Electronic Beam Melting®

Electronic Beam Melting (EBM)® is a process used in additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, to print metal parts. This method is useful for creating rapid manufacturing prototypes. The parts created with EBM® are dense and strong. EBM® technology uses between 700° and 1,000® Celsius, eliminating residual stress on the part, and will not need heat treatment after it is built.

EBM® was created by Arcam AB, a Swedish company founded in 1997. Arcam AB focuses on industrial applications for their products.

How Electron Beam Melting (EBM)® Works

First, a user creates a 3D model in a 3D modeling program and saves it as an STL file. The STL file is then converted by the printer’s interfacing software which slices the model into sections and determines how the layers will be printed. Then metal powder is extruded through a nozzle in layers. Each layer is melted by an electronic beam in the vacuum chamber. Another layer of powder is extruded and melted by the electronic beam. This process repeats until the part is complete.