Often times in the past, platinum castings were recycled because of porosity or other small defects, diamonds in semi mounts were some¬times burned during welding, and sizing seams on platinum rings were visible with the untrained eye. Well, this was before laser weld¬ing stations became available to the jewelry industry. Today, most any job that requires welding can be done thanks to this great tool.

Many casting houses have reduced the number of casting rejects and thus improved productiv¬ity by using a laser. Laser-welded connections are 260% stronger than solder, 43% stronger than micro-plasma welds, and almost as strong as the original alloy.

Laser welders can be used to weld most any metal including platinum, gold, silver, titanium etc. Because of the low heat conductivity, a laser is ideally suited to work on plat¬inum. It is possible to do the most difficult welding while holding the platinum piece in the hand, something that cannot be done with a torch.

Semi-mounts have traditionally presented a problem. As the head for the center stone needed to be sol¬dered in place, often times the side stones in that mounting would be burned. Short of using a lower tem¬perature gold solder, the job could almost not be done right. Today, using a laser, this operation is per¬formed without fear of burning the stones. Many of the fine delicate designer pieces are assembled with lasers.

Most laser welders are Nd:YAG pulse laser systems 30-80watt/class 1, ranging in power from 50 to 120 joules. The units are compact and safe to work with. Laser welders are quite portable and can be easily moved to any loca¬tion in a plant. In recent times these laser work station are even available as a quite small, compact desktop model.

Because of the low learning curve, it is possible to train a laser operator in just a few days. With steady practice, one can be an expert at repairs and assembly techniques within six month to a year.

There is a great future for these machines in our industry and the fact that they are very applicable for platinum fabrication, repair and construction is an extra benefit. Using a laser, most any job is possi¬ble and one no longer need to say: this can't be done.

V10N5

You no Longer Need to Say: This Can't Be Done
 Laser Welding Applications in Jewelry Manufacture
By Jurgen J. Maerz • PLATINUM GUILD INTERNATIONAL USA

This is an abbreviated version of the original work. For full technical details, please consult the original paper.