The Ascent QCW tabletop welder and the Ascent 2000W handheld welder are not rivals. They are built for different jobs, and many shops use both. This article explains which work suits each one.
At a glance
| Feature | QCW tabletop and handheld welder | 2000W handheld fiber welder |
|---|---|---|
| Laser type | Pulsed (quasi-continuous wave), 300W with peaks up to 3,000W | Continuous wave (CW) fiber |
| Best suited to | Small and medium parts in thin metal | Medium and large fabrications |
| Precision | Excellent | Very good |
| Speed | Quick on small parts | Very quick on longer welds |
| Heat put into the part | Very little | More |
| Thin aluminum | Excellent | Good |
| Distortion | Minimal | Low |
| Setup | Tabletop station, converts to handheld | Handheld, on a trolley |
The QCW tabletop and handheld welder
The QCW welder is built for small and medium parts where finesse matters more than power. It leaves a small heat-affected zone, little discoloration and very little distortion, and it reaches tight inside corners easily. It welds aluminum sheet from 0.020 in. to 0.063 in. and stainless steel up to 0.040 in., as well as galvanized steel and brass.
At the bench, the operator fixtures each part, lines up the joint on a CCD camera and welds. When a part is too big for the table, the machine converts to a handheld torch, so a large part does not force you to buy a second welder.
What makes QCW different
Instead of a steady stream of energy, a QCW laser fires short, high-energy pulses, and the metal cools between them. Think of it as hundreds of precise tack welds a second instead of one continuous flame heating the whole joint. The result is less warping, cleaner seams and less grinding.
The 2000W handheld welder
The handheld welder is for production welding on larger parts: cabinets, frames, enclosures, structural aluminum and stainless fabrication, and thicker material.
- Fast welding with deep penetration
- Little grinding afterward
- A light 1.32 lb (600 g) torch
- An automatic wire feeder for one or two wires
- Refrigerant heat pump cooling, rated for a 100% duty cycle
Typical work for each
| QCW tabletop | 2000W handheld |
|---|---|
| Small precision parts | Cabinets and enclosures |
| Thin aluminum assemblies | Frames and brackets |
| Narrow joints and tight corners | Stainless fabrication |
| Parts that must not discolor | Longer seams and heavier gauges |
Heat
QCW: short pulses and very little distortion.
2000W CW: constant energy, which is faster and goes deeper. It still puts much less heat into the part than MIG or TIG, but more than QCW.
Speed
On small parts, the QCW is often quicker overall, because setup and positioning are easy, inside corners are simpler and almost no finishing is needed. On larger fabrication, the 2000W handheld wins, with travel speeds up to several times faster than TIG.
Which one to buy
If most of your work is small, thin parts in aluminum or stainless steel where appearance matters, choose the QCW. If you build cabinets, frames, enclosures or heavier aluminum and steel structures, or do general sheet metal fabrication, choose the 2000W handheld. A shop that does both kinds of work will get the most from having both.
Training, warranty and safety
Installation and operator training at your facility are included with both machines. The QCW welder has a 1-year warranty and the handheld welder a 2-year warranty, both covering parts and labor. Both are Class 4 lasers, so plan for laser eyewear (minimum OD 5; prefer OD 7 or 8), an enclosed work area and fume extraction. See our laser safety page.
To talk through the right setup for your work, contact us.
