THE DADO Laser Welder

Jewelry Discussion
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Hello Orchid. We are please to help spread the word about a new product from our sponsor @OrionWelders

Sunstone and Orion Welders reveal THE DADO - $3,900 Laser Welder
Smallest & Most Affordable Laser Welder Ever.

Sunstone and Orion Welders, introduces THE DADO Laser Welder— the smallest & (at $3,900) the most affordable laser welder in the world— featuring similar functionality as our higher end laser welder models, but at less than a third of the price of most entry level laser welders currently in the market. THE DADO opens the door to new markets throughout the world, where laser welding technology was previously cost prohibitive. Priced below $4,000 USD, THE DADO can be used by almost anyone and has a power range that can take on thousands of uses. It’s perfect for those needing to make quick, small welds on a lighter duty cycle, including: jewelers, research & development teams, dentists, orthodontists, optometrists, hobbyists, and anyone working with metal.

“From a pricing stand point THE DADO is a real game changer!” said Jonathan Young, CEO of Sunstone and Orion Welders. “THE DADO brings laser welding technology, once only available to those with large budgets, to virtually anyone interested in or needing a laser welder for their application.”

“With the introduction of THE DADO, Sunstone and Orion Welders demonstrates how we are really distancing ourselves from our competition, and bringing new welding opportunities for people to utilize technology that was once out of reach for them.” Jonathan Young, CEO.

Features of THE DADO include:

• 0.2–1.5 mm adjustable spot size
• 12 simple power settings
• Small footprint (14x14in)
• 10x microscope
• Easy to use
• Robust design—built to last as long as any laser in the market
• 2-year warranty
• Water cooled
• 1 weld per second
• Easy setup and training
• Fantastic price!

We are the Micro Welding Experts, dedicated to leading the industry with high-tech and affordable welding solutions.

– Scott Peart Sunstone and Orion Welders

Note From Ganoksin Staff:
Looking for a laser welder for your jewelry projects? We recommend:

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Hello!

Wow! and love the small spot size…I think when I was researching lasers prior, the smaller spot sizes were on the higher end of the lasers…so this sounds great!

(please forgive if I am technically inaccurate here…)

Julie

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Unfortunately, this unit seems way too under powered? I believe you could not use it effectively on silver, platinum or yellow gold, it may just work on white gold. If your intentions are to use it in a shop or studio as an all purpose laser used in sizing, retipping, assembly, repairs, etc on a variety of metals, it’s low power would be very frustrating. I think you better save your money for a unit with a pulse power of at least 60 Joules//4.0 KW. This one is around 10 Joules I’ve read. You need the extra power to accomplish all the tasks.

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Hello mpandfamily and others! Scott Peart here with Orion Welders. Thanks for the comment. We totally understand your point of view and concerns. While it is true that the Dado isn’t an “all-purpose laser” as you called it, the Dado laser welder is pretty impressive for what it is. The Dado was developed to provide a small and affordable welding solution to those that would never have the opportunity to own a laser welder- either because of budget or space restraints. At $3,900, almost any jeweler could make a case for purchasing a Dado. And for jewelers who already own a laser welder, the Dado allows them the opportunity to purchase a second laser for a minimal investment. We think you will be greatly surprised once you have an opportunity to try one out. We were just at the MJSA Expo last week and had 3 Dado laser welders on display that were constantly being used. In fact, lines were forming to try them out- it was awesome! Here is a link to a couple of videos that explain how the Dado laser welder compares to a 60-joule laser welder, and how the Dado packs the punch that allows it to weld most of your jewelry applications including sizing, retipping, assembly, repairs, etc. on a variety of metals- including silver and platinum. At the MJSA Expo, we spoke with a visitor who has 11 laser welders and 200 jewelers, and he was super impressed by what the Dado can do. He told us “The Dado can do 90% of what a jeweler needs it to do.” Note that it doesn’t do 90% of what an “all-purpose laser” can do, but rather 90% of what a jeweler would need a laser welder for. As always, we invite you to try one out if you have the opportunity. And if not, at least check out these videos that show how the peak power of the Dado laser welder allows it to get really good welds on a variety of applications. Thanks again and keep up the great work!

The Dado Power Explained: Dado Laser Welder Power and Capabilities - YouTube
Dado Welding Examples: DADO Laser Welding Examples (Jewelry) - YouTube

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Are there plans to add argon to the welding chamber in a future model? I’ve experimented welding with argon vs without on lasers in the past and found that while doable, the results with the argon were consistently better. There’s simply less chance of weld contamination and porosity which is an especially big deal in alloys containing zinc, titanium or palladium. I mean for the price you could just run a hose into the chamber and call it good if it’s that dear to you…

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Hello Brucesprucely,
Great question. Yes we are indeed offering a model that allows the use of Argon gas. We do not have it on our website yet, but it will be up soon!

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Hello, Scott
Just to confirm - Dado welder would allow to weld silver (including 999 silver) and allow to weld gold (including 22K yellow) to silver and of course gold to gold. Is it right?
Also, do you offer training on this welder?

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Hello ninalara,

Yes, the Dado can weld silver (including 999 silver). However, you will have to mark the silver with a sharpie. It will also weld gold (including 22K yellow) to silver (using a sharpie) and yes it welds gold to gold so beautifully! We will be making a series of videos to train users. Aside from that, you can come to our facility for training (1/2 day for free) or we can come to your area but there are costs associated with that. Let me know if you have any additional questions!

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Thank you, Scott
Could you explain a little better “mark silver with a sharpie”, please?

Nina

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Also, Scott
When you have training videos - could you publish notification on this forum. I am in WA state - if you have any training happening in WA or OR - could you let us know.
Thank you.
Nina

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Hi Nina,

I for sure will let you know and will post here when we finish the videos.

We will be at the Portland jewelry symposium at the end of September (https://portlandjewelrysymposium.com/) you could come see us there!

When laser welding silver you have to deal with reflection. Silver is a reflective metal so when the laser beam (light beam) hits the silver it actually reflects off and does not weld. This is the case with any laser welder unless you are buying one that is a much high power like a 100-200 joule laser. So the work around is to take a black sharpie marker and color the area that you want to weld. Then when the laser beam hits that area it will not reflect off and you will get the same quality weld that you would with other metals like Gold.

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Thank you. Good to know you will be in Portland.
I am new to a laser welding and was reading suggestions how to laser weld silver last night. This is a good article: Tips for Laser Welding Silver.
In this article they are saying : “The machine must be capable of 6 or higher kilowatts of peak pulse power for silver”. My understanding, that DADO doesn’t produce this kind of power, as explained in the video, that you published above.
Could you give some explanation how it can be achieved with DADO, please.

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Hi Nina,

Yes, that is true. In order to weld silver without using a sharpie, you have to use a laser welder that has the peak power of 6 or higher (as you read). If you want to be able to laser weld without using a sharpie you will be looking at a whole different level of laser welder (with a price range of 20k - 30k). The dado and other laser welders with a peak power much lower than 6 require you to use a sharpie to be able to weld silver. If you are ok spending a little bit more time by marking your silver pieces with a sharpie, then the Dado will work great for you. If all you ever do is work with silver then I would recommend our LZR 140 which has a peak power of 6 or I would recommend any of our pulse arc welders which have plenty of power and don’t have reflection issues like laser welders have. Let me know if you have any other questions about this or if you want any additional information about any of our other offers. Also, I would love to know exactly what you would be using the DADO for so that I can better suggest if the DADO is the right option or if you should maybe look into another solution. Thanks! Scott

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Thank you very much, Scott
I don’t mind to use sharpie if it would allow to weld silver. I work with combination metals - silver and gold. Sometimes I use only silver, or only gold - but most of the time it’s a combination. There are delicate soldering jobs to be done, that would be so much easier with laser. I also do cloisonne enameling and I would like to have an ability to attach some design elements without heating entire piece post enamel production or before enamel production - must be fusing ( without solder), just pure metals as solder would contaminate enamel.
I don’t repair jewelry. I am more like a jewelry artist making unique pieces. I am interested in DADO mainly because of the cost, as I am not in a mass production and cannot justify 20K laser welder.:slightly_smiling_face:

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That is so awesome to hear. We would love to see some of your work and especially would love to hear back from you on how an Orion welder has improved your processes! (if you decide to get one). I think the DADO will work great for you. Sounds like little tacks here and there and I don’t think using the sharpie in order to make those tacks on silver will be a major inconvenience. My suggestion is to stick with the DADO. I think you will love it!

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Thank you, Scott. I am planning to come to Portland conference to see DADO in action. Will you let customers to try it?

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You are very welcome Nina! And heck yes we will have a DADO in Portland and it will for sure be open for anyone to use whenever they want :slight_smile:

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Scott, this is not my work. But this is an idea what I would like to achieve - to connect these tiny wires after enamel is set.

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Nina, thats awesome! You will be able to do that no problem! You can even bring some samples to Portland and try using the welder on your samples.

Note From Ganoksin Staff:
Looking for a laser welder for your jewelry projects? We recommend:

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Hi, Scott
Are training materials for DADO available yet?

Thank you,
Nina