Your THEO MA1 is on its way. Four steps get you from delivery to your first weld: prepare your space, unbox, set up, weld. Each step has two or three things to check, with a link if you want the detail. Starting a 7-day trial? This is all you need.
⚠️ Safety first. The MA1 is a Class 4 laser product. Nobody welds without a laser-safe work area, a working door interlock and laser safety goggles (OD7+ / OD8+, included in the box) for everyone inside the area. The MA1 will not fire while its interlock circuit is open.
✅ 1. Before delivery #
- ☐ A laser-safe work area: curtains or an enclosure, warning signs at every entry and a door interlock switch. What a laser-safe area needs
- ☐ Power: a dedicated 200–240 V single-phase circuit, not shared with any other machine. The MA1 ships without a plug, so your electrician fits one before delivery. Plug and circuit by country
- ☐ Shielding gas: an argon or nitrogen cylinder (99.996 %) with a regulator and flow meter that reaches 15 l/min, plus fume extraction. Gas requirements
📦 2. Unboxing #
- ☐ Check the crate for transport damage before you sign, and photograph anything suspicious.
- ☐ Unpack with two people (28–42 kg depending on model). Lift by the housing, never by the cable-hose assembly.
- ☐ Check the contents against what is in the box. Watch the unboxing video: Europe · USA
🔧 3. Setup #
- ☐ Place the machine in a dry, clean spot with 1 m of free space all around. Keep the air inlet underneath and the outlet on top clear.
- ☐ Connect in this order: ground cable → loop cable → door interlock (EX-CTRL) → gas → power. Step by step in the Operator Manual (§4.3.1)
- ☐ Open the gas, set 12–15 l/min with Gas Manual in Expert Mode and leak-check every connection.
⚡ 4. First weld #
- ☐ Download the free THEO Toolbox App.
- ☐ Find the pWPS for your material and thickness and set the parameters it gives you.
- ☐ Goggles on, door closed, then start on a scrap piece. Stuck? Ask THEO AI or a THEO expert in the app.
📋 The details #
Everything below backs up the four steps. Send the power section to your electrician and the laser safety section to whoever runs safety in your shop.
🛡️ Laser safety area #
Before the first weld, not after, you need a laser-controlled area: an enclosure or laser safety curtains, warning signs at every entry point, a door interlock wired to the machine (see door interlock and emergency stop) and laser-rated PPE for everyone inside.
The full guide, including what a Laser Safety Officer needs: Laser Welding Safety: Setup a Laser Welding Work Environment. The beam data your LSO will ask for is in THEO MA1 Series | Operating Parameters.
Laser safety goggles (OD7+ / OD8+) are in the box. We recommend a laser-rated welding helmet (THEO VIZ-R) and gloves as well.
🔌 Power: one machine, one circuit #
The MA1 needs its own dedicated circuit. It cannot share a circuit with your TIG or MIG welder, a compressor or a fume extractor. The MA1-65 and Ultra draw up to 6 kW, so a shared circuit trips the breaker mid-weld or starves the laser. Have your electrician run a dedicated line to where the machine will stand.
All MA1 models run on 200–240 V AC, single-phase. No three-phase power is needed.
| Model | Input power (100 % laser output) | 🇪🇺 Planning current at 230 V | 🇺🇸 Planning current at 208–240 V |
|---|---|---|---|
| MA1-35 | 3,000 W | ~13 A | ~13–15 A |
| MA1-45 | 4,800 W | ~21 A | ~20–23 A |
| MA1-65 | 6,000 W | ~26 A | ~25–29 A |
| MA1 Ultra | 6,000 W | ~26 A | ~25–29 A |
Currents are calculated from rated input power (P ÷ V). They are planning values for your electrician.
The MA1 is delivered with a power cable but without a plug. Plug standards differ by country and by the circuit in your shop, so a licensed electrician fits the plug on site. Plan this before delivery: it is the most common reason a new MA1 sits idle on day one.
🇪🇺 EU · 🇬🇧 UK · 🇦🇺 Australia: what to tell your electrician #
- MA1-45, MA1-65, MA1 Ultra: a 32 A single-phase CEE plug (IEC 60309, blue, 230 V, 2P+E) on a dedicated 32 A circuit. A standard 16 A Schuko socket is not enough.
- MA1-35: ~13 A, so a 16 A Schuko (Type F) or 16 A CEE blue plug on a dedicated 16 A circuit.
- UK: 32 A IEC 60309 blue. A 13 A BS 1363 plug is not suitable for any model. Australia: 32 A single-phase industrial plug (AS/NZS 3123), or 15/20 A for the MA1-35.
- Breaker type (B/C) per your electrician; a 30 mA RCD is typical in workshops.
🇺🇸 USA · 🇨🇦 Canada: what to tell your electrician #
- MA1-45, MA1-65, MA1 Ultra: a dedicated 208–240 V, single-phase, 30 A circuit as a minimum. Typical welder receptacles: NEMA L6-30 (30 A twist-lock) or NEMA 6-50 (50 A straight-blade “welder outlet”), the most common one in welding shops. A 50 A circuit is fine; the MA1 only draws what it needs.
- MA1-35: ~13–15 A, so a NEMA 6-20 on a dedicated 20 A circuit works; L6-30 and 6-50 work too.
- Canada: same receptacles, sized per CEC by your electrician.
- The MA1 is a two-wire-plus-ground load (L1, L2, PE). It has no neutral, so a 4-wire NEMA 14-xx receptacle is not required.
- Video walkthrough: THEO MA1 Series Tutorial (US) | Power Connection
⛔ Do not #
- Do not run the MA1 from an extension cord or a multi-outlet strip.
- Do not share the circuit with a TIG/MIG welder, compressor, fume extractor or anything else.
- Do not use a generator or inverter unless it is rated for the full input power with a clean sine wave.
Grounding #
The MA1 ships with a ground cable (5 m or 10 m) for electrostatic grounding. Have a plant/earth ground point (ground bar, bonded steel, earthing stud) within reach of the machine. This is separate from the loop cable (3 m) with the workpiece clamp, which closes the safety circuit to the workpiece.
🧪 Shielding gas #
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Gas | Argon (steel, stainless, general) or nitrogen (stainless steel, aluminium) |
| Purity | 99.996 % minimum |
| Inlet pressure at the machine | 0.8–1.5 bar (12–22 psi) |
| Flow rate | 12–15 l/min (25–32 cfh) |
| Regulator | Pressure regulator with flow meter that reaches at least 15 l/min (32 cfh) |
| Gas hose | Included: a 10 mm gas hose with an adapter to the machine’s 6 mm push-in inlet |
| How long a cylinder lasts | About 11–14 hours of welding from a 50 l / 200 bar cylinder; about 8–10 hours from a 250 cf cylinder |
The torch is gas-cooled: the shielding gas also cools the fibre connector and optics. No gas, or too little pressure, triggers a gas-pressure fault, so set the regulator before the first weld.
- Chain the cylinder upright to a wall or cart before you connect it. Keep it away from heat, sparks and the weld zone.
- Leak-check all connections before the first weld.
- Already running TIG? Keep your cylinder, supplier and regulator.
- In the US: Gas Plumbing Guide (US) with the fittings our applications team uses, and the gas regulators video.
🚪 Door interlock and emergency stop #
The MA1 will not fire unless its interlock circuit is closed. The DB25 “EX-CTRL” safety interface on the rear panel has two independent interlock channels (EXLOCK1, EXLOCK2). Both must be closed by potential-free (dry) contacts, typically a door contact switch on your laser enclosure or curtain entrance. Never apply external voltage to these pins. Installing a suitable door switch and making sure it works reliably is the operator’s responsibility (manual §2.6.2.5, §4.3.1).
What you need on site:
- A two-channel safety door switch (positively guided or mechanically coded, for example a safety-rated door contact with two NC contacts) for each access point to the laser area
- An emergency stop button if your laser-area design needs one outside the machine (EMG1/EMG2 inputs, 24 V signal)
- Optional: an external warning lamp driven from the Fault relay output (pins 1/14)
- A DB25 male connector or a pre-made interlock cable from the door switch to the machine
Pinout, wiring diagram and step-by-step connection: THEO MA1 Series Operator Manual (§3.5.1 Safety interface, §4.3.1 Connecting the laser welder). Mount the door switch and pull the cable before delivery; connecting it on the day takes five minutes.
🌬️ Fume extraction and placement #
- Laser welding produces fume and dust. Have an extraction unit ready; in small rooms add a fresh-air supply.
- The laser is air-cooled, so no water chiller is needed. Keep the air inlet underneath and the outlet on top unobstructed.
📦 What is in the box #
- Laser welder with torch and power cable (no plug)
- Wire feeder (packaged separately) with stainless torch liner and feed rollers
- Ground cable (5 m or 10 m); loop cable (3 m) with workpiece clamp
- 10 mm gas hose with an adapter to 6 mm
- Laser safety goggles (OD7+ / OD8+)
- Welding nozzles (1, 3, A, B, flat; 2 each); wire-feed nozzles 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 / 1.6 mm
- Protective glasses ø20 × 3 (5 pcs); cleaning sticks
- Operating manual, safety instructions, safety labels
Not in the box, you provide: plug, gas cylinder, regulator with flow meter, welding wire, helmet, fume extraction, laser safety enclosure or curtains, door interlock switch.
Technical data #
| MA1-35 | MA1-45 | MA1-65 | MA1 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supply | 200–240 V AC, single-phase | |||
| Input power (100 %) | 3,000 W | 4,800 W | 6,000 W | 6,000 W |
| Laser output | ~800 W | ~1,200 W | ~1,500 W | ~2,000 W |
| Weight | 29 ± 3 kg | 38 ± 3 kg | 39 ± 3 kg | 42 ± 3 kg |
| Dimensions | 577 × 265 × 512 mm | 580 × 244.5 × 360 mm | 580 × 244.5 × 360 mm | 580 × 244.5 × 360 mm |
| Cooling | Air-cooled laser, gas-cooled torch | |||
| Operating environment | 0–40 °C, 10–85 % RH, < 2,000 m, overvoltage cat. II, pollution degree 2 | |||
| Shielding gas | Argon or nitrogen, 99.996 %, 0.8–1.5 bar, 12–15 l/min | |||
| Laser class | Class 4, 1070–1090 nm | |||
Questions before delivery? Contact THEO support or your distributor. Five minutes on your outlet and gas setup saves a day of waiting.
