Electron beam welding and mechanical engineering workshops

The department is assessed both internally and by external customers several times a year, and the department is certified in accordance with ISO 9001 and NS-EN ISO 3834. Through dialogue and co-operation the department delivers projects of high quality on time and at the right cost.

The department carries out a lot of electron beam welding for external customers, such as welding for multi-phase meters and a new type of antenna that has been mounted as deep as 3100m below the ocean surface.

The activity mainly covers:

Electron beam welding of sensors and other equipment for the petroleum sector, car industry, defense, air- and spacecraft.
Construction and stress calculation.
TIG-welding for rigs, loops and tanks.
Service and maintenance on mechanical and hydraulic equipment.
Machining, milling and welding of testing equipment, corrosion sampling, infrastructure, storage containers and much more.

The welding workshop does construction work, machining, welding, repairs and mounting /assembling testing equipment, loops and more for all sectors and departments at IFE, in addition to projects for external customers.

Electron beam welding

The most characteristic trait of EB-welding is the possibility to perform deep welding with narrow weld seams and a minimal heat affected zone (HAZ).

This gives certain advantages, such as:

All metallic materials can be melted using a focused electron beam and, as a consequence, most pure metals and alloys can be successfully welded.
EB-welding is especially recommended for welding metallic materials which require low heat input, low shrinkage, low distortion, and for welding dissimilar or reactive metals.
The special properties of electron beam welding derive from the high power and power density attainable in the beam spot, resulting in a ‘deep welding effect’.

Unique properties:

Fusion welding with an electron beam
High energy density
Low heat input
Low distortion
Thin to thick
Parallel weld joint with width:thickness = 1:50
No filler metal, no gas protection
Welding of most metals
Welding of dissimilar metals

We can weld:

Titanium alloys, stainless steel, Ni alloys, alumina alloys, carbon steel
Different alloy combinations
Thicknesses from 0,1-70 mm
Components up to 5000 kg
Long components up to 4,1 m

Examples of EB-welding:

Sensors – subsea and topside
Valves and hydraulic couples
Encapsulation of electronics
Air- and spacecraft components
Rocket components
Reactor jigs
Nuclear fuel
Reactor core instruments

Our facilities and services include:

Metallurgical Laboratory
Microscopy, LOM, SEM, EDXA
Helium leak testing
Pressure testing
Mechanical Test Laboratory
Chemical Analysis Laboratory
Corrosion- and Fluid Laboratory
Design/construction Mechanical workshop
Material technology (material testing and selection)