Electron Beam Melting (EBM)

EBM uses a high energy electron beam to induce fusion between the particles of a metal powder. A focused electron beam scans across a thin layer of powder causing localized melting and solidification over a specific cross-sectional area. Electron beam systems produce minimal residual stresses in parts, resulting in less distortion and less need for anchors and support structures. Moreover, EBM uses less energy and can produce layers at a faster rate than SLM and DMLS, but the minimum feature size, powder particle size, layer thickness and surface finish are typically of lower quality. EBM also requires the parts to be produced in vacuum and the process can only be used with conductive materials.