How Capable Is a Laser Welding Machine Across Different Materials and Thicknesses?

When evaluating a laser welding machine for production use, one of the most practical questions is: Can it handle the range of materials and thicknesses I actually work with? The short answer is—yes, but with important caveats.

Material Matters More Than You Think

A laser welding machine performs very differently on stainless steel versus copper or aluminum. Stainless and mild steel absorb near-infrared laser light (1070 nm) efficiently, making them straightforward to weld with standard fiber lasers. But high-reflectivity metals like copper and aluminum require higher peak power, specific pulse shapes, or even green-wavelength lasers to overcome initial reflectivity and achieve stable keyhole formation.

For dissimilar metals—say, copper to aluminum—the challenge isn’t just melting; it’s avoiding brittle intermetallic compounds. Here, precise control over heat input via pulsed modes in a modern laser welding machine becomes critical.

Thickness: It’s About Power and Mode

Most industrial laser welding machines in the 500W–2kW range handle sheet metal from 0.1 mm up to about 3 mm quite well using conduction or shallow-keyhole welding. Beyond 4–5 mm, deep-penetration keyhole welding is needed, which demands higher average power and often filler wire—something not all systems support.

Crucially, thin materials (<0.5 mm) aren’t “easier” to weld—they’re more sensitive to overheating. A machine with fine pulse control (e.g., MOPA fiber laser) often outperforms a high-power CW laser here, even if the latter has more raw wattage.

A laser welding machine can be highly versatile—but only if matched to your specific material types, joint designs, and thickness ranges. Always test with your actual parts under production-like conditions. Wattage alone won’t tell you whether it’ll work reliably on your shop floor.