hi I'm gonna point out some of the
advantages and disadvantages of electron
beam welding vs laser welding today you
can make better decisions regarding
which processes is right for your application.  Both
electron beam and laser welding methods
utilizes a concentrated beam of energy
that can be precisely controlled both
energy and location thus  the
technologies are ideal for precision
welding EB welding uses an  an accelerated
beam of electrons that  can be magnetically
deflected and focused on  the work piece. Laser
welding uses amplified light that is
delivered and deflected by glass lenses
mirrors and often a fiber optic cable. The
biggest advantage of EB welding is it
can deliver deeper penetration welds
than any other process. An EB weld can
be up to two inches deep in steel with
the with the less than .2 inches. The narrow width, also called the heat affected zone
means minimal heat going into the part as
well as minimal distortion. EB can also
apply very light welds only a few
thousands of an inch deep.
However to generate electrons  eb welding then
must take place in a vacuum and that
means waiting to pump down a vacuum
chamber.  You are also restricted with
part size. if it doesn't fit in a  vacuum
chamber it can't be eb welded.  But a
huge advantage of welding under vacuum
is there is no oxidation, contamination
or cover gas problems
unlike conventional welding methods.  In fact many
impurities found in the base material
are vaporized during the process
resulting in the strongest purist weld
you can get. Finally electron beam equipment is 
expensive welding machine start around
two million dollars and cost the cost for upkeep and support is high. Besides having personnel
trained in EB  welding you also need
expertise in high vacuum, high voltage technologies. Laser welding can be
a great alternative. Equipment is less expensive  and parts
can be welded in  open-air so no
vacuum chamber although a cover gas is often required. No
vacuum loss means part size isn't an issue  and the
laser can be delivered via fiber-optic cable
which lends itself to robotic control.
laser achieve  decent weld penetration up
to about a quarter of an inch and steel
and also have a small heat affected zone.
but a laser simply can't achieve the
same penetration as an electron beam.  One of
the reasons for this is the molten  material in
the weld pool can act  like a mirror and
reflect laser energy away from the piece.
To compensate for this and keep the part
cool the laser can be pulsed on and off, which 
 lets a high peak of energy
penetrate the  reflective surface but keeps
the average power put into the part low. both electron beams and
lasers are excellent  for welding
dissimilar metals but which is best
depends on the material and the weld
needed. If you want to know more please
call us or check out our website. We've
been in business for over 50 years we're
happy to answer any questions or help
you with your design. Thank you for
watching
