Electron Beam Welding

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is partnering with Sciaky, Inc., of Chicago, Illinois, to develop and commercialize its electron beam diagnostic tool. The E-beam diagnostic, originally developed for internal use by the DOE complex, will be commercialized in partnership with Sciaky, Inc. The new product, EBeam 20/20 Profiler will be integrated into Sciaky’s new generation of welder. The diagnostic tool was designed to be used in any conventional electron beam welding machine without modifying the welder. Its hardware is compact, weighing less than 2.5 lbs, and has no moving parts.

In the past, creation of consistent beams was essentially an art that depended on the experience of the welder operator. The LLNL diagnostic opens new avenues for designing improved electron beam welding guns, and understanding the interactions of electron beams and various materials. Data from the profiler can be fed into computer models to generate the most accurate simulations yet of electron beam welds.

The diagnostic tool consists of enhanced modified Faraday cup and computer tomography software, which offer the first rapid means of analyzing intense electron beams. Such beams are frequently used in high-value welds in the nuclear and aerospace manufacturing sectors. The tool provides data on the beam’s focus and power density distribution in real time. With this essential quality control information, electron beams can be precisely reproduced on the same machine over a period of time, and these parameters can be precisely transferred to other welding machines.

E-beam diagnostic will be integrated into a conventional electron beam welding machine

The LLNL diagnostic allows the user to quantify the power density distribution; determine the sharp focus of the electron beam; and correlate weld machine settings with beam properties and ultimately the welds themselves. All of the capabilities enhance a critical need for quality assurance in high value welds.

The new partnership between Sciaky and LLNL is intended to develop the EBeam 20/20 Profiler, a commercially available tool which Sciaky intends to integrate its next generation of automated welding units. . The partnership will focus on increasing the robustness of the hardware to withstand the operating conditions of industrial welders.