LASER WELDING I
n this laser welding safety overview, LightWELD manufacturer IPG Photonics provides the readers
of Welding World with a quick guide to laser welding PPE. No one becomes a welder because
they are excited about safety gear. But the importance of welding Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) cannot be overstated. Protecting yourself, and the welders in your shop, is critical. Most welders are already familiar
with the PPE they should be wearing for arc welding processes like MIG and TIG, but many are less certain about the requirements for laser welding. Fortunately, it’s relatively simple to stay safe, so long as you understand, and respect, lasers and the precautions they require.
Start with laser safety glasses Handheld laser welders present a very real threat to unprotected eyes. The highly focused beam of light, which rapidly melts metal at close ranges, can cause permanent eye damage to individuals within a few hundred feet of the welding process. This applies to both direct and reflected light. Laser safety eyewear, like glasses
or goggles, is the first thing welders, observers, and passersby should reach for. Laser safety glasses protect your eyes by blocking certain kinds of light while allowing others to pass through as normal. In order to understand what glasses you
will need, you must first understand laser wavelength and Optical Density (OD). The wavelength of a laser, often measured in nanometers (nm), determines a variety
of things about the laser like its beam output, colour, and visibility. Handheld laser welders emit light with a wavelength of approximately 1,070 nm, which is invisible to the naked eye. That means that laser safety glasses for laser welding must offer protection for a range of wavelengths that includes 1,070 nm. Optical Density refers to the degree to
which the lens will protect against the specified wavelength range. The higher the OD, the less light within that range that will make it past the lens. For laser welding, laser safety glasses should ideally have a rating of OD 7+. Glasses with this rating will block 99.9999% or more of incoming laser light within the specified wavelength range.
LASER WELDING PPE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Don’t forget a laser welding helmet Anyone that is more than a few feet away from in-progress laser welding is protected with just laser safety glasses, so long as they don’t stand across from
34 / WELDING WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 05 - SEPTEMBER 2024
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