Electron beam metal 3D printer
Built around our own electron column. Designed for the metals that lasers struggle with.
Where lasers reach their limits.
Electron beam melting (EBM) builds parts layer by layer from metal powder, in vacuum. That changes what can be printed.
Difficult metals
Metals absorb electrons efficiently, however reflective they are. That makes EBM a natural fit for copper, tungsten, titanium and other materials that are hard to process with lasers.
A clean process
Melting takes place in high vacuum, not in shielding gas. The material is protected from oxygen and other contamination, which matters most for reactive and refractory metals.
Low residual stress
EBM is a hot process: the part and the powder around it stay at high temperature during the build, which helps to limit internal stress and cracking.
Fewer supports
The powder around the part is lightly sintered and helps to hold it in place, so EBM typically needs fewer support structures and less post-processing.
Built around our own electron column.
The column is the hardest part of any electron beam system. We design and build ours in-house.
- 60 kV, 2 kW column developed by BeamShape together with Brno University of Technology.
- One beam, two jobs. The beam that melts the metal also images, much like an electron microscope, so you can see what is happening inside the chamber.
- Rooted in electron microscopy. We come from Brno, one of the world's centres of electron microscopy, and design our optics with the EOD simulation software.
Designed for the production floor.
No rear clearance
The machine needs no service space behind it. It can stand against a wall or in a row, which saves floor area in clean and air-conditioned rooms.
Door that disappears
The chamber door slides into a pocket in the side pylon. Nothing swings into the aisle, and the hot inner side stays away from the operator.
Control at eye level
A large touchscreen is built into the chamber door, so the operator sees the process status right where the work happens.
Open for service
The side pylons open on hidden hinges and the top cover lifts on gas struts. Technicians reach the column, chamber and cabinet without removing panels.
Steps built in
Fold-out grated steps in the base replace external platforms and let stray powder fall through.
Room to grow
Reserved space inside the pylons allows future upgrades without rebuilding the outer shell.
Industrial design: Jakub Novák, DesignNovak. Manufacturing partners: VITMECO, TX Robotics.
Shape the technology with us.
We are opening an early access program for our first industrial and research partners, to tune ElectronForge to real applications.
BeamShape is a spin-off of Brno University of Technology. Development is supported by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TREND and SIGMA programmes) and by CzechInvest's Technology Incubation programme.