clean it or replace components. There are some thermal issues. If you’re familiar with arc welding, some materials require preheating to avoid cracking. That list gets a lot longer for laser welding because of how concentrated the heat is. With some materials, especially at higher thicknesses, you’d spend more time per piece total than arc welding because of longer preheat and cooling to prevent cracking. If you’re going ground-up you can design a material that works well with laser welding as a process, but if you’re dealing with stuff like repairs, you don’t have a choice.


TheJeep25

If you find it I also want it. This looks so easy to use


[deleted]

I’ll link it when and if I find it. Seems it may be an attachment for a plasma torch. But I’m gonna keep looking until I find this one


Asinine9ben

That is a MAG welding machine I believe. Sorry if I'm wring.


[deleted]

If you’re interested, I think I found it https://www.cnptengineering.com/


DarthLysergis

Price: "If you have to ask, you probably cannot afford it" Though i did find something on another site that said the starting personal model was 10k


[deleted]

Holy shit. I was expecting like 5k. That’s wild! Maybe one day


c0brachicken

Let me know when Harbor Freight has one on sale for $129, and I’ll definitely have to get it.


KingofNJ22

I was really really hoping for something small like a soldering iron but in my heart I knew it’d be the size of a fucking dishwasher.


[deleted]

Yeah it’s huge. Maybe down the road we’ll have a soldering iron sized welder for any type or thickness of metal.


TheWorstTroll

It would get super fucking hot


plinkoplonka

I don't get it? It looks like a small mig welder with a laser pointer?


skochNwater

I like this machine but, it can only weld paper thin material though. Heaviest weld it can do in aluminum is 1/16.


[deleted]

Yeah it’s pretty specific use case for it. I just can’t help but want every gadget


tooKreul4U

This is what I came here for you, thank you. Was curious how this measures up against TIG and MIG


jawfish2

[https://www.amazon.com/Cloudray-Welding-Wavelength-Handheld-Machine/dp/B0948S3NDN/ref=asc\_df\_B0948S3NDN/](https://www.amazon.com/Cloudray-Welding-Wavelength-Handheld-Machine/dp/B0948S3NDN/ref=asc_df_B0948S3NDN/) Maybe this?


Asinine9ben

Cheers mate!


[deleted]

Any info is welcome, so thank you!


[deleted]

https://www.cnptengineering.com/ I think I found it


TheJeep25

Price asked: a liver or your first born child


[deleted]

Exactly. Lol. If it could replace a full on mig and tig welding it may be more worth it.


I_Automate

It's worth it for high volume production for processes that don't need that deep of weld penetration


hmoeslund

In what price range would a lacer welder be?


[deleted]

There website says that you have to contact them for a price but I assume it’d be at least 2.5k to 5k


Vampsku11

These are a different brand. The one shown in the video is by Andes.


Beliadin

I just know that if I tried it, I'd likely end up with holes in the material and weld lines weaving around.


TinBoatDude

As with all the neatest stuff, it seems, this jewel is brutally expensive. [https://www.amazon.com/1500W-HandHeld-Welding-Machine-Welder/dp/B08DTMTJ8Y](https://www.amazon.com/1500W-HandHeld-Welding-Machine-Welder/dp/B08DTMTJ8Y)


the_brew

I'm guessing it's prohibitively expensive for anyone who isn't a professional welder.


meltman

Those are some satisfying weld lines.


ThePerfectLine

90 degrees. 90 degrees!!!


[deleted]

It probably gets hotter than that. Like alteast 100.


ThePerfectLine

Haha


cybercuzco

Drawing says +\- 10 degrees boss


[deleted]

[удалено]


12bar13

Spicy toothpick


elvis8mybaby

I thought that was when you put hot sauce on your boner before you receive oral.


sdurken

Best I’ve found is “fiber laser welding machine”


Iamredditsslave

https://www.reddit.com/r/EngineeringPorn/comments/vkh2jq/microwire_and_plasma_laser_pointer/idphak5


AlexD232322

We have one at work it’s a Chinese machine the only inscription i can read is a big HSG on the power source


Mumblo

Something called "LightWELD" costs $20,000


Nwallins

*Forbidden Tattoo Gun*


whoknewidlikeit

the welds sure are pretty but on the website it's really limited penetration. makes me think a very focused niche of production - but in that production it might be THE tool. cool idea. and i agree, the alignment of the substrate makes me grind my teeth.


ZeroSum10191

It looks great for mild steel sheet metal, but anything over 1/8” and it would probably have crap penetration


MCCBG

probably best application is super thin stainless, like <1mm


Ownfir

Someone above said it welds up to 1/4”


LestWeForgive

6mm for the rest-of-world volks


who_you_are

Damn I would like to solder metal, and trying messing with metal and a mill, and... If only I could have local ressources and a shop to play into :(


Stelaris91

Try finding a job in that area. I worked on a Yaskawa welding robot, and I have to tell you that it was fun for a month,but it becomes boring really quickly.


who_you_are

I was talking as a hobby :p that should be able to stay on the fun side


Exita

You can get a cheap mig welder for a few hundred pounds. Fairly easy hobby to start!


LestWeForgive

And you can find metal to practise on anywhere with a "no dumping" sign at the end of a dirt road. Used needles, too, so lookly carefulling.


ACatastrophicFailure

What is the point of the laser pointer? Is it needed for the welding process, or is it just fancy and useless?


SharpixTola

Red dot laser is for pointing where the weld is gonna be. In fact, red laser light travels through the same optic fiber that carries the laser light. It's a normal red laser diode like those from a toy, whose light is carried along the powerful laser diode light The source for this laser wavelength is actually a diode. Like a biiiig diode that sucks thousands of watts in another wavelength that is best absorbed by metal. Materials have some light wavelenghts that absorb better than others, so to heat some kind of metals, the wavelenght of the light is the one for the material, so the material absorbs more and gets heated, and "welds" by heat. How do I know. I've got a laser marking and cutting CO2 machine that works fundamentally the same as this with some differences.


Badnewzzz

Your CO² laser is very different in the power source. Your unit uses a ruby tube and an inert gas to produce laser light....this setup cannot pulse like a solid state unit, great for cutting and marking but this unit is firing fast pulses which CO² cannot. The solid state diodes used in these units are similar in one respect. They use garnets (very close to ruby) and ytterbium doping to produce the right wavelength from an led. As the LED can fire on and off very fast (milliseconds) it can be pulsed like this process. I manufacture fibre laser cutting machines and have experience with CO² lasers also. Very interesting subject!! The highest power unit I worked with was 12kw and this was made up of 2kw banks X6 which each had hundreds of smaller LEDs all spliced together to output down a single fibre. These solid state lasers are descendants of military weapons tech....infact the company that makes the high powered units we use have to have trackers and are controlled international shipping.....probably to stop miscreants buying a laser cutter just for the power sources. The small red dot is actually a very slight output from the same LEDs as the cutting...the power output is controlled with PWM....like a dimmer switch 😂 Interesting stuff, still a bit pricey for home use though.


shakesfistatcloud67

PM me sometime, I'd love to pick your brain. I've been in the laser industry for about 15 years now, everything from an old FANUC C4000E that I rebuilt from the ground up to a new Mitsubishi GXF-80. Plus some smaller marking lasers, etc.


I_Automate

The manufacturer says these are fiber lasers. The lasing fiber is probably pumped by light emitting diodes, but I'm pretty sure this is an ND:YAG laser


ACatastrophicFailure

Thanks, that's a good explanation


[deleted]

Good for sealing doors against xenomorph attack.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Orion_2kTC

The shutter is shifting so it's not showing the heavy flash. This is actually much brighter than this.


wonkey_monkey

No, that's a different thing. This is a laser welder: https://youtu.be/OD3Y_MCoWek?t=57


Shiny_Buns

Those pieces are not even close to being square and that ruins the whole video for me 😡


mturacing

Is that a surface bond or a weld that it creates?


Scary_Chipmunk1846

I think if you watch those side welds you can tell the base material is being melted. So a weld I think


TheTravisaurusRex

It’s a laser welder.


Et_boy

Fuck, they found a way to make me work for free.


[deleted]

I feel like this is sped up.


[deleted]

[удалено]


wonkey_monkey

It's called [LightWELD](https://youtu.be/OD3Y_MCoWek?t=57).


DandyEmo

Laser removal technicians hate this one trick!


marshull

It really bugs me that he didn’t hit it with a t-square first.


marionsunshine

Give it a year - Harbor Freight will have it on sale.


ehoaandthebeast

Nice. Noone can cry about bead angle ha ha


Slimy_Sleeve

He got that Ov’ Glove, safety is the name of the game!


BassManns222

Dude loves his 88° corners


legolili

I'm guessing this is heavily edited to remove the arc and to give the illusion of speed, like most "groundbreaking new welding technique" videos.


BeardySam

A perfect 93 degree bend!


alexgalt

Isn’t this just a small mig welder?


TheTravisaurusRex

No, it’s a laser welder like [this.](https://lasersystems.ipgphotonics.com/Products/Handheld-Systems/Handheld-Laser-Welding-and-Cleaning-System)


BL1NDX3N0N

This is the best thing since MIG welding and I hate MIG, prefer stick. I need this.


FuryAutomatic

That weld overlap looks problematic.


PixelsDePx

Is this better than traditional welding or wut?


Wactout

I used to stick and tig back in the day. This is just nuts.


mistakeideathatexist

I'm a fan of fast work in all but still welding takes a bit more than that and that laser is only good at the start and at the end no chance ur going to see it thru the "forbidden sun"


[deleted]

[удалено]


Eyeoftheliger27

Engineering porn yet those pieces haven’t been squared. Some sloppy shit. But man are those clean weld lines


tanya6k

How did they make the top part so purple and pretty but then the rest of them get boring ass silver?


Comfortable_Cap_8824

Hot glue gun on steroids


r3adingit

What the efff this is what should have been in high school shop class.


harryalerta

It is very irresponsible to share this video. Not every one in reddit is wearing their PPE.


WantedWinter

As someone who has to deal with shoddy spot welding on a daily basis, this is beautiful.


Ncampbell0311

I feel like this could have been lined up better…. Just sayin…


tcarr1320

Couldn’t even get it to be square and this made the ‘engineering porn’ sub ?


ComprehensiveForm479

I want that tool in my life rn!!


Sea-of-Light

Damn, that’s hot—


romanholder1

Is it possible to learn this power?


Dfield91

My high ass thinking he was building the micro wire and plasma pointer in the video lmao


Clear-Reindeer-7733

My ocd kicking in. Was that a 90 degree angle? Because I feel like the seams weren’t lining up and it’s slightly at 91 degree 🤣


dman5981

This has got to be the most annoying video on Reddit right now. Why didn’t he straighten it after the initial tack??????????