Electron beam sintering of metal powder

The laser is widely used in additive layer manufacturing for producing parts on the basis of polymer and metal powder. In the metal area, the capacity of laser technologies is noticeably exhausted. The electron beam (eb) technology offers higher power density and beam velocity and therefore seems more suitable for sintering high-tensile steel powder in an economic way. In this paper, a comprehensive method is implemented to develop the eb sintering. In comparison to laser-based applications, different physical effects occur and have to be controlled. Therefore, the paper focusses on those physical effects and the measures, which have to be taken in order to achieve a reliable process. The result of this work is a prototype machine, in which the eb is used for sintering high-tensile steel directly from CAD files to three-dimensional, non-porous parts.