High-energy beam welding: electron beam and laser

High-energy beams are characterized by the property of concentrating powers of several tens of kilowatts on surfaces of a few tenths to a few square millimeters, thus developing specific powers of 10 ⁶ W/cm ² or even more, far superior to those implemented in other welding processes.

This category includes electron beams and laser beams, which are used in welding under the names of electron beam (EB) or electron bombardment (EB) welding, and laser (EB or laser) welding.

The first applications of electron-beam vacuum melting date back to the turn of the century, but it wasn't until 1956 that J. Stohr of the CEA in France and K. Steigerwald of Zeiss in Germany simultaneously described industrial welding and drilling applications using this method. Steigerwald of Zeiss in Germany described industrial welding and drilling applications using this method.

Remarkably, the same year, 1956, saw the appearance of the first ruby laser in the United States, developing enough energy to melt metal.

For technological reasons, electron beam welding was the first to undergo rapid development, and several thousand machines are currently in service worldwide. By contrast, it will take two decades for the first laser welding applications to appear, as a result of slower progress in multi-kilowatt power lasers for industrial use in metalworking.

It's worth noting here that lasers soon found applications in micro-welding and also in cutting all kinds of materials, especially thin metal sheets.

See also article for different welding processes.