Inman Labs
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Hello All:
We have been laser welding for 5 months now and I want to share with you my feelings and observations.
We bought a 40 joules bench top machine, you can purchase machines from a low of 30 Joules to over 150 joules. We decided 40 was plenty as welding stainless in our (ortho) application needs only 6-8 joules, our laser cost around 18K.
My first observation was how easy it was to use and how quickly our technicians were able to have success using it.
Second observation was how it improved the quality of our work, man the appliances look great.
Third was how much labor and $$$$ it had the potential to save. Let me elaborate.....
To solder you must:
1. Make sure the area is free of wax and is clean
2. Cover the areas with Heat Shield around the area to be soldered
3. Apply flux
4. Apply heat and solder
5. Steam clean of the flux and heat Shield
6. Grind down and finish solder joint
7. Pumice and polish, high shine
8. Maybe steam clean again
To laser you must:
1. Bend wire much more accurate so you have maximum metal to metal contact. This does take extra time.
2. Laser weld
That's it......and it only takes seconds to weld
Now with that said it is easy to blow through bands and once you do you have lost any time advantage. In fact anytime you have to use filler metal you have lost your time advantage. Also you need to educate your accounts as we had several calls complaining that we did not use enough solder and we had one orthodontist that was re-soldering our appliances. When we explained we were laser welding he got in his car and drove over to see the machine and he ended up laser welding a few things.
So yes it would be hard for a one to three person lab justify the cost of a laser but maybe you can buddy up with a local C and B lab and rent time on theirs? It is great technology and a laser weld is 250 times stronger than solder, it will never turn color or break down and it makes it possible to do build things you simple could not with solder.
If you attend the AAO the WKE group invites you to sit down and try a laser for yourself. We will be meeting Monday after the hall closes at the hotel attached to the convention center (sorry don't know the name).
None of us are selling lasers we were just lucky enough to get Laser Star to loan us a unit.
Well that's my report...sorry so long.
Don
We have been laser welding for 5 months now and I want to share with you my feelings and observations.
We bought a 40 joules bench top machine, you can purchase machines from a low of 30 Joules to over 150 joules. We decided 40 was plenty as welding stainless in our (ortho) application needs only 6-8 joules, our laser cost around 18K.
My first observation was how easy it was to use and how quickly our technicians were able to have success using it.
Second observation was how it improved the quality of our work, man the appliances look great.
Third was how much labor and $$$$ it had the potential to save. Let me elaborate.....
To solder you must:
1. Make sure the area is free of wax and is clean
2. Cover the areas with Heat Shield around the area to be soldered
3. Apply flux
4. Apply heat and solder
5. Steam clean of the flux and heat Shield
6. Grind down and finish solder joint
7. Pumice and polish, high shine
8. Maybe steam clean again
To laser you must:
1. Bend wire much more accurate so you have maximum metal to metal contact. This does take extra time.
2. Laser weld
That's it......and it only takes seconds to weld
Now with that said it is easy to blow through bands and once you do you have lost any time advantage. In fact anytime you have to use filler metal you have lost your time advantage. Also you need to educate your accounts as we had several calls complaining that we did not use enough solder and we had one orthodontist that was re-soldering our appliances. When we explained we were laser welding he got in his car and drove over to see the machine and he ended up laser welding a few things.
So yes it would be hard for a one to three person lab justify the cost of a laser but maybe you can buddy up with a local C and B lab and rent time on theirs? It is great technology and a laser weld is 250 times stronger than solder, it will never turn color or break down and it makes it possible to do build things you simple could not with solder.
If you attend the AAO the WKE group invites you to sit down and try a laser for yourself. We will be meeting Monday after the hall closes at the hotel attached to the convention center (sorry don't know the name).
None of us are selling lasers we were just lucky enough to get Laser Star to loan us a unit.
Well that's my report...sorry so long.
Don
m.
