THOSE WHO REST WILL RUST! THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY AND MARKET FOR ELECTRON BEAM WELDING IS BEING PUSHED BY ECONOMIC PRESSURE

摘要

The continuously growing pressure to produce better quality in shorter times at reduced prices has forced EB industry to solutions which are quite different in the main geographical market areas: In the US there are hardly any fluids available for new investments so that 30 and 40 years old machines are being retrofitted, using the maintenance budgets, Asia invests annually into about 100 machines; the majority thereof are simple low cost machines with low productivity. In contrary Europe tries to keep cost per part down by using high productive, fully automated and thus manless working equipment. The former COMECON region only slowly starts to recover. The decision for adapting a certain technology is not only depending on the welding costs. Often the total costs are even more influenced by intelligent use of materials according to function, by reducing machining or straightening work, by simplification of design, or by elimination of heat treatment processes, than by the actual welding costs. The different kinds of cost and their economization will be explained by examples of applications of every day work. A technology can only grow, when it meets the market needs. The pressure produced by the market is often complained about, but it can indeed be very challenging when it is opposed by creative ideas. The task is to push new applications and thus increase the market size in itself.