The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →TWI’s handheld 5-kW laser torch was an industrial cutting demonstrator for nuclear decommissioning—not a consumer tool or a welding torch. Developed to sever pipework from one side, it used a fiber-delivered laser and was tested on stainless-steel tubes. TWI’s reports describe promising demonstrations, but the results depended on tube dimensions and process settings, and the work required extensive safety assessment.
What TWI’s handheld laser torch was designed to do
The UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority commissioned TWI in March 2009 to develop prototype equipment for tube cutting and concrete scabbling, with possible remote use in nuclear decommissioning. Pipework in these environments can be contaminated or difficult to reach. TWI’s tube-cutting approach aimed to cut from one side without cutting reaction forces and to limit fume generation; the organization said further demonstration was needed before active deployment. TWI’s 2010 project account describes the work and its objectives.
The handheld configuration was reported in 2013. It used an IPG Photonics YLS-5000 5 kW ytterbium fiber laser, with custom cutting optics and assist gas. The laser source could be positioned away from the operator and connected to the torch by optical fiber. Those are details of the reported setup, not a current product specification. New Atlas’s 2013 report describes the handheld torch.
What the cutting trials demonstrated
TWI’s technical paper covers single-sided cutting trials on stainless-steel tubes with diameters from 60 to 170 mm and wall thicknesses from 1.5 to 11.1 mm. The test setup used a 5 kW multimode ytterbium fiber laser, focusing optics and compressed-air assist gas. The objective was to sever the tube; the work was not necessarily intended to produce a finished edge. TWI’s technical account describes the trial envelope.
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Reported demonstration results
- TWI’s 2010 project account reports cutting a 170 mm-diameter tube with a 7 mm wall in seven minutes using three passes. That result is specific to the reported tube and setup.
- The same account says an array of closely packed tubes and fixtures was cut with more than 50 cuts in 15 minutes. This was a demonstrator result, not a general production rate. TWI’s 2010 account notes that speed and pass count varied with tube dimensions and process parameters.
- New Atlas’s 2013 report says a 150 mm-diameter tube with a 1.5 mm wall could be cut in under 30 seconds. That is a secondary-source report about a specified experimental tube, not a universal cutting-time claim. New Atlas, 2013.
These figures show why a single headline cutting speed would be misleading: geometry, optics, assist gas, and process settings all affect the time and number of passes. The trials establish experimental capability, not a guaranteed rate for other pipes or sites.
Safety was part of the demonstration
TWI’s 2016 account says the handheld demonstration used suitable personal protective equipment (PPE) and followed an extensive risk assessment. Its safety-case work included measuring dross and fumes and considering the possibility that a stray beam could pass through a cut and affect nearby items. TWI also reports that trials took place at an active site after work to establish the safety case. TWI’s 2016 account describes those precautions and trials.
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The published accounts do not provide a complete operating procedure or a product-specific eyewear rating. Ordinary welding goggles, generic laser glasses, or a consumer accessory should not be assumed adequate for a high-power fiber-laser cutting system. Any real installation or operation requires a qualified laser-safety assessment and controls selected for the actual laser, optics, work area, and site. That may include verified protective eyewear, interlocks, and site controls; the available accounts do not specify a universal PPE setup.
It was a cutting torch, not a welding torch
The handheld device reported in 2013 was for cutting tubes. TWI’s later work on handheld laser welding is a separate program examining weld quality, mechanical properties, fumes, scattered radiation, and material and joint conditions. TWI’s 2026 update says the project addressed a lack of robust supporting data and standardized assessment methods for handheld laser welding; those findings do not establish the performance or safety of the earlier cutting torch. TWI’s welding update concerns welding, not tube cutting.
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What an industrial user would need to evaluate
The demonstrations do not establish a complete cost comparison or prove that laser cutting is the best method for every decommissioning job. For an application assessment, the relevant questions include:
- Access and deployment: Can the operator or remote system reach the pipe, and can the laser source be positioned separately?
- Workpiece: What are the material, diameter, wall thickness, and surrounding obstructions?
- Cut requirements: Is severing enough, or does the cut need a finished edge? What pass count and cutting time are acceptable?
- Hazards and controls: How will fumes, dross, and possible stray beams be assessed and controlled in the actual environment?
- System trade-offs: How do the laser source, delivery fiber, optics, assist gas, safety case, and site controls compare with alternative cutting methods?
TWI’s published work supports these as practical evaluation factors, but does not provide a full economic comparison or a specification for a commercially available torch.
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