// STEP 01 OF 08 — YOUR CURRENT PROCESS
What is your current welding process?
Tell us where you are starting from. This helps us
calibrate the recommendation — whether you are new to welding, looking
to upgrade an existing process, or evaluating laser for the first time.
A full process comparison (Laser vs TIG vs MIG) will be included in your
emailed report.
Select
your current process
NO PROCESS YET
New capability — evaluating all options from scratch.
>
TIG WELDING
Currently using TIG — considering laser upgrade
or complement.
MIG WELDING
Currently using MIG — evaluating quality or throughput
improvement.
LASER (UPGRADING)
Already laser welding — upgrading power, automation
or process.
// STEP 02 OF 08 — MATERIAL PROFILE
What materials will you weld?
Select all that apply. Material type drives shielding
gas choice, laser wavelength suitability, and whether filler wire is required.
✓
MILD / LOW-ALLOY STEEL
Most laser-weldable material. Autogenous or with
filler. Argon or He/Ar shield.
S235 · S355 · API✓
STAINLESS STEEL
Excellent laser response. Low HAZ prevents sensitisation.
Pure argon shielding.
304 · 316L · DUPLEX✓
️
ALUMINIUM
Reflective and high conductivity. High-power fibre
or green laser. Filler usually required.
6061 · 5083 · 7075✓
COPPER / BRASS
Green laser (515nm) strongly preferred — absorption
40× higher than 1070nm fibre.
C110 · CW614N · BUSBARS✓
TITANIUM / NICKEL
Reactive metals. Full trailing/backing gas shield
essential. Laser ideal for precision welds.
Ti6Al4V · INCONEL · HASTELLOY✓
DISSIMILAR METALS
e.g. steel-to-copper, steel-to-aluminium. Laser
excels — precise energy control limits IMC formation.
MULTI-MATERIAL// STEP 03 OF 08 — THICKNESS & JOINT TYPE
Material thickness and joint geometry
Laser welding is strongest on thin-to-medium sections.
Joint fit-up tolerance is the most common barrier to laser adoption —
be honest here.
2 mm
0.1mm1mm3mm6mm12mm30mm
Primary joint type?
BUTT JOINT
Two edges meeting. Tight fit-up critical for laser
(<10% of thickness gap). Most common laser joint.
SHEET · TUBE · PLATELAP / OVERLAP
Sheets overlapping. Laser excels — no fit-up gap
issue. Remote welding possible. Battery tab joining.
SHEET · BATTERY · EVFILLET / T-JOINT
Corner or T configuration. Laser viable with oscillation
or filler wire. Good TIG alternative.
FABRICATION · FRAMESEDGE / FLANGE
Thin sheet edges. Laser ideal — precise energy
prevents burn-through on thin flanges.
ENCLOSURES · HOUSINGSTUBE / CIRCUMFERENTIAL
Pipe girth welds or tube-to-tube. CNC rotation
with laser head gives fast repeatable welds.
TUBES · PIPE · MEDICAL
MIXED / COMPLEX
Multiple joint types across different parts. Flexible
laser system with oscillation head recommended.
JOBSHOP · CONTRACT// STEP 04 OF 08 — APPLICATION & INDUSTRY
What is your primary application?
Industry sector drives quality standard requirements,
traceability needs, and whether weld qualification documentation is required.
MEDICAL DEVICES
ISO 13485 environment. Zero contamination, full
traceability, clean room compatible. Laser strongly preferred.
ISO 13485 · FDA
AUTOMOTIVE / EV
Battery tabs, motor housings, sensors. High speed,
high repeatability. Laser dominates this sector.
IATF 16949 · EV BATTERY
️
AEROSPACE / DEFENCE
AS9100. Titanium, nickel superalloys. WPS/PQR
qualification needed. Low distortion critical.
AS9100 · NADCAP
ELECTRONICS / ENERGY
PCB connectors, busbars, sensors, battery cells.
Micro-welding, dissimilar metals. Green laser for copper.
BUSBARS · CELLS · PCB
GENERAL FABRICATION
Mild/stainless steel structures, enclosures, frames.
Volume production justifies laser capital cost.
SHEET METAL · FRAMES
JEWELLERY / PRECISION
Gold, silver, platinum, titanium. Micro-spot pulsed
laser welding. No alternative for precious metals.
PULSE · MICRO · REPAIR// STEP 05 OF 08 — VOLUME & AUTOMATION
Production volume and automation level
Laser welding's ROI is driven by throughput. Low-volume
manual TIG is often still the right answer — this advisor will tell you
honestly.
LOW VOLUME
Prototype, R&D, or repair. Fewer than 500
parts/month. TIG may offer better economics.
<500 PARTS/MONTH
MEDIUM VOLUME
Regular batches. 500–5000 parts/month. Laser ROI
typically achieved in 2–4 years at this level.
500–5,000 PARTS/MONTH
HIGH VOLUME
Mass production runs. 5,000–50,000 parts/month.
Automation essential. Strong laser ROI.
5,000–50,000/MONTH
ULTRA HIGH VOLUME
Automotive / EV scale. >50,000 parts/month.
Robotic laser cell mandatory.
>50,000/MONTHPreferred automation approach?
MANUAL / HANDHELD
Handheld laser welding gun (e.g. IPG LightWELD).
Fastest adoption — replaces TIG for trained operators.
HANDHELD LASER
CNC WORKCELL
Fixed laser head on XYZ gantry or 5-axis system.
Fixture-based, repeatable, operator loads parts.
GANTRY · 5-AXIS
ROBOTIC CELL
6-axis robot (KUKA, FANUC, ABB) with laser head.
Remote laser welding possible. Highest throughput.
ROBOT · REMOTE LASER// STEP 06 OF 08 — CAPITAL BUDGET
What is your welding system budget?
Include laser source, beam delivery, workcell or
robot integration, fixturing, and shielding gas supply. Excludes facility
modifications.
£80,000 GBP
£5k£20k£50k£100k£250k£500k+
Weld quality standard required?
GENERAL / VISUAL
Visual inspection, dimensional conformance. No
formal weld qualification required.
GENERAL INDUSTRY
CODED WELD (WPS/PQR)
Formal procedure qualification required. ISO 15614,
AWS D1.1, BS EN standards.
ISO 15614 · AWS D1.1
SAFETY CRITICAL
Medical, aerospace, pressure vessels. Full traceability,
NDT, witness testing, regulatory approval.
AS9100 · ISO 13485 · PED// STEP 07 OF 08 — FIT-UP & PRACTICAL CONSTRAINTS
Joint fit-up quality and practical constraints
The most honest question in the advisor. Laser welding
demands excellent fit-up. If your parts are variable or poorly toleranced,
that must be factored into the recommendation.
EXCELLENT FIT-UP
Machined, pressed, or stamped parts. Gap consistently
<0.1mm. Laser autogenous weld viable.
<0.1mm GAP
GOOD FIT-UP
Laser cut or formed parts. 0.1–0.3mm gap. Filler
wire or oscillation welding recommended.
0.1–0.3mm GAP
VARIABLE / POOR
Fabricated, bent, or welded assemblies. Gaps >0.5mm
common. TIG/MIG may be more practical.
>0.5mm GAPAny specific constraints?
✓
COSMETIC FINISH CRITICAL
Visible welds requiring bright, spatter-free,
post-weld finish-free result. Laser natural advantage.
✓
RESTRICTED ACCESS
Deep inside assemblies or housings. Remote laser
welding (scanner) or fibre delivery advantageous.
✓
DISSIMILAR METAL JOINING
e.g. Cu-Al for battery tabs, steel-to-stainless.
Laser unique advantage — controlled energy minimises IMC.
✓
HEAT SENSITIVE ASSEMBLY
Electronics, sensors, or pre-assembled components
nearby. Low HAZ laser welding essential.
// STEP 09 OF 09 — YOUR PROFESSIONAL DETAILS
Almost done — where shall we send your
report?
Your personalised welding process recommendation
will be emailed directly to you at no charge. Please complete your professional
details below. Fields marked * are required.
Please enter your first
name
Please enter your last
name
Please enter your job title
Please enter your company
name
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email address
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sector
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// STEP 08 OF 09 — ROI CALCULATOR
How does laser welding compare financially?
Select the process you currently use or are evaluating as an alternative. The calculator pre-fills realistic cost benchmarks for that process — adjust to match your own figures. A full pros & cons table and ROI breakdown will be included in your emailed report.
Select the process to compare against laser
MANUAL TIG (GTAW)
High-quality arc process. Skilled welder required. Slow speed. High labour cost. Clean welds but low throughput.
LASER ALTERNATIVE
MANUAL MIG (GMAW)
Higher deposition rate than TIG. Wire-fed, semi-skilled. Spatter, cleanup, and distortion are key drawbacks.
LASER ALTERNATIVE
TIG + MIG (BOTH)
Currently running both arc processes. Compare laser against the combined cost of two manual welding operations.
COMBINED COMPARISON