Laser welding
What thickness can you weld with laser welding?
Quick answer
Handheld fiber lasers weld 0.5–4 mm at 1,500 W, 6 mm at 2,000 W and around 8 mm at 3,000 W with wire — thickness is power-limited.
Numbers by machine/output class
| Laser power | Single-pass steel | With wire |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000–1,200 W | up to ~3 mm | thicker with multi-pass |
| 1,500 W | up to ~4 mm | ~5 mm |
| 2,000 W | up to ~6 mm | ~7 mm |
| 3,000 W | up to ~8 mm | 10 mm+ |
Beyond single-pass
Thickness limits assume full-penetation single-pass welds. Bevelling the joint, multi-pass stacking and preheat on thick sections extend any process dramatically — that's how structural welders join 50 mm plate with the same physics. Match the machine class to the thickness you actually weld 90% of the time.