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Out of Chamber Electron Beam Welding

Overview

Conventional in-chamber EB welding presents the challenge and limitation that the entire assembly for welding must fit within a vacuum chamber, providing the required environment and radiation protection. The cost of such welding machines can be prohibitive for large assemblies and limits the process to modest sized weldments.

For applications which are too large to be constrained by a vacuum chamber TWI offers out-of-vacuum-chamber local vacuum welding; this technology is of interest for welding assemblies such as pressure vessels and offshore wind tower foundation structures.

TWI is active in out-of-chamber developments to allow welding of very large assemblies in a cost effective manner.

Press Releases

Find out more about out-of-chamber electron beam welding:

Core Research Programme (CRP) and Joint Industry Projects (JIP)

Core Research

Each year the TWI Core Research Programme (CRP) addresses challenges on behalf of our Industrial Members as well as developing specific technologies and processes. Each of the projects under the CRP is focussed on engineering, materials or manufacturing technologies.

Find out more here

Joint Industry Projects

TWI also conducts Joint Industry Projects (JIPs) that bring together groups of Industrial Members to share the cost of research activities in areas of mutual industrial interest, gaining exclusive access to the outcomes. These projects cover a broad range of topics.

Find out more here

Capabilities

Our capabilities in out-of-vacuum-chamber electron beam welding include:

  • Design, prototyping and testing of local vacuum sealing systems
  • Welding in a reduced-pressure vacuum
  • Welding out-of-vacuum
  • Use of local travelling vacuum seals
  • Use of local static vacuum seals
  • Reduced kV guns for x-ray minimisation
  • Weld procedure qualification and testing
  • Market techno-economic analysis

Applications and Benefits

The benefits of out-of-vacuum-chamber electron beam welding include:

  • High productivity welding
  • Thick section welding

Industrial applications for this process include: 

For further information please see Joining Technologies or email contactus@twi.co.uk.

For more information please email:


contactus@twi.co.uk