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5144 |
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Wednesday, March 22, 2017, Hall Ford 11:10 AM Process Diagnostics / Simulation |
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Influence of fluctuating cathode characteristics on beam quality and welding results in electron beam welding (CathFluctuation) |
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Sebastian Hellberg* / Universität Kassel, Fachgebiet für Trennende und Fügende Fertigungsverfahren, Germany Sebastian Ufer / RWTH Aachen University, Welding and Joining Institute, Germany Stefan Böhm/ University of Kassel, Department for Cutting and Joining (tff), Germany Uwe Reisgen/ RWTH Aachen University, Welding and Joining Institute, Germany |
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The properties of the EBW such as high power density, welding under vacuum and the ability to be deflected and focused without any inertia are making this technique suitable for challenging welding jobs. The high-quality weld seams, the low heat input and low contamination of the parts are the main advantages of this technique. Depending on the welding tasks, there is a discontinuous wear of the cathode, which is the central part of the beam generator. Furthermore, production tolerances and varying mounting positions of the cathode are causing deviations of the beam parameters leading to unpredictable welding results. The paper is based on a public sponsored project. The aim of this project is to enable operators of EBW machines to achieve a constantly high beam quality over the lifetime and after changing the cathode so that a welding process is always reproducible, whereby reject costs can be significantly decreased. Developing comprehensive knowledge concerning the functional correlation of the cathode characteristics, their changes over the lifetime and the welding results is the main content of the project. Thus, it becomes possible to eliminate the last unmonitored and process-critical influence of the EBW-process. Due to a derivation of a universal methodic, users of the EBW technique will be able to always get a satisfying beam quality. |