Electron Beam Machining (EBM)

Electron Beam Machining (EBM) and Laser Beam Machining (LBM) are thermal processes considering the
mechanisms of material removal. However electrical energy is used to generate high-energy electrons in
case of Electron Beam Machining (EBM) and high-energy coherent photons in case of Laser Beam
Machining (LBM).

Electron Beam Machining is required to be carried out in vacuum. Otherwise the electrons would
interact with the air molecules, thus they would loose their energy and cutting ability. Thus the
workpiece to be machined is located under the electron beam and is kept under vacuum. The high-
energy focused electron beam is made to impinge on the workpiece with a spot size of 10 – 100 μm.
The kinetic energy of the high velocity electrons is converted to heat energy as the electrons strike the
work material.
Electron Beam Process – Parameters
The process parameters, which directly affect the machining characteristics in Electron
Beam Machining, are:

• The accelerating voltage

• The beam current
• Pulse duration
• Energy per pulse
• Power per pulse
• Lens current
• Spot size
• Power density
ADVANTAGES:
• Very high drilling rates – up to 4000 holes/sec
• Drills in many different configurations
• Drills any material - Hardness, thermal capactiy, ductility, electrical conductivity or surface properties
(reflectivity) etc, are not barriers
• No mechanical distortion
• Limited thermal effects because only one pulse is required to generate each hole and pulse durations
are short
• High accuracy – capability to maintain high accuracy and repeatability ±0.1mm for position of the hole
and ±5% for the hole diameter
• Drilling parameters can easily be changed even during drilling of single workpiece from one to the
other.
• No tool wear
• Best obtainable finish, compared to the other unconventional processes used to drill precision holes
• Low operating cost
Limitations
• High capital equipment cost
• Holes produced in materials of thickness >0.13mm are tapered. So can machine thinner parts only
• Limited to 10mm material thickness
• Requires vacuum – non productive pump down time
• Availability limited
• High level of operator skill required
Applications
It is used for micro finishing operations of thin sections, dies for wire drawing parts of electron
microscopes, fiber spinner, injector nozzles for diesel engines etc.