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)