Welding Journal

AWS/ANSI Z49.1, Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes, provides adequate guidance for conventional arc welding, but the recent appearance of smaller, portable, handheld laser welding systems in shops has led to questions about the safety of this newer laser equipment. Lasers have been employed in large manufacturing plants for welding and cutting for decades, but the laser beam is normally directed by robots in controlled areas that follow strict laser safety rules. Handheld laser welding systems ..