Method and apparatus for thermal processing of materials

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for carrying out the method for thermal cutting of materials, especially metals, with an electron beam. The process can be carried out at atmospheric pressure. The object of the invention is to provide a thermal cutting method that a high energy efficiency owns and can process a wide variety of materials, in which an energy beam of high energy density and penetration depth is used, which allows a concentrated and associated low heat input. A further object is to allow atmospheric pressure, the use of the cutting process with an electron beam. According to the invention the object according to the features of claim one is released. Accordingly, an electron beam 1 by a non-vacuum electron beam gun 2 is directed at an ambient atmospheric pressure with a process-dependent distance of the outlet nozzle 3 for the electron beam 1 to the material 4 at an angle up to 90 ° to the material. 4 At the same time, a concentrated jet of gas is blown 5 with high flow velocity generated by the electron beam 1 to the melting evaporation phase at an angle to the electron beam 1 and to the material. 4