In this week’s episode, Beau Wigington chats with Mason Bongers and Dallas Reed, Application Engineers at Prima Power Laserdyne, from inside one of their advanced laser cells. Mason and Dallas share insights into laser welding, cutting-edge drilling applications, and their personal journeys into laser technology.

Key Topics Covered:

• Differences between continuous wave (CW) and quasi-continuous wave (QCW) lasers.

• Importance of gas flow in laser welding.

• Prima Power Laserdyne’s Vulcan project, a high-power laser competing with electron beam welding.

• Laser drilling applications for aerospace components.

• Advice for newcomers interested in becoming laser application engineers.

• Overcoming challenges in laser programming and machine operation.

Memorable Quotes:

• “Gas flow is incredibly important. I've done welds where I'm changing things every single time and it just looks terrible. I change the gas flow a little bit—perfect weld.” – Mason Bongers

• “This isn't an unskilled position where you're just pressing a button and letting it run. We need people that can look at the welds, holes, and cuts and say, 'This is good, this is bad, let's change this.'” – Mason Bongers

• “You say I can't, but I'm gonna find a way to do it.” – Dallas Reed

Resources Mentioned:

• Prima Power Laserdyne Website: Explore products, studies, and technical resources https://foxly.link/a7DvIr

• Prima Power Laserdyne YouTube Channel: Tutorials and demonstrations https://foxly.link/Yiu8il

• Google Scholar: Recommended resource for academic research papers on laser technology https://scholar.google.com

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Connect with Beau Wigington:

• Instagram: @beaudiditwelding https://www.instagram.com/beaudiditwelding/ 

• Email: beauw@weld.com 

• WELD App: @beaudidit

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