Development of Customized Electron Beam Systems and Technologies

We use electrons as a versatile tool. The thermal effect of electrons is used for welding or evaporating metals, and for modifying the surface layer of metals. The chemical-biological effect of electrons is used to cure organic materials, change their surface properties, and sterilize materials.

Thermal electron beam processes, based on the local heating of metals from energy input via electrons, can be used for welding, curing, microstructuring and joining processes, and for evaporating materials. The electron beam welding process is the welding process with the lowest heat input for a given welding depth and is hence ideal for processing thermally sensitive components. The ability to weld at large depths and the ability to process combinations of materials often make it the process of choice when conventional lasers cannot be used.

Non-thermal electron beam processes are used to achieve controlled chemical and biological effects on material surfaces. Polymers and coatings can be cured, and materials can be functionalized with chemical groups giving them completely new surface properties. Some key applications of low energy electrons are based on their germ-killing effect. An application that is already established in the marketplace is the treatment of seeds. However, the surfaces of medical products (implants, instruments), packaging, and foods and animal feed can also be sterilized or disinfected using low energy electrons. Even sensitive materials and products can be effectively sterilized and disinfected within a short time (from milliseconds up to seconds) using this environmentally friendly and gentle technology.

Our work includes the development of electron beam sources for different tasks and the qualification of electron beam processes for specific applications.

Using electrons we improve your materials and products!

Our offer

  • development of technologies for above mentioned working areas
  • feasibility studies for specific products
  • pilot production
  • technology transfer and implementation of processes into production
  • customer support for realization of production plants

Technologies

The above mentioned working areas cover a range of applications for electron beams. We develop the right technology for your material and your product!

Applications

Thermal electron beam processes:

  • remelting
  • welding
  • surface layer treatment (curing, remelting, …)
  • perforation
  • surface structuring, micro-treatment
  • evaporation

 

Non-thermal electron beam processes:

  • sterilization/inactivation/disinfection/germ reduction
  • curing of lacquers [ PDF ]
  • modification of polymers [ PDF ]
  • functionalization of surfaces
  • curing of printing inks
  • grafting
  • treatment of exhaust gases
  • electron beam-induced deposition (EBID) / electron beam-induced etching (EBIE)

Project ARIES

Accelerator Research and Innovation for European Science and Society

Future accelerators will need higher energy and luminosity to allow scientists to continue exploring the fundamental building blocks of the universe. To reach this goal new technologies and materials must first be developed so accelerator infrastructures can cope with the requirements of future research.
To this end, over the past 5 years, more than 40 partners from industry and academia have worked closely together in the EU project ARIES (Accelerator Research and Innovation for European Science and Society) to develop new concepts and innovations for particle accelerators and related technologies. Fraunhofer FEP, with its core competencies in electron beam technology, was also part of the consortium.
Within ARIES, a free online course was created for students and interested parties on the topic of particle accelerators and their industrial and societal applications. Dipl.-Phys. Frank-Holm Rögner explains the industrial applications in the module "Applications".

About the project ARIES: https://aries.web.cern.ch/about-aries
Full online course: http://mooc.particle-accelerators.eu