Standardization Starts with the Drawings
MWL Automation Note In the last Automation Note, I argued that working code and maintainable code are not always the same thing. A machine can run…
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MWL Laser Manufacturing Weekly — Edition 10
Active index Handheld Laser Welding: How to Implement It Real-Time Monitoring of Nitinol Stent & Hypotube Cutting AI Takes Laser-Welding Simulation to Milliseconds Aerospace Laser Cutting:…
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The Machine Is Running. Should We Really Refactor the PLC Code?
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That's an old rule in industrial automation that has probably prevented as many problems as it has created: I…
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MWL Laser Manufacturing Weekly Edition 9
From Handheld Welding to Advanced Packaging: Building Better Laser Manufacturing Platforms September 24, 2026 This week’s stories have a common theme: laser technology is becoming easier…
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Handheld Laser Welding Has Been Advancing Faster Than I Realized
A Manufacturing With Light Perspective September 23, 2026 I only began paying close attention to handheld laser welding a few months ago, when I started Manufacturing…
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From Handheld Welding to Advanced Packaging: Building Better Laser-Manufacturing Platforms
MWL Laser Manufacturing Weekly — Edition 9 September 24, 2026 This week’s stories have a common theme: laser technology is becoming easier to turn into a…
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Which Motion-Control Platform Belongs on a Laser Machine?
When someone says a machine has “motion control,” that does not tell you very much. A PLC controlling two positioning axes has motion control. A CNC…
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MWL Laser Manufacturing Weekly — Edition 8
From Handheld Laser Safety to Smarter AM Quality September 17, 2026 Handheld laser welding continues to move into mainstream manufacturing, while metal additive manufacturing is becoming…
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Handheld Laser Welding Is Easy to Buy. That Doesn’t Make Welding Easy.
September 15, 2026 This is an opinion shaped by my background in controls, software, motion, and automation on laser manufacturing systems. I’m not a welding engineer.…
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MWL Laser Manufacturing Weekly — Edition 7
Blue Lasers, Beam Profiles, Microholes & Recovery This week we have four stories that touch very different parts of manufacturing with light. A blue diode laser…
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