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Colin Ribton

Back to Who We Are Alan Taylor Carol Johnson Colin Ribton Dr Channa Nageswaran Jonathan Martin Matthew Doré Bernadette Craster
 

Colin Ribton has worked with Electron Beam technology at TWI since 1985.

He is a Chartered Physicist, a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, having graduated from the University of Nottingham with a joint honours degree in Pure and Applied Physics before he gained a PhD from Brunel University on the ‘Development of an Electron Beam Gun Design Optimisation Methodology.’

Colin is a member of the organising committee of the Electron Beam Technologies biannual conference, has been published widely on electron beam gun design and is the inventor or co-inventor for several granted patents, including an array probe device for measuring electron beam intensity and an RF excited plasma gun.

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Meet the Expert - Colin Ribton

Colin’s work at TWI has included computer modelling of electron optics and high voltage components, designing high voltage power supplies, real-time control system architecture, the design and optimisation of radiation shielding, magnetic systems, designing digital and analogue electronics, and the development of processes to manufacture major components in power generation, nuclear, aerospace and medical applications.

In addition, Colin has led TWI’s activities for European and UK government funded collaborative projects to research higher productivity additive manufacture (3D printing) using electron beams for the aerospace industry.

Reports, Publications and Patents

  1. Ribton C N, del Pozo S, and Smith D R, 2015, “Characterisation of a Novel Electron Beam Gun Design with a Radio Frequency Excited Plasma Cathode,” Industrial Members Report 1056/2015
  2. Ribton C N, Atkinson T, “High-Brightness Electron Beams for Micro Processing,” Industrial Members Report 870/2007
  3. Ribton C N, “Improved Material Processing Achieved using High Brightness Electron Beam Power Deposition,” Industrial Members Report 858/2006, and abridged in TWI Bulletin Sep/Oct 2007
  4. Ribton C N, Nello O, "Development of Novel Compact Power Supplies using Tesla Coils for EBW and Other High Voltage Applications," December 2000, TWI Members Report 717/2000
  5. Ribton C N, Layzell T B "Development of Equipment for Electron Beam Characterisation," June 1996, TWI Members Report 557/1996
  6. Ribton C N "Inverter Developments With Improved Response to Flashovers During Electron Beam Welding," TWI Members Report 553/1996, May 1996
  7. Ribton C N "The Development of Electron Beam Real-Time Seam Tracking Equipment using Backscattered Electrons," May 1996, TWI Members Report 550/1996
  8. Blunt F J, Ribton C N, “Design of Electromagnets for Arc Oscillation in Surfacing Applications, for MIG and TIG Processes,” Industrial Members Report 541/1996
  9. Ribton C N "Improved Control of High Voltage Discharges During Electron Beam Welding Using Switch-Mode Power Supplies," TWI Members Report 487/1994, July 1994
  1. Ribton C N, 2022, “Demagnetisation of Thick Section Steels for Electron Beam Welding,” Electrotechnica and Electronica, vol 57, 5-8
  2. Ribton C N, Plumb P, 2022, “Laser Heated Cathodes for Electron Beam Welding Applications,” Electrotechnica and Electronica, vol 57, 5-8
  3. Ribton C N et al, 2018, “Production Weld Quality Assurance through Monitoring of Beam Characteristics”, Electrotechnica and Electronica, vol 53, 5-6
  4. del Pozo S, Ribton C N, 2018, “Investigation of Long-life Cathode EB Guns for Welding of Turbochargers,” Electrotechnica and Electronica, vol 53, 5-6
  5. Ribton C N, 2017, “Design of Electron Beam Guns using Evolutionary Algorithms and Finite Element Modelling,” In Opera EUGM 2017, Cobham
  6. Ribton C N, del Pozo S, Smith D, Balachandran W, 2017, “Design of a Plasma Cathode Electron Gun using Evolutionary Optimisation,” In 4th International Electron Beam Welding Conference, Aachen
  7. Ribton C N, del Pozo S, Balachandran W, Smith D, 2016, “Design of Electron Guns using a Bespoke Genetic Algorithm,” Elektrotechnica and Elektronica E+E, 51(5-6)
  8. Kaur A, Ribton C N, Balachandaran W, “Development of a Novel Device and Analysis Method for Characterising Electron Beams for Welding Applications,” under preparation for submission to Conference on Electron Beam Technologies (EBT, 2016)
  9. Ribton C N, del Pozo S, Smith D, Balachandran W, 2016, “Applying Evolutionary Design to Plasma Cathode Electron Guns for Material Processing,” In Proceedings of the 10th International Conference Beam Technology, Halle
  10. Ribton C N and Balachandran W, 2016, “Genetic Algorithms for Automatic Optimisation of Electron Beam Processing Guns,” In NSIRC Annual Conference, Cambridge
  11. Kaur A, Ribton C N, Balachandaran W, “Electron Beam Characterisation Methods and Devices for Welding Equipment,” Journal of Materials Processing Technology, volume 221, pp. 225-232, (2015).
  12. Kaur A, Ribton C N, Balachandaran W, “Characterisation of High Power Electron Beams using a Two-Slit Probe and Wavelet Transforms,” submitted to ISP IET conference on Intelligent Signal Processing, 2015, In press
  13. del Pozo S, Ribton C N and Smith D R , 2014, “A Novel RF Excited Plasma Cathode Electron Beam Gun Design,” Electron Devices, IEEE Transactions on, 61(6), pp. 1890-1894
  14. del Pozo S, Ribton C N, and Smith D R, 2014a. “Characterisation of an RF Excited Argon Plasma Cathode Electron Beam Gun,” Vacuum Electron Sources Conference (IVESC), 2014 Tenth International 2014a, pp. 1-2
  15. del Pozo S, Ribton C N and Smith D R, 2014b, “Spectroscopic Characterisation of a Novel RF Excited Plasma Cathode Electron Beam Gun Design,” Vacuum Electronics Conference, IEEE International 2014b, pp. 169-170
  16. Ribton C N, "Effective Design of Electron Beam Processing Systems by Trending," 5/6/2012 Electrotechnica and Electronica
  17. Ribton, C N and Balachandran, W, 2015, “Development of an Evolutionary Algorithm for Design of Electron Guns for Material Processing,” In Computational Intelligence (IJCCI), 2015 7th International Joint Conference on. pp. 138–148.
  18. Ribton C N, "Effective Design of Electron Beam Processing Systems by Trending," 1/6/2012 Electron Beam Technologies 2012, Varna, Bulgaria
  19. Ribton C N, "High Productivity ALM," 29/3/2012 International Electron Beam Welding Conference – Aachen, Germany
  20. Ribton C N, “High Value Manufacturing Using Power Beams,” Plenary Session Invited Speaker,   International Conference On Power Beam Processing Technologies (ICPBPT2010)
  21. Ribton C N, “Applications of Surfi-Sculpt – An Electron Beam Direct Writing Technique for Surface Modification,” NASM 2007
  22. Ribton CN and Punshon C S, “Reduced Pressure Electron Beam Welding in the Power Generation Industry,” Proceedings of International Forum on Welding Technology in Energy Engineering, Shanghai 2005
  23. Ribton C N "Intelligent Power Supplies for Electron Beam Welding at 300kV and 150kW," IEE Colloquium on 'Power supplies for demanding applications', IEE, April 1999
  24. Ribton C N "Process Control for Improved EB Weld Quality," Jan/Feb 1993, TWI Bulletin, 34
  25. Layzell T B, Ribton C N "Seam Tracking and Surface Imaging by Backscattered Electrons," 5th International Conference of Welding and Melting by Electron and Laser Beams, La Baule, June 1993
  26. Eureka EU86 Project "Second Generation of High Power Equipment for Out-of-Vacuum Materials Processing - Phase II," June 1992, Report for DTI
  27. Ribton C N "Real Time Seam Tracking for EBW, Software and Hardware Developments for Powers in Excess of 20kW," October 1991, TWI Internal Report
  28. Sanderson A, Ribton C N "Seam Tracking in Electron Beam Welding - A New Detector," TWI Bulletin, 29, March/April 1989
  29. Ribton CN "Control Equipment for Real Time Seam Tracking in Electron Beam Welding," September 1988, TWI Internal Report
  1. Ribton, C. 2024 ”An Electron Gun Cathode Mount,” US20240128042A1, US Patent Office
  2. Ribton C N, Jefimovs V, 2021, “Electron Beam Welding Method and Apparatus,” EP4387801A1, European Patent Office
  3. Evans P, Blackburn J, Ribton C N, Woloszyn A, 2017 US Patent US 9,555,522 B2 “Systems and Methods for Welding”
  4. Ribton C N, International Patent Application 2015, “System and Method for Measuring Properties of a Charged Particle Beam,” WO 2015/118316 A1
  5. Ribton C N, Sanderson A, “Plasma Source and Method for Generating Charged Particles Rays,” International patent EP2862196 (B1) 2013
  6. Ribton C N, “Adaptive Radio Antennas,” Inventor C N Ribton UK patent GB2382927 (A), 2003
  7. Ribton C N, Sanderson A "Digital Deflection," European Patent Application 91304017.6 10 September 1993
  8. Sanderson A, Ribton C N "Orbital Electron Beam Welding," US Patent No. 4829550, 9/5/1989
  9. Sanderson A, Ribton C N "Improvements Relating to Charged Particle Collection" European Patent Specification 8607222, 20 March 1988
  10. Sanderson A, Ribton C N "Controlling Charged Particle Beams," European Patent Specification 8601420, 21 January 1986

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