Can a handheld laser welder handle a 3/8-inch thick groove weld? We put it up against a proven MIG and flux core welding process to find out.

Austin heads to the Handheld Laser Institute in Washington State to weld, compare, and bend test 3/8-inch plate with Buddy Holbrook, laser welding application engineer. First, we establish a baseline with a MIG root and flux core fill. Then, Buddy takes on the same thick-plate groove weld with a handheld laser, and discovers just how many passes it takes when deposition rate becomes the limiting factor.

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