Buying a laser welder/cleaner for a fabrication shop.
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- Опубліковано 19 чер 2024
- Laser welders seem to be everywhere and I wanted one for my small fabrication shop. Due to being on a budget I ordered one from China and would like to share my experience. Though it seems to work well I feel I'm not using it to its fullest potential. I wish I had support after the sale. You get what you pay for! #chiassonsmoke #welding #fabrication #diyprojects #diy #cnclife #laserweldingmachine #laserwelding
Note on the laser glasses/goggles. Biggest thing is the wavelength of the laser. If you get a set meant for LED lasers, then you use a Co2 laser, you might as well not be wearing them. They need to block the wavelength that you're dealing with.
Good point. Also get the proper power rating too.
Did see a video where one guy bought a tattoo removal laser and the laser goggles provided with the laser was the wrong wave length... If he had used the goggles that came with the machine he would be blind now.
I operated a laser profile cutting machine back in 1995. I remember watching tv after a day at work and things would go a little blurry. Thats when I said to myself I have to get a different job. Cool machine , great capabilities but terrible for the operators eyesight! I used to make concrete cutting blades by welding diamond impregnated segments to the circular saw blades with laser fusion. I found out back then that you had to get glasses specific to the type of beam you were generating. Otherwise NFG.
@@moparmissile god damn… took you that long to realize.
Wavelength Specific is a must
Thanks for the review. I've been skeptical about these walder/cleaners.
Out of my price range so I'll have to wait for the Harbor Freight version.
Harbor freight will be this machine with added costs on top all related to consumables, translation, and middleman dealer network profits. It's cool as hell, but I'll stick to my Lincoln 180C for welding and molasses/water for rust removal- its slower but way cleaner than any laser cleaner in all the videos ive seen.
Really enjoyed this video. I have been looking into these as well. Thank you for the pointers.
Do a video for us subscribers when you do get one.
Considering how beneficial a clean surface can be for welding. A welder that does the cleaning for you is awesome.
Im a welder my self but I don't know much about laser welding, I'm sure they are great.
As for the laser cleaning.... I could see that being awesome for vehicle restoration getting into most places to gently remove crud and old under seal
First time I've seen someone actually acknowledge the fumes issue with these laser cleaners. More awareness of the Fumes with laser cleaning, laser welding, laser cutting, laser engraving, etc is needed. An ounce of prevention saves a lifetime of lung issues. "make sure your fume extractor is on" is good advice"
Thanks for the upload, its like any big equipment these days unless you have good support/consumables available it can become a nightmare. I brought 2nd hand equipment for most of my home workshop (that was meant to be a side hustle) but my lack of knowledge even after lots of research bit me in the arse....Def agree dealing with some companies in China can be a pain directly an if you find a broker they triple your costs for sometimes basic things.
Its all a learning experience an its only money it comes an goes.
I can be the same way. I’m sure that you felt like you had done as much research as you could and “convinced yourself” that this was it. Then once you received it and tried using it you were upset with yourself and found many different options after the fact. Don’t feel alone in this situation. What you are doing by making the best out of it and sharing your story and the reliable source for the 🇺🇸 guy is fantastic!🇺🇸🙏😊
Great presentation! Thanks for the video. You literally answered all my questions about those machines. Thanks.
A customer that I do electrical work for recently got one for his garage where he restores classic cars and oh my God that thing is cool, he took a really really rusty section of frame from a road hard put away wet chevy pickup truck and ran the laser over it and it looked brand new
A number of times I tried to interest a niche offshore manufacturer in my being a stocking distributor for them. None has ever been interested. They just do not care in the slightest if the customer is happy or if the customer is represented. Totally different culture.
I'm familiar with Chinese translation.
Remote controlling the baby can lead to unhappy performance in wet weather.
English...
Do not drive the car in wet weather, or damage may occur.
Some translated chinese is hilarious from imports .....
Super cool your honest about your experience with this product. I’m sure you can flip it when your ready to spend the money for a upgrade.
Please don’t let skippy anywhere near it.
Who would buy a secondhand bottom of the barrel budget Chinese welder of any type? Even if it does laser clean.
I have a IPG laser welder at my shop. The laser and eye damage issues is huge. don't play with these... you will go blind. Its completely different than an arc flash and regular welding hoods wont stop the laser from damaging your eyes. The down side of it is the danger issue and having to have a closed space where the laser can not accidently reflect and hit someone who happens to be upto +300' away.
We have an IPG laser table at my work. It's no joke, and I've been to their facility to demo their handheld welder. Safety is SUPER important with these, you can also burn a hole through something and through what's behind it, and what's behind IT and so on. Biggest thing I learned was that you can "tack weld" two pieces together, and also burn a hole through your hand that's holding them 🥴
I did maintenance on PRC and Data tech lasers at 50 watts it could shoot a hole right through your index finger. It's crazy what's available to untrained DIYers.
Thanks for the good info, im gonna wait till they become more available before buying one! Thanks again!
We had a laser at work, it was for cutting. We had to wear fully inclosed goggles, they looked like the nuke goggles from wwII. We had a rack of goggles in the hallway and one guy walked in the shop without any eye protection. He was fired on the spot.
The laser reflects and will blind you instantly. Look at the reflection of the laser on the back wall while he is cleaning the powder coat off the steel.
@@TehButterflyEffectThat is not on the wall, it is a lens effect artifact from the camera.
Pretty amazing tech. Looks like the future.
Very helpful. Thank you sir!
Thanks, great advice. Trying to bye one , will call your source. God Bless!!!!!!
Wow! that makes some gnarley fumes! But seems to do a good job. Thanks for sharing
These lasers put out megawatt pulses. Glasses don’t block enough to stop you from being blinded. The beam can bounce of 5 surfaces and permanently burn you retina. I was going to get one until an expert tuned me in. They can only be used in a light tight box with an interlock on the door
Look at his tan increase in 10 minutes
@@janeblogs324 😂😂
@@janeblogs324just the crap blowing off the metal and covering his clothes, but yes this machine should be used in a separator box.
I think I'll stick to vapor blasting thanks!!
Yeah no. That wavelength isn't focused by the lens in your eye, so if you're wearing decent eyepro it's not a problem. UV from the plasma formed by the beam hitting the workpiece is actually a bigger exposure hazard.
The question everyone wants to know.... what does the full 2000 W do to the same items 🤣😊
It welds it :}
It shits itself after 30 seconds on full- just like all the budget plasma cutters from China.
When I first heard of these machines, I thought about getting one. I thought it would be around $5,000 - $7,000, which would be a reasonable price to,pay. When I found the LightWELD to cost $25,000 I was shocked. I wonder how well this machine is made and whether it will hold up over time. The problems with service and parts is the big question. There are good companies in China that sell the big fiber laser cutting tables that do have excellent support. Possibly the same is true for these as well. I see a number of different ones on eBay and lots of short videos from Chinese makers here on UA-cam, but with no real way to contact them. I assume prices will naturally come down for the better machines, but that could take several years as more manufacturers come into the market.
I think these are overpriced right now as a relatively new technology. As more and more companies start making their own machines I believe that the price will go down.
Right now the best way to buy them is direct import even though the support and language barrier is there.
You should be able to purchase a welding cleaning unit in the $2,500 dollar range.
My understanding is they have come down a lot in price. Like they used to be in $75-100k range 8 years ago when the first youtube videos of it came out. Now these no name Chinese machines can be down in the $10k range or less. But I think you are right, the prices will stabilize and drop as they become standardized and more understood by small shops.
@@nickcody7257 they have but for decades I travelled through china and when they first started producing them I would see them for sale in the 5k -10k.
The Chinese have become very good at making a profit when selling directly to end users.
I see items that I bought for a dollar that they offer on export sales sites for $10-15 dollars and people think they are getting a good deal.
I guess the answer is if you can use it and make money with it then it’s worth buying and worth what you pay for it. Until they come down in price, they won’t be selling them to the masses.
But their market is global so sell a few here in a few there at a higher price and they still do OK
Same thing goes with all these induction heaters that you see on the marketplace today I built 130 years ago that was a 5K W unit that’s a pretty good size unit but these little ones the handheld ones produce them in China for under $25 apiece
@@irakozak1 sort of. They’re not overpriced as the technology isn’t there, so parts are expensive and designs use more electronics and other parts than will later generations. That’s how it always works. So expensive, yes. Overpriced? I don’t really think that’s the right word. They’re likely as inexpensive as they can make them right now. I look inside cheap Chinese welders and plasma cutters and find obsolete parts that are very cheap, but I wouldn’t want to use eight lower power MOSFETs or IGBTs in a welder rather than two newer high power IGBTs. These Chinese machines are like that, where the expensive models are using new technology, but much more expensive parts. But even those aren’t what we’ll see in a few years as this laser technology becomes more popular.
Maybe you can learn more about the prices of Chinese machines, they are not all what you think
Pretty interesting that it removes powder coat that quickly. Usually hard to remove.
I'd love to see you weld with it. I've seen tons of videos of people cleaning rust but exactly zero of anyone actually laser welding, so I have a hard time believing it works very well.
thanks, all my metal supply is stored outside, so I was interested, plus years ago I owned a powder coating shop and sure could have used one then.
Curiosity killed the Cat 🐈..... but Satisfaction Brought him Back
Exactly I found this with the biolight stove I brought
This is cool aside from the consumables and language barriers which is pretty much everywhere nowadays the machine seems to work pretty good? Maybe it's a little better than expected on its performance possibly? That's kind of what I'm seeing, you're not kidding about prices holy smokes those things are expensive so I am glad I found the same brand and was hesitant on pulling the trigger so thank you for doing this tutorial
Scary bananas . Hopefully time will improve support and availability.
Thank You to make this vid I have a itch to bye Laser Welder Cleaner you cave a good insight to what expect. I am a bubged guyi too no profitable busines going on.
What is the power requirements on this unit? Do I have to have 3ph for all models. Thanks, great vid and information to move forward on.
I worked at a place with a Lazer cleaner just make sure you wear a respiratory or face mask the fumes and smoke are bad. The first day we had it I used all day and my throat felt terrible that night and proper had the sweats in bed too
Good information 👍 thank you
Thanks for the great video. Wondering what are the parts that needs to be changed every now and then? And what kind of maintenance does it require? Do you need "gas bottle" for rust removing? Thanks.
Dude I highly recommend a Respirator😂
WOW!! EXCELLENT. You have to show us what it does to some Chicken with skin. SUBSCRIBED & LIKED!!!
Hi, sounds like 'Flash Gordon's space ship' LOL.
This is the closest thing I have ever seen to a real light saber.
I'll bet that it will do a great job cleaning your gas grill. Try it and let us know. Thanks.
Should still be wearing a mask even with a vacuum. That stuff is nasty
I can’t wait for more companies to start making theses
I ordered a 2KW machine last night. Pretty excited about it.
How much was it
@@Datboyshawn337 door to door pricing was $7500 after everything.
I've brought in a number of these units for people so that they avoid the support/shipping/language barrier problems. I also mitigate issues like safety in glasses, surrounding workers etc. A product in functionality and safety is only as good as the support available and this is an area China is typically very poor. Could be distance or maybe they don't care I don't know. We try to fill that blank so that products don't end up in a junk pile when they have a problem.
Glasses on some lasers can be simple to test. The cheap garbage that comes with the laser are simple green plastic and block little. Set your laser on the lowest power and run short pulses, interrupt the pulse with the glasses and see if any light hits the work. The cheap ones only block 50-60%, Buy certified glasses at the correct freq. You only get 1 set of eyes. The cheap ones are green as this is the opposite of red but that visible light, green visible blocks red visible light not effective at IR invisible. IR opposite is UV not green. That's the 1st hint to a problem.
Light bounce/reflection even with screens is there. Turn off the lights and point a flashlight at the work like its the laser. Anything in the room that gets even a little light is getting bounce light. Lower intensity is lower eye damage but it is not no eye damage! If you can see light then the IR will hit you.
Protective screens only block the highest of intensities but low intensities also do damage. Likely even with traditional welders as light emitted is a broader spectrum (200 - 1400nm) which includes the same freq of fiber lasers of 1064nm. That traditionally is acceptable to only block direct line of site from the source. Is that actually safe for others?
I suppose it boils down to the questions of what amount/intensity of UV/IR light is acceptable damage? I don't know if that question over long term has been answered.
I'm not sure on a 2kw laser if you can get it low enough power to test you would have to try. I know on co2, diode and 60w fiber I am able to test. Even if you destroy the glasses the light should not be able to get through! What use is protective glasses if their protection only lasts 10 milliseconds then destroys your eyes.
Does it remove the milscale? We often have big projects at work that require us to grind the milscale off where the weld joints are. Takes forever and a ton of 4" grinder wheels to do it.
When Miller starts selling these for home use, I'm in.
Great stuff Bro. Is there any cheaper equipment for routine laser welding rather than additional features that may not be necessary in a workshop? Thanks and Regards. Sham.
We have looked a bit into these for our shop. Will it take off mill scale on new plate? Have you tried that?
good to find ya here.
I saw on another video if you go into the setup and then you change the lens you have to actually change the lens in the unit and then you can actually change the scan width and I saw it go up to 40 mm
This is amazing, and also terrifying 😂
Tres bon ! Merci
Seems like something I wouldn't want to mess with lol.
That is pretty awesome. I would like to see it welding or whatever else it can do. How much would something like that be from a North American Company. Thanks for the honest feedback.
You mentioned consumables. What consumables that are proprietary to it that have to be replaced? Is it filters or something?
Well this is the Chinese way. When you purchase it, it is yours and they only want to hear from you again if you want to purchase more! Support and spare parts is unknown in China! 😏 Nothing new.
2:41 - Also want to mention, those laser goggles have different power ratings and laser wavelengths to block, need to make sure to get the proper power rating and wavelengths to withstand/block the immense laser beam reflections ever going into your eyes. 5,000 Watt laser is just insane amount of laser power, I’ll shit on my pants operating such powerful handheld laser stuff.
it's 2000 watts
Normally a laser like this is ONLY allowed to be used remotely in a light tight box that can not accidentally be opened.
@@ronblack7870 Even 1 watt is way more than enough to blind someone. Over 5 milliwatts (0.005 Watts) of optical laser power focused laser beam can permanently blind you if it hits your eye(s). So many people got blinded for not knowing how to handle lasers properly.
@@a64738 That makes sense, imagine people using these more commonly and laser beams shoots out the window and hits pedestrian’s eyes. When these things becomes more common, I’ll start wearing laser goggles when out for a walk.
I'll wait until the price comes down. The televisions that were 10 grand when they came out are obsolete, and the better ones now are 500 bucks.
these things will get smaller and cheaper.. having a sandblaster/ cleaner, and welder/ cutter, in one is an automatic game changer globally.
I'd say about 3 years,... buying will become more optimal
Just like plasma cutters. I used one at my old job 24 years ago that was the size of a shopping cart and ran on three phase power. That thing was probably 15-20 grand. Now I have one at home that works on 120/220 ac thats the size of a lunchbox. All for 300 bux.
Yup,...the solar panels and inverters coming are going to be small enough and cheap enough that it will be insane to stay on grid.
I'm off grid, and having my own power is the most freeing thing I have known, and I was a cross country hitchhiker back in the day. Freedom or as close as we can get,... means no easements and no reliance on corporations. Its beautiful....@@Fireship1
I would consider wearing a full face helmet as I noticed the beam hitting the wall behind you. Stay safe. 👍
Have you tried this on mill scale? I've looked around a bit trying to find a review of laser cleaning mill scale off A36 plate but have not been able to find anything,
Thanks bud..
Halfass Kustoms in Canada has one of these laser machines made by a different manufacturer. So far he seems to be having a fair bit of luck with his. His also has english instructions and a good source of lenses etc. May be worth it for you to contact him for a consult. Just a suggestion. Thanks
don't forget most fume extractors remove particulate not fumes. unless they blow outside
Never use that outside unless you can guarantee no people or animals can watch you. You can and will cause serious eye damage.
So what's coming out of the gun?
Does it use consumables?
maybe it might sound foolish but would it work if you had helmet with video camera . like my son VR oculus game headset ?
While i have no realistic need for a laser cleaner i still really want one. 😁😁😁
Does it only work with steel or any metal?
Be very carful with the fumes there highly toxic. Guy's I know who use them, tape a 1/2 inch plastic hose to the wand and cable and connect it to a vacuum. This way the fumes are drawn away as soon as they are made.
I hope you make a video when you figure out how to weld with it . I was hoping this was about that. Good video though.
Dude you're now the local guy with experience with those machines..
Neat machine
Looks like it would be good for charring wood for weatherproofing a log cabin
Could you explain how did you wire the machine to us 240?
The glasses are for 300 milliwatt lasers not MEGAWATT lasers
What are the consumables and they're costs? Also, what is the life expectancy of the welder? Is it rated in hours like a light bulb?
did you mention a fume extractor
Man I need one of them to strip down a 48 ft flatbed lol it'll remove all the paint and rust it at the same time with no mess....
What about warpage with the heat input ........
Does it have to be grounded?
Better than blasting? Now I question your judgment I've done lots of blasting and I'm not sure how you're saying it isn't effective.
Does it remove the color blue
Sounds like watching Terminator 1 skynet battle scene
This guy must be in Louisiana. As a Louisiana resident, born and raised, I know a Cajun when I hear one...atleast he sure sounds like a Cajun
Sounds like death ray on Flash Gordon
If you’re getting one of these for cleaning make sure it’s got a couple of different cleaning patterns - the cheap ones just clean with straight line. What you want is a cleaning pattern that looks like a sine wave for an even finish.
About technical parameters and operation! If you have any questions, you can ask me anytime! Although what you bought is not our equipment!
Handheld laser cleaning, carries distinct risks. The lack of a fixed, stable setup increases the potential for accidental exposure to laser beams, posing serious threats to skin and eyes. It's also crucial to recognize that laser safety goggles are not one-size-fits-all. Specificity is key, as fiber lasers operate at different wavelengths compared to lasers like CO2 or Nd:YAG. Goggles suitable for one type might be ineffective for another. Ensure that the safety goggles are rated for the exact wavelength range of your fiber laser.
What happens if you use this on a mirror? 😀
what about heavy scale rust?
Can it remove dried on corn flakes from my breakfast bowl ?
Is that what they used in Hawaii?
Very similar, much higher power.
Close, yes!
Damn! I think i would go ahead and purchase the dog, get a cain and learn braille before purchasing this cornea burner.
5000$ and a difficult process but did u save 5000? a $5000 item direct from china though thats pretty brave for this kind of complicate machinery.
where did you buy... 5K is a great price for a 2000 multi shipped to Us in the US
Considering buying from China?
Does the laser wear out and has to be replaced periodically?
Lenses are required, and the laser does not need to be replaced frequently.
⚡⚡oh my neighbors cat is going to love this⚡⚡🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥😾
Yeah but acid is so much fun!
Where's the welding link?
Have you considered wearing a Ghostbusters jumpsuit while running this machine?
Is that unlicenced particle accelerator behind you?
wait til harbor freight gets them on the shelfs. guessing 2 -3 years.