Fusion Welding Engineering
Welding Services
Electron beam welding is a high energy density fusion welding process where an electron beam is generated and focused on a very small point to provide narrow, deep penetrating weldments with a very small heat affected zone. Welding takes place in a vacuum to prevent electron collisions with air particles, known as scattering. Welding in vacuum is also advantageous for protecting the liquid weld metal from atmosphere. This legacy process has been a go to for the aerospace and nuclear industry for nearly 60 years.
Electron beam welders use the same technology as scanning electron microscopes (SEM). In fact, some machines have back scatter and secondary electron detectors integrated to allow for electron images to be generated. The use of electron beams for welding was discovered by German physicist Karl-Heinz Steigerwald in 1949 when he discovered that using an electron microscope at very high energies could melt the sample being observed. Some speculate that this was initially due to a mistake when operating the SEM. In 1958 American inventor James T. Russel expounded on the idea and built the first electron beam welder. Today, electron beams are used for microscopy, welding, and additive manufacturing.