Complete Guide
Welding
Technical guides on welding technology, processes, and best practices for industrial applications.
Handheld laser welding is replacing TIG on shop floors faster than the standards bodies can write guidance for it. We're seeing operators with two days of training run beads that would take a TIG welder five years to match on cosmetics, and the joint qualification questions are landing on weld engineers who've never had to argue keyhole versus conduction mode with a customer's QA team before.
Hammer peening sits in a similar gap. The fatigue-life data for HFMI treatment on welded structures is solid and growing, but adoption lags the evidence by a decade in most fabrication shops. On aluminum, milling beats grinding for weld prep every time once you actually measure surface profile and heat input, and the cost math works out faster than most engineers expect.
The articles here run the numbers. When you're ready to act on the aluminum prep finding, our Milling Disc is built for that job, and HiFit handles the post-weld fatigue treatment side.
Articles in This Series
-
Plasma Arc Additive Manufacturing: How It Works, What It Builds, and Where It Fits
Plasma arc additive manufacturing deposits metal wire at 2 to 10 kg/h using a constricted plasma jet. How it compares to WAAM, laser DED, and powder bed fusion.
-
When to Use Hammer Peening on Welded Structures
Hammer peening extends weld fatigue life 5 to 15x by introducing compressive stress at the weld toe. When it works, when it doesn't, and the IIW data.
-
Handheld Laser Welder: What to Know Before You Buy
Power ratings, thickness tables, real costs, and safety requirements for handheld laser welders. Written by someone who's done hundreds of demos.
-
Handheld Laser Welding vs. TIG: When to Use Each
Same weld quality, 4-10x faster, fraction of the training time. Here's when handheld laser welding replaces TIG and when it doesn't.
-
Why Grinding Discs Fail on Aluminum (And What Fabricators Use Instead)
Grinding aluminum causes dust, contamination, and weak welds. Milling discs cut 70% faster with zero residues. Here's what fabricators need to know.