An accomplished kinetic sculptor uses LightWELD to bring his complex metal creations to life.
What’s a Success Story?
There are a lot of reasons why our customers invest in LightWELD: it might solve a specific problem for them, or help them be more productive, or they might just be excited by the technology. Whatever the reason, we love talking to them and learning about their businesses.
Our success stories are a closer look at some of our customers, what they’re working on, and how LightWELD has helped them find success. We hope that their stories can help give you a better idea of how the industry is using and benefiting from LightWELD.
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About the Artist
Kinetic art, and kinetic sculptures especially, are defined by a focus on movement. Often akin to mobiles, kinetic sculptures are moved via wind, motors, or even hands, to fascinate, entertain, or otherwise speak to the viewer.
When it comes to pushing the boundaries of form and movement, few artists have taken the journey as far as Anthony Howe. Known worldwide for his mesmerizing kinetic sculptures, Anthony’s work blends engineering precision with artistic vision.
“As a kid, I used to tinker a lot, from Erector sets to electric motors to things I found in the back of Popular Mechanics,” says Howe. “I was always making things when I wasn’t in school.”
The artist’s first foray into the art world was watercolor painting. It was during this period that Howe was first exposed to welding – specifically stick welding a wood stove for his rural home in New Hampshire.
“I absolutely adored the process,” says Howe. Eventually, when he relocated to Manhattan, the artist reconnected with welding and began exploring metal art and kinetic sculpture before buying his first MIG welder.
Now, Howe is a world-renowned kinetic sculptor with installations spanning the globe from the US to the Middle East and Indonesia. His work includes prestigious commissions like the kinetic sculptures backing the Olympic Cauldrons for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
Check out Anthony Howe’s sculptures and learn more about his work here.
The Challenge
“There is nothing like laser welding when it comes to certain applications — you just can’t beat it.”
Beyond the challenges of designing and building metal art that moves, Howe experienced his fair share of laser welding challenges too.
The artist knew laser welding was a perfect fit for his work, given its advantages in a wide variety of thin materials and precision applications. According to Howe, “There is nothing like laser welding when it comes to certain applications – you just can’t beat it.”
He recalls first seeing handheld laser welding on social media. He first purchased an imported water-cooled machine. However, that machine wasn’t working as expected and support proved to be lacking. “It wasn’t calibrated properly,” says Howe, “The tip of the torch was getting red hot and I had to stop every ten minutes to cool it off with a damp towel.”
The artist sold that system and purchased a new one from a different vendor, but the problems didn’t end there. “I started using the new machine and it would overheat every five minutes. Support was only available through email and it took a month for them to tell me they had shipped it without any refrigerant. By then, the damage was done to the laser, and it completely failed.”
Reflecting on his experience, Howe says, “They don’t tell you what to do to get the system running properly and you are really left out on a limb.”
The Solution
While it would be understandable if Howe gave up on handheld laser welding, he still had enthusiasm for the technology. He knew it had the potential to improve his productivity and open up new possibilities.
“I just found out how well it handles copper. The presets are dead on for the different materials. I used to use a jewelry welder for very thin stuff but the LightWELD has completely replaced it.”
Howe was already familiar with IPG as a brand and had experience operating a laser cutting system powered by an IPG laser. According to him, “IPG has the longest track record by far and builds lasers that last longer than the imported products. I have thousands and thousands of hours on the laser cutter – it’s a remarkable machine.”
This drove the artist to take one last chance and order a LightWELD laser welder. Fortunately, he has had good experiences with his most recent investment, finding that LightWELD makes it easier to work with his mix of materials.
A kinetic sculpture made from many pieces of formed copper sheet metal being built by Anthony Howe at the time of writing.
“I just found out how well it handles copper. The presets are dead on for the different materials. I used to use a jewelry welder for very thin stuff, but the LightWELD has completely replaced it.”
Howe is not only passionate about his work, but also about his tools. “I really enjoy a good tool that works well, that’s reliable, and does what it’s supposed to do, and this laser welder is just amazing.” Regarding advice to people who are considering laser welding, he had this to say: “If you make a living at this, think hard: tools are important even if they are more expensive. With LightWELD, I think you’re better off in the long term.”
Learn more about Anthony Howe and watch more of his work in motion here.
Getting Started with LightWELD
Anthony Howe is just one of thousands of customers that have expanded their capabilities with LightWELD. All of us on the LightWELD team know that every operation is different. That’s why we’re here to help – whether you have questions about capabilities or safety or want to experience LightWELD before committing, we’re here to make getting started easy.
Click here to get started. We’ll take it from there.
