Rex Alexandre, former senior welding engineer at SpaceX and principal engineer at the Handheld Laser Institute, recently shared his journey into the world of handheld laser welding during the OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit at the 2024 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Alexandre's introduction to handheld lasers was unconventional—it started with Elon Musk watching TikTok and shipping him a handheld laser from Amazon. Though at first terrified of the device, Alexandre eventually discovered the technology's potential and began putting it to use at SpaceX, proving its strength with welds that ended up in rockets that launched into space and returned safely.

Despite his initial hesitation, Alexandre gradually found handheld laser welding to be a game-changer, especially after incorporating a wire feeder, which made achieving high-quality welds much easier. What started as an experiment eventually grew into a standardized, full-blown welding procedure for SpaceX—one that has since been used on structural components, nose cones, and hundreds of flight-critical welds. Today, Alexandre is passionate about teaching others how to use this emerging technology safely and effectively in industrial applications.

Handheld Laser Welding
Handheld Laser Welding

Beyond the world of rockets, laser welding is slowly making its way into the automotive industry, including collision repair. Dean Brennan from IPG Photonics highlighted the impressive power of laser welders—up to 20,000 watts focused into a tiny 1 mm² beam (he said arc welding, reaches about 50 watts of power in the same area). While some, like Jeff Poole from I-CAR, see the potential of laser welding to change collision repair forever, there are still concerns over training and understanding the technology. But as electric vehicles gain momentum, and as OEMs start using laser welders for tasks like roof brazing and on-line repairs, it's clear laser welding is steadily lighting up new possibilities for automotive applications.

I highly recommend anyone interested in the topic to dive into the details of this fascinating interview. 👇

Can SpaceX exploration of Laser Welds lead automotive repair closer to next generation of welding?
Thousands of laser welds have launched and come back from space proving the welds are strong enough not only for rockets but other industries, said Rex Alexandre, former senior welding engineer for…
Repairer Driven NewsTeresa Moss
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