B&D BD60 Pro Desktop Laser Welder

Desktop Micro Laser  BD 60 Pro
This compact laser welding machine is designed for heavy workloads in industrial, mold and tool, medical and dental, and jewelry industries. Made continuous use duty cycle, the BD60Pro is a desktop machine that packs a punch. Welds platinum, titanium, silver, and all precious metals. Built with precision Leica Optics the BD60 Pro is simple to operate and shipped for plug and go operations that runs almost maintenance free. Easy to transport and to move, this model is highly mobile and with a small footprint (16in. X 26in.) can be used in any small shop, at home, or in a showroom. These features makes the bd60 a low cost reliable laser welder

B & D Sales Corporation is the leading supplier of welding lasers used by jewelry, dental and industrial markets. They offer the highest performance and the latest technical features. making the machines easy to handle by design, the user quickly gets accustomed to the machine features. This model will fulfill all required ergonomic demands and will ensure a constant relaxed working position.

• The BD 60 Pro Micro Laser is the most cost effective laser available. It can out perform many other larger sized welders and it's small size allows it to be used in any facility. For use on gold, Platinum, silver, titanium, and steel alloys.
   
• The BD 60 Pro is designed for users that want the abilities of a larger machine but, are excluded by the cost.
   
• Application: For retail repair shops Jewelry design and repair, watch and eye glasses, medical technology material deposit, and repair of small molds and inserts.
   

Technical Data
Laser crystal	Nd:YAG, 1064 nm
Max. average power	40 W
Pulse energy	0.5 - 60 J @ 15ms
Peak pulse power	4 kW
Pulse duration	0.5 - 15.0 ms
Pulse frequency	Single Pulse / Continuous Pulse 1.0 - 10 Hz
Controls	Simple Joystick Controller
Optical viewing system	Stereo-Microscope
Cooling of the laser	Air/Water Cooled
Protection gas supply	Single Nozzle System
Dimensions	(H*W*D) 17.5*16*26 in.
Weight	Approx. 70 Lbs.
Electrical connection	200-240V / 50-60 Hz, 10 A
Optional	Work Stand

 

David Geller: Time is Money with Your Laser Welder Increase shop income by as much as 50 percent. Having a laser welder is a necessity in a shop today. Repairs can be done faster in many cases, the chance of harming fragile stones is lower, and you can make more money if you charge correctly. In the new Geller Book to Repair Pricing, we have added prices for laser-welding tips and prongs along with our older guidelines for laser work on ring sizing and shanks. THREE THINGS ABOUT A LASER WELDER THAT YOU SHOULD CONSIDER: Forget the $25,000 to $30,000 price tag; it’s leased for $300-$450 a month 75 percent of all repairs will go faster when using a laser 25 percent of repairs, although better done, will go slower than when a torch is used If a repair can be done faster with a laser welder, I suggest still charging the regular price. Ring sizing and shanking, however, are two areas that go slower. Sizing can take 50 percent longer with a laser, and therefore in our book, we suggest charging 50 percent more for the labor. When you use a torch to join twoends together, and the solder is not exactly the same karat as the metal — the solder may discolor later, and you’d be able to see where the repair or sizing was done. Because a laser welder uses a real piece of whatever metal you’re using, the color will be the same, no line or seam will show, stones won’t be damaged from heat, and the weld can be so strong you could guarantee the repair for life. Because many laser repairs go slower and we are charging based upon “time + materials” we’ll charge more for the time. Other times, when the job might go faster with a laser, we’ll charge more because it’s beneficial to the customer or might ultimately save the customer money by not having to remove stones. For example, a customer brings in an emerald and diamond ring, and the four prongs holding the side diamonds have broken off. To re-prong these with a torch you’d have to remove and reset the emerald first. So, you might charge $65 to remove and reset the larger center stone plus $36 for the first prong and $24 for each additional prong. Total: $173 But if we use a laser, we don’t have to take out the center emerald, thus saving the customer the cost of removing and resetting the stone and eliminating the possibility of damaging the it. The cost then would be: 1st laser prong: $54 Each additional laser prong @ $30 each: $90 Total: $144 So here we saved the customer $29 overall, didn’t have to remove the emerald, saved the shop time doing the repair and received more money in less time doing the work. The laser also allows a lesser trained jeweler to do more difficult jobs, speeding up productivity, doing work other stores can’t do and gaining about a 50 percent increase in shop income. Now it doesn’t seem like such an expensive machine, does it?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Laser Welding?
Laser Welding is the fusing of metals using light as the energy source. Laser is the acronym meaning “Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation”. We are using a machine that creates a beam of light (1064 nm wavelength) to weld and fuse metals together, almost instantaneously!

Why might I want or need a Laser Welder?
Laser Welders allow the user to assemble or repair jewelry (or any metal items) very quickly, and very efficiently. The laser beam is very small (.2mm minimum diameter) and the heat zone is very minute. This allows you to apply heat in areas you normally wouldn’t with a torch, such as near gemstones, springs, enamels, antiques, eyeglasses, etc. The weld is three times stronger then solder, and there is no fire scale, boraxing, pickling etc. Preparation work is minimal and clean up is with a rubber wheel and an ultrasonic. Most jewelers are telling us that they are at least 50% or more productive with a laser welder.

Should I get rid of my torch if I get a laser?
No! The laser is to be added to your tools to give you greater capability. It was not designed to replace your torch. There are many times when the laser can be used in conjunction with the torch. Such as, positioning a peg setting with the laser and then soldering it in place so that the solder runs up and around the peg and gives that nice round and smooth filling appearance.

How hard is to use a laser and what is the learning curve?
The laser is very user friendly and the learning curve is relatively quick. Someone can be welding in a matter of minutes but to become efficient takes a few weeks with an hour or so of practice each day. This may vary depending on the user and the complexity of the applications being attempted.

How is the energy of a laser measured?
The energy is measured in units called joules. A joule is how many watts of power is being put out for how long of a duration (voltage and milliseconds). It takes anywhere from 4 to 8 joules to weld platinum. It takes upward of 30+ joules to work with silver.

Can you laser weld titanium
Yes you can laser weld titanium but you have to use Argon as a shielding gas to prevent oxidation. If you have any oxidation when you weld titanium the weld will look good but it will be brittle. It is also important to know that there are many grades of titanium and you will find that some work better then others. When repairing eyeglasses made from titanium you may find that you will need to introduce a bonding material. We use hard silver solder or white gold.

Why does white gold get cracking around the weld or not hold together?
When welding with white gold you have to use low power settings or you can cook or crystallize the metal. You need to use low voltage and low milliseconds. A small amount of "black" around the weld is acceptable but having a lot of "black" and looking like Lava rock, means that you have too much power. Argon shielding gas can not help with welding white gold. It can only hide the fact that you have too much power.

Why does some gold require different settings then others?
It depends on the alloys used to make the gold. Red gold or rose gold uses a lot of copper and copper is very conductive so it requires higher power and time settings. Green gold uses a lot of silver and silver is also highly conductive and reflective.

What about welding silver?
Silver is one of the most difficult metals to weld because it is highly conductive and reflective. Some tricks for working with silver is to use a blue or black permanent marker to mask the area where you are welding to help cut down on the reflectivity And absorb more of the light rays (think of wearing a black tee shirt out on a sunny day).It is also useful to use Hard silver solder wire as a bonding agent when working with silver. If you can’t use solder then try to use a very fine diameter silver wire (30 gauge or smaller).The smaller the diameter the less energy needed to fuse it to the parent metal.

Can you laser weld Stainless Steel?
Yes! Stainless steel welds very easily and with low power settings. Sometimes it is a good idea to use argon shielding gas to prevent oxidation and impurities in the weld that make it brittle.

Can you size rings using a laser welder?
Yes! Sizing a ring can easily be done on a welder although it must be done properly with sufficient penetration into the shank. Sizing with a welder can take more time than with a torch, but the sizing will be stronger. With no discoloration due to the solder(especially with platinum), and you don’t have to worry about high heat destroying other components on the ring such as gemstones.

I see “LASER RADIATION” Stickers on the machine. Is this radiation dangerous?
The radiation is not dangerous in the sense of toxic or electromagnetic radiation such as x-rays and gamma rays. It can be harmful to your eyes if directly exposed to the light rays. These lasers welders are technically Class IV Lasers because your hands are exposed to the light rays and can possibly be burned. Your eyes are protected in many ways. There is an LCD safety shutter that blocks the light rays on each pulse (this is the blinking you see on the screen when the machine is firing). There are also protective coatings on all optics and glass in the optics path that will not allow the dangerous wave lengths to reach your eyes.