NON-VACUUM ELECTRON BEAM WELDING

U. Dilthey (1), W. Behr (1)

(1) ISF-Welding Institute, Aachen University, Germany

Non-Vacuum Electron Beam Welding (NVEBW) does not require a vacuum chamber for the workpiece. It provides many advantages of conventional Electron Beam Welding (EBW) without the limitations of vacuum chamber size and pumping down delays. The very high welding speed and adaptability to automation makes NVEBW especially useful for mass production with very high output. NVEBW is regarded as a joining method with a very high technological and economical potential with respect to production costs in serial production with high output. Welding speeds up to 20 m/min for 1 mm sheet thickness without „humping-effects" are possible, as well as weldings with deep penetration up to 20 mm at 0,5 m/min. Especially welding of tailored-blanks and patchwork welding creates many new applications for NVEBW. Industrial users are interested in the enormous economical aspects which could be offered by NVEBW.
The ISF orifice system is slender enough to carry out weldings of high complex geometry. Recently, the cooperations with NVEBW-interested companies increased considerably. Manufacturers of the automotive industrie and pipe manufacturers which use nearly continous welding processes are interested in NVEBW. The efficiency of NVEBW joining will be presented by examples of low and high alloy steels, aluminium-alloys and copper-welds.

Keywords: Electron beam welding, Non-Vacuum Electron beam welding, humping