Ten years' progress in electron beam guns and a five year projection

Abstract

About ten years ago the development of high power electron beam guns was begun by different groups in the United States and Europe when melting refractory metals with electron beams on a technical scale became important. Up to now, this is still the only process for melting refractory metals in high vacuum into a water-cooled metal crucible. The electron beam gun systems developed for melting have been the basis for all electron beam guns of high power which are at present available not only for melting, but also for evaporation and annealing. In these three fields plants are in operation or in the development stage where total power in the megawatt range is to be supplied by electron beam guns. This paper reports on the history and present state of development of electron beam guns in the aforementioned three fields of application.