Present day status of electron beam welding

In electron beam processing, a beam of electrons impinges upon a workpiece in the form of a highly intense beam spot. Through the use of modern day electronic controls, both the position and intensity of this spot can then easily be varied in either an incremental or continuous fashion to help achieve the precise processing results desired. Consequently, this method of directly delivering energy to a workpiece provides both a very efficient and a highly versatile means of accomplishing a wide variety of material processing tasks (e.g., heating, welding, drilling, etc.). This paper specifically addresses the different capabilities and advantages offered to present–day users of electron beam welding, and outlines some of the current applications of this type of high energy density beam processing.