Jewelers are, in a way, welders’ longlost siblings. They share welders’ love of metal and use heat to make beautiful and practical objects. Jewelers have long used soldering to fuse metals, but the jewelry industry has recently started using laser beam welding machines to shape bracelets and brooches. In the last 15 years, these machines have become a staple in jewelry shops for repair and design. The result is surprising design and business changes in the jewelry industry — and a reunion of sorts for the welder-jeweler family. Teaching Jewelers to Weld The Gemological Institute of America (GIA), headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif., is a school, laboratory, and research center for aspiring gemologists and jewelers. John Fisher, GIA instructor of jewelry manufacturing arts, has worked in jewelry for more than 15 years. He has owned his own business, worked in trade repair, and been an independent contractor, which is where he really learned how to work with the laser welding machine. The laser welding Fisher’s students learn at GIA has similarities to gas metal arc welding (GMAW). When he teaches his students how to use the laser welding machine on their jewelry, Fisher often refers to GMAW techniques. For example, just like any welding instructor, Fisher demands the “roll of dimes” effect from his students’ jewelry welds, and like some GMAW processes, laser welding machines for jewelry are set up to use argon as a shielding gas. In the last two years, Fisher reworked his curriculum to make laser welding the focus of the class. Students find the process discombobulating at first, because they have to make a good weld while looking through a microscope without a direct view of the joint, but they soon get the hang of it. The welding machines Fisher uses at GIA have helped his teaching process because he is able to film the repairs and demonstrations occurring inside the welding machine and project them for the class. He finds this training helps prepare students for success in the workplace. From Novelty to Necessity LaserStar Technologies Corp., Riverside, R.I., and Orlando, Fla., is a laser system provider that decided to build its own machines 20 years ago, just as the boom occurred in the industry. Gail Farias, communications director for LaserStar, noted a definite increase in jewelers’ interest in laser welding machines. “What used to be a novelty has now become a necessity to jewelry retailers and manufacturers that want to stay profitable and do their own repairs and fabrication in-house,” Farias said. “The technology has gotten better and the size has gotten smaller. Also, the price has dropped drastically. Ten to twelve years ago, laser welding systems started at $40,000. Now, the same model with more power starts at $16,000” — Fig. 1. Fisher suggested the main technological improvement for the laser welding system over the years has been the quality of the filler metals. He bought his laser welding machine 19 years ago, and even with older technology, Fisher said he finds the quality of the welds very high. Evan deJonghe, a second-generation jeweler, studied at GIA and now works with his father, Dennis, at de- Jonghe Original Jewelers (djoriginals.com) in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. “Money is a huge issue with jewelry MARCH 2016 / WELDING JOURNAL 49 Fig. 1 — The LaserStar iWeld G3 Pedestal laser beam welding machine. (Photo courtesy of LaserStar Technologies.) Fig. 2 — Porosity in a ring band can be repaired using a laser beam weld. (Photo courtesy of LaserStar Technologies.)
Welding Journal | March 2016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above