When Rex ran the laser welder on the nose cone, the weld it produced was actually smaller than what a TIG welder would have laid down at roughly half the size. And yet it was significantly stronger, with a tenth of the distortion, and done five to six times faster. The intuition most people have is that a bigger weld means a stronger joint. The laser broke that assumption completely. Because it deposited energy so precisely and quickly, it fused the metal more completely, with less heat spreading into the surrounding structure to weaken and warp it. So you literally got more with less.
SpaceX put the laser into production immediately, and within a month, had over a hundred handheld laser welding machines running throughout the Starship facility. What started as Rex’s pet project became a production standard in thirty days.