Electric heating – Metal heating – By arc
Patent
1990-05-24
1991-04-23
Albritton, C. L.
Electric heating
Metal heating
By arc
21912122, 21912113, B23K 1500
Patent
active
050102290
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to an apparatus for welding workpieces with an electron beam comprising an electron beam generator and a chamber which is attached thereto for containing the workpieces to be welded. This chamber is able to be evacuated via a vacuum pump.
With such an apparatus, the workpieces must be processed in a vacuum chamber during the electron beam welding process. The size of the workpieces to be welded therefore determines the size of the requisite vacuum chamber. Depending upon the size of the workpieces--and thus of the chamber--substantially long evacuation times for the chamber can ensue.
In practice, it is frequently stipulated that on the one hand, an average quantity of larger workpieces are supposed to be processed in one apparatus, and, on the other hand, very large quantities of smaller pieces are supposed to be processed as well. It is therefore disadvantageous that, in the latter case, the long evacuation times for the large vacuum chambers, which are required for the larger workpieces, must be reckoned with. In practice, this has a cost-increasing effect and is naturally perceived as annoying.
It is therefore the object of the invention to provide an apparatus for electron beam welding wherein both average quantities of larger workpieces as well as large quantities of small parts can be processed in an economical manner.
This object is solved according to the invention in that the vacuum chamber comprises a first workpiece chamber with a small volume and a second workpiece chamber with a considerably larger volume, wherein both are connected via a slide valve in the region of the beaming direction of the electron beam generator. The ratio of the volumes of both workpiece chambers advantageously ranges between 5 and 1000, e.g. approximately 100.
According to the invention, a dual chamber apparatus is provided wherein a mini chamber is located directly below the electron beam generator. This mini chamber can be just large enough so that a very large quantity of small parts can be processed while using a large-dimensioned pump configuration with very short processing times. The mini chamber has a large slide valve directly in the chamber floor at a 90.degree. angle to the axis of the beaming direction of the electron beam generator, which slide valve, when open, clears the access to a large vacuum chamber beneath the mini chamber. In this manner, the slide valve can be opened in case larger workpieces are going to be welded in the apparatus so that the large chamber can be evacuated through the mini chamber and the slide valve. The pumping times, which are prolonged only slightly for the average quantities of the larger workpieces, are able to be accomplished in an economical manner. The electron beam passes from the electron beam generator through the mini chamber and the slide valve into the large chamber in order to process the workpieces in the large chamber.
The elongation of the beam path for the larger workpieces is insignificant in the apparatus according to the invention because it is generally possible to give the mini chamber a flat design due to the shape of the small parts. Overall, an improved economic efficiency results in the process because of the new chamber configuration.
Additional advantages and details of the invention arise from the following description of the figures of an exemplified embodiment in light of the drawing in conjunction with the patent claims.
It is shown in
FIG. 1 a schematic representation of an apparatus for electron beam welding from which the principle of the invention is made clear; and
FIG. 2 a perspective drawing of an accordingly implemented apparatus to clarify specific further developments of the invention.
The figures are largely described together. In the figures, a vacuum apparatus for welding workpieces with electron beams is designated as 1. In the known manner, this apparatus has an electron beam generator 2 comprising an electron gun with an incandescent cathode from which an electron beam travels in the usual manner along the
REFERENCES:
patent: 3020389 (1962-02-01), Gorman
patent: 3626142 (1971-12-01), King
patent: 4072844 (1978-02-01), Sayeqh
patent: 4398079 (1983-08-01), Dard et al.
Lamatsch Hans
Vanek Dieter
Albritton C. L.
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
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