HAND MANEUVERABLE LASER WELDING GUN

A hand maneuverable laser welding gun for joining metal pieces with a weld of predetermined strength, comprising a laser source, at least one arm provided with an interior which forms a tunnel configured to guide the laser light towards a welding zone to produce the weld, a light trap located on the back side of the welding zone, a light sensor coupled to the trap and operative to detect light, which propagates through the welding zone and output a signal upon detecting the light, and a controller to adjust the power of the beam to produce the weld of the predetermined strength. A welding gun can be equipped with an elongated support column and an optical head axially displaceable along the support column as well as with a first arm mounted to the support column along the path and movable with the head to a welding position in which the arm presses against a front metal piece for joining metal pieces spaced from one another.