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Laser welding is similar to laser cutting in that it uses a concentrated beam of light to perform the desired machining task. Laser welding is used to join materials, mainly metals, through a combination of heat and deformation. Two types of laser beams are employed. One uses a carbon dioxide gas as its lasing medium while the other uses a solid piece of neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet. They are referred to as gas lasers and solid state lasers, respectively. Focused industrial laser beams usually generate more than 10 kilowatts-per-square-centimeter of power. Engineers have constructed even more powerful systems, with power outputs reaching 25 kW/cm2.

Gas laser welding services are considerably faster than solid state laser welding. However, gas lasers encounter problems with reflective surfaces and have more stringent transmission requirements. Solid state laser welding services, while slower, are also well-suited to smaller precision work, and can be used on reflective surfaces. These lasers are regularly used in the fabrication of precision automotive components. Although lasing equipment is fairly cost prohibitive, both types of laser welding are usually faster and more efficient than traditional welding methods. Laser welds are also very small (less than .0001 inches in width), which makes them ideal for precision electronic applications.

Laser welding is most suited to performing fusion welds. Fusion welds do not involve a filler material; they use the metals being joined. In a laser welding operation, the laser vaporizes and liquefies the surface being lased, creating a small liquid metal pool and minute column in the material. The liquefied metal flows into the gap between the materials and quickly cools and hardens to form a bond.

The advantages to laser welding are manifold. Unlike electron welding, it does not require a vacuum, and can be performed through open air. In fact, it can even be performed inside a tube, providing that tube allows for the passage of the laser (i.e. a transparent vacuum tube). This means that laser welding operations can be done without physical contact to the material. In addition, beams from solid state lasers can be directed through fiber optics, giving it remarkable flexibility in use.