Crazy to realize we're all seeing a completely new type of welding come into the world. MIG, SMAW, TIG have all been around for multiple decades/ a century... always learn something new everyday.
Laser welding has been around for years, just not in the US because the unions have been keeping it out. The Chinese are about a decade ahead of the US in technology for around 1/4 the price.
No doubt laser welding will probably be in every industry. Entry cost is the biggest problem. As with most technologies, price will come down but it will never be "low cost".
I spent 5 decades perfecting my welding skills (personal at large home automotive and metal fabrications) stick, mig, tig, gas in 1 hour my welds were equal or superior with my 3kw laser. If fab. parts fit well no need for filler wire. Can hold parts bare handed w/o needing gloves for burns, treat laser more akin to a gun than a torch as beams will travel unlike and arc or flame. They can also reflect so its best to use in a one person room. Cleaning is amazing both for after weld cleaning and prep. it can replace sand blasting in most cases removing paint and rust. I can weld any meltable material including repairing plastic parts.(have to lock out some safties) Full penetration up to 5/16 from one side minimal shrinking (effectively zero) can weld long seams in a single pass at 5x plus the fastest mig/tig speeds and I only use filler wire for loosely fiting parts and/or wher I need to grind weld to smooth. Expensive to get in early my rig cost over $19K w/o many options and was made overseas so warranty is untested so far, nice to see Miller producing blue machines I would expect prices to plumet. Ray
Depends on the application. SMAW and MIG won't be going anywhere based on what I've seen here, and even TIG still has it's uses, but this could be a move in a completely new direction. Very cool. Price and training are still factors.
@jimyoungblood1687 you cant really if the gap is to large. You can do small gaps if you have enough experience using this type of welders. I'm talking about that in an other video posted by someone else . We are using IPG since is out in the market. The back draw of a laser welder you have to be spot on when fitting your materials. You don't want to have wider than Wire diameter gaps or "No weld-gaps". But : there is no need for post processing, and in most cases 12x faster
Finally I will be able to get the welder I want at the price I can afford. - as all y’all run out to get your laser welders and sell yours on Craig’s list
100% identical to IPG "Light weld" welders, its only painted to Miller colors and priced 2x compared to IPG Photonics. Everything is new to a new born. Its old tech but in about 4-5 years ago got packaged into a smaller foot print. We have the IPG since release and we love our IPG except when is not running. (we recently ordered one from Everlast 14K, they are SF bay area and have a good customer service as well just like IPG has an excellent customer service) I don't know what Miller is smoking asking 45K for the same unit compared to 23K range. and they are well known about not to have a good customer service. Chinese and Korean units for 6-14K range some 3KW Not talking about Everlastwelders have 3 or 4 different models for 1/3. around 21:05 yes right! We welding custom door frames exceeding 100 Inch in width and height we just got an order to fab 216 tall door, so much about tight places we can not utilize enclosure because of the large object we fabricating and using good old IPG Photonics 1500 to weld it. I also got rid of the ground lock bc it was just an other wire in the way when moving from one weld to an other. All and all i'm sure it is a god laser welder bc its seems like, it is the twin brother of the original IPG 1500. The newer models are in the same casing just dif colors
I asked the Miller guy if they make this themselves. He said they buy the equipment, but their software is different. Not sure what's different for 20k
@@derekcorey-goodman2489 I bet is BS why would they develop an other software. Modify it maybe. IMO they just dealing with IPG and slept a sticker on the unit for 20K. IPG is not known in the welding industry, therefor is hard for them to sell welders. IPG Photonics is one of the US leader in lasers, as far as I know IPG was the first who made this small package air cooled laser source. Competition at the 2-3K power level still using water chiller which is separate unit in most cases, and 3k is usually 3 phase 380V
Why not showing it doing something usefull ? like welding 1/2" steel plate or even 1/4" aluminium every time there is a demo of a laser welder they weld thin stainless steel is that the only capacity of the laser ?
They want to demonstrate the lack of heat induced distortion on thin metal. If you listened to him describe its capabilities he clearly states it’s ability to penetrate is unmatched by any other process. Maybe stop looking for a reason to hate it and accept its existence..
@@6by6by6 You complitely miss my point ! I dont hate it , i just want to see it welding thick material ! i have seen many many video because it is interesting as a new tech but every time they show it , they weld thin stainless I want to see them welding a plate on a bulldozer blade or assembling a trayler , i want to see it usefull and not only them saying so!
People who think this makes all other forms of welding obsolete aren’t understanding what it’s really good at. This type of setup will never replace smaw welding, it’s not portable, it’s not got the penetration, it doesn’t have the versatility of it. It won’t replace mig either. High barrier of entry in terms of price will always make mig a better choice, however in situations where you are making thin metal production parts such as railing or desks this would shine. I see it replacing vfd on bigger welders like a continuum 500. Low warping, high production speeds and low cleanup makes this an awesome product for stuff like that. Again the price is only for 10 year buissness’ that can afford to have something so niche. However It would encroach on your tig a lot. Depending on how it does root passes per se. I still see tig being used in situations like boilermakers. They need long leads, small torches and tig fills that hole better than laser. So for now don’t go selling your multimatic. Unless you have a shop that doing nothing but building fuel cells, cheap furniture, or railing. You’d be wasting money. This is for manufacturing and nothing more yet.
I’m a machinist making parts that go to space. I can weld ok, but I’m not a welder really. We cut some enclosures from billet aluminum, basically a breadbox, and the aluminum alone costs $3000. I could mill the features we need from flat stock that would cost about $200 and weld it together using an automated robot arm. Those systems cost about $80,000. It would save use weeks of machine time each year on top of all the other expenses and my company still won’t spring for it.
A lot of welders are nit picking on these machines, but y’all are making all the same arguments and complaints about these welders as machinists did about CNC. You’re gonna see these lasers on easily programmable robot arms within a few years for under $25,000 and that’s gonna cut way down on the number of manual welders just like it did on the number of manual machinists. I know people pride themselves on stacking dimes just like I take pride in hitting a tolerance, but for me now the machine does most of that and I spend about 80% of my time babysitting it. With AI, pretty much everything is gonna be automated to at least 70-80% here in the next few years. I know what I’m talking about because I’ve seen it. The whole process is picking up steam and changes that took 40 years are happening in 5. I know it’s scary and people are worried about their jobs, but the quicker you start thinking about what you’re gonna do to stay relevant in your field the better off you’ll be. Once manual machining was on life support I went back to school to learn cnc and that helped me hold on for another decade. I think I might make it for 5 more years at least. A bunch of machining work became guys putting material into a machine and pressing a button for low wages.
@@JustinMiales You basically said the same thing about the laser. There are a lot of practical applications beyond just "jewelry". I run an aerospace machine shop and one of these and a robot to run it are at the top of my list.
Very interesting. We have been seeing the Chinese laser welders on social media for several years. I always wondered if it was a scam or not. Will be too expensive for the home hobbiest until patens run out. 5-7 years
Less skill cause it ain't out there...just like the trucking industry that I spent 46 yrs at...little skill available so this led to automatic transmissions and GPS for the nim-rods that can't read a map...lol
Crazy to realize we're all seeing a completely new type of welding come into the world. MIG, SMAW, TIG have all been around for multiple decades/ a century... always learn something new everyday.
Yes its defiantly going to be cool once the tech matures
Laser welding has been around for years, just not in the US because the unions have been keeping it out. The Chinese are about a decade ahead of the US in technology for around 1/4 the price.
No doubt laser welding will probably be in every industry. Entry cost is the biggest problem. As with most technologies, price will come down but it will never be "low cost".
Yeah the machine is spendy for sure
I’ve seen cut and etch videos of laser welds and its penetrating ability is crazy, going to SEMA this week and hoping to get to try one!
Stop by our booth and talk with me. We will have a cell at the SEMA show.
its really cool, the speed is crazy
@@bwhemmert what’s the booth number? Awesome cant wait!
23111. 👍🏻
Now we can start to take these laser welding videos serious 😂
I spent 5 decades perfecting my welding skills (personal at large home automotive and metal fabrications) stick, mig, tig, gas in 1 hour my welds were equal or superior with my 3kw laser. If fab. parts fit well no need for filler wire. Can hold parts bare handed w/o needing gloves for burns, treat laser more akin to a gun than a torch as beams will travel unlike and arc or flame. They can also reflect so its best to use in a one person room. Cleaning is amazing both for after weld cleaning and prep. it can replace sand blasting in most cases removing paint and rust. I can weld any meltable material including repairing plastic parts.(have to lock out some safties) Full penetration up to 5/16 from one side minimal shrinking (effectively zero) can weld long seams in a single pass at 5x plus the fastest mig/tig speeds and I only use filler wire for loosely fiting parts and/or wher I need to grind weld to smooth. Expensive to get in early my rig cost over $19K w/o many options and was made overseas so warranty is untested so far, nice to see Miller producing blue machines I would expect prices to plumet. Ray
When Miller is selling a laser welding setup you know that laser welding is the next great leap forward.
seen this in china for 5 years I think, lol
What about heavy equipment ?
Depends on the application. SMAW and MIG won't be going anywhere based on what I've seen here, and even TIG still has it's uses, but this could be a move in a completely new direction. Very cool. Price and training are still factors.
Very cool my multimatic is now obsolete 😮
I don't think I would get rid of it any time soon but for production work that thing is amazing
How many multis can you buy for $46K? Mine will do just fine for the rest of my life.
@dsmreloader7552 good point like 10
Awesome video!
What kind of welding helemts were yall using? 4:01
I like TIG, you control heat, feed and filler metal amount.
Perfect presentation
What material is used in the walls of the booth ?
What is the model of the glases of the host ?
Just another reason to drink miller weld Lincoln.
How durable are the optics?
Would infered night vision show how much the laser light is deflecting into the surrounding area? That’s a hell of a concern for anyone in the area?
How is this laser welder at closing up spaces between pieces when welding where there is not a close fit on corners etc?
@jimyoungblood1687 you cant really if the gap is to large. You can do small gaps if you have enough experience using this type of welders. I'm talking about that in an other video posted by someone else . We are using IPG since is out in the market. The back draw of a laser welder you have to be spot on when fitting your materials. You don't want to have wider than Wire diameter gaps or "No weld-gaps". But : there is no need for post processing, and in most cases 12x faster
Any chance of a comparison of 18ga mild steel TIG versus laser?
Tag miller and ask nicely maybe they will let me play with one for videos.... I wish
Jody from Welding Tips and Tricks has a recent cut and etch comparison video.
Finally I will be able to get the welder I want at the price I can afford. - as all y’all run out to get your laser welders and sell yours on Craig’s list
How about welding titanium, magnesium ??
I'll get a tig because they lasers are way outta most people's price range
How does weld strength compare to TIG?
I would think similar
100% identical to IPG "Light weld" welders, its only painted to Miller colors and priced 2x compared to IPG Photonics. Everything is new to a new born. Its old tech but in about 4-5 years ago got packaged into a smaller foot print. We have the IPG since release and we love our IPG except when is not running. (we recently ordered one from Everlast 14K, they are SF bay area and have a good customer service as well just like IPG has an excellent customer service) I don't know what Miller is smoking asking 45K for the same unit compared to 23K range. and they are well known about not to have a good customer service. Chinese and Korean units for 6-14K range some 3KW Not talking about Everlastwelders have 3 or 4 different models for 1/3.
around 21:05 yes right! We welding custom door frames exceeding 100 Inch in width and height we just got an order to fab 216 tall door, so much about tight places we can not utilize enclosure because of the large object we fabricating and using good old IPG Photonics 1500 to weld it. I also got rid of the ground lock bc it was just an other wire in the way when moving from one weld to an other. All and all i'm sure it is a god laser welder bc its seems like, it is the twin brother of the original IPG 1500. The newer models are in the same casing just dif colors
I asked the Miller guy if they make this themselves. He said they buy the equipment, but their software is different. Not sure what's different for 20k
@@derekcorey-goodman2489 I bet is BS why would they develop an other software. Modify it maybe. IMO they just dealing with IPG and slept a sticker on the unit for 20K. IPG is not known in the welding industry, therefor is hard for them to sell welders. IPG Photonics is one of the US leader in lasers, as far as I know IPG was the first who made this small package air cooled laser source. Competition at the 2-3K power level still using water chiller which is separate unit in most cases, and 3k is usually 3 phase 380V
Why not showing it doing something usefull ?
like welding 1/2" steel plate
or even 1/4" aluminium
every time there is a demo of a laser welder they weld thin stainless steel
is that the only capacity of the laser ?
Exactly it's a joke
They want to demonstrate the lack of heat induced distortion on thin metal. If you listened to him describe its capabilities he clearly states it’s ability to penetrate is unmatched by any other process. Maybe stop looking for a reason to hate it and accept its existence..
@@6by6by6
You complitely miss my point !
I dont hate it , i just want to see it welding thick material !
i have seen many many video because it is interesting as a new tech but every time they show it , they weld thin stainless
I want to see them welding a plate on a bulldozer blade or assembling a trayler , i want to see it usefull and not only them saying so!
WHAT ABOUT THE ROOT PASS ON PIPE,
People who think this makes all other forms of welding obsolete aren’t understanding what it’s really good at. This type of setup will never replace smaw welding, it’s not portable, it’s not got the penetration, it doesn’t have the versatility of it. It won’t replace mig either. High barrier of entry in terms of price will always make mig a better choice, however in situations where you are making thin metal production parts such as railing or desks this would shine. I see it replacing vfd on bigger welders like a continuum 500. Low warping, high production speeds and low cleanup makes this an awesome product for stuff like that. Again the price is only for 10 year buissness’ that can afford to have something so niche. However It would encroach on your tig a lot. Depending on how it does root passes per se. I still see tig being used in situations like boilermakers. They need long leads, small torches and tig fills that hole better than laser. So for now don’t go selling your multimatic. Unless you have a shop that doing nothing but building fuel cells, cheap furniture, or railing. You’d be wasting money. This is for manufacturing and nothing more yet.
I’m a machinist making parts that go to space. I can weld ok, but I’m not a welder really. We cut some enclosures from billet aluminum, basically a breadbox, and the aluminum alone costs $3000. I could mill the features we need from flat stock that would cost about $200 and weld it together using an automated robot arm. Those systems cost about $80,000. It would save use weeks of machine time each year on top of all the other expenses and my company still won’t spring for it.
I want one so bad 😭
Me too
Where have you been? Hand laser welders have been out for a while.
Why does it need that hose hanging on the outside, why not run it through the inside
$45,000 for starter kit!?!?! Calling BS on price this is compete 1000 % mark up!
All made in CHINA to boot!
$45,000 plus...nope I'll keep my tig thank you...aint in no hurry. Its nice but not that nice..
A lot of welders are nit picking on these machines, but y’all are making all the same arguments and complaints about these welders as machinists did about CNC. You’re gonna see these lasers on easily programmable robot arms within a few years for under $25,000 and that’s gonna cut way down on the number of manual welders just like it did on the number of manual machinists. I know people pride themselves on stacking dimes just like I take pride in hitting a tolerance, but for me now the machine does most of that and I spend about 80% of my time babysitting it. With AI, pretty much everything is gonna be automated to at least 70-80% here in the next few years. I know what I’m talking about because I’ve seen it. The whole process is picking up steam and changes that took 40 years are happening in 5. I know it’s scary and people are worried about their jobs, but the quicker you start thinking about what you’re gonna do to stay relevant in your field the better off you’ll be. Once manual machining was on life support I went back to school to learn cnc and that helped me hold on for another decade. I think I might make it for 5 more years at least. A bunch of machining work became guys putting material into a machine and pressing a button for low wages.
What about heavy equipment bulldozer blades loader buckets😂 ? You got to be kidding me, good for jewelry😮
You’re not gonna tig a dozer blade either.
@rexmundi8154 really ? no kidding .
@@JustinMiales You basically said the same thing about the laser. There are a lot of practical applications beyond just "jewelry". I run an aerospace machine shop and one of these and a robot to run it are at the top of my list.
Very interesting. We have been seeing the Chinese laser welders on social media for several years. I always wondered if it was a scam or not. Will be too expensive for the home hobbiest until patens run out. 5-7 years
Paul-jb7br for 4k you can buy a 1.5KW Chinese unit which can weld up to 3 mm thick material. as seen on the video only does 4-4.5mm
Terrible terrible idea😢, I have to make an appointment with my psychiatrist to make sure that I'm okay😮
At only $50k too
Less tig work now less pay cant charge as much because requires less skill?
I'm a former fiber optic splicer. The advent of the Fusion Splicer did the same thing for my industry.
Cough
👎
To much bla bla bla and don't teach how welding the láser.
Dislike
What is the cost? 💲💲💲🤔
$45...k 🤣🤣
A new Mercedes, basically. Or a down payment on a house. I love Miller, but their stuff is never cheap😂.
Less skill cause it ain't out there...just like the trucking industry that I spent 46 yrs at...little skill available so this led to automatic transmissions and GPS for the nim-rods that can't read a map...lol