Nonvacuum electron beam cutting and welding—two partnering processes for fast and highly efficient metal working

The electron beam is a tool with high energy conversion efficiency which is by and large independent of the type of metal. Its high power density qualifies the nonvacuum electron beam as an outstanding energy source for the widely used nonvacuum electron beam (NVEB) welding as well as for a new high-speed cutting tool. Advances realised by the NVEB group at the Institute of Materials Science of Leibniz University of Hannover (Germany) in the field of nonvacuum electron beam cutting (NVEBC) will be presented. Experimental results for melt cutting with conventional blow gas jets will be presented as well as a new promising cutting process using the suction created by a local low vacuum underneath the work piece. Extremely high cutting speeds such as 18.5 m/min for 2.5 mm thick stainless steel producing high-quality edges render this method a significant development for new NVEB applications. NVEB cutting and subsequent welding can be done on one integral machine realising a fast and efficient twin process.