Ground-based In-Vacuum Welding System

The Electrodeless Plasma (EP) vacuum welding process is a new type of metal joining which offers advantages over electron beam and laser welding.  Dissimilar metals are readily joined with the EP welding process.  Excellent ductile and void free welds are achieved with refractory metals.  The EP weld head has no electrodes and requires minimal maintenance.  No post-welding clean up is required.  The EP weld head arc column is not sensitive to part misalignment and surface irregularities.  

Fluxless brazing may also be performed with the EP welding system resulting in clean room quality joints and components.

The EP welding technology is particularly well suited to the critical and high quality requirements of medical, aerospace and space applications. EP welded products have been qualified for space and have flown in space.

The Safe Potential Arc Channel Enhanced (SPACE) welding system is based on EPL's Electrodeless Plasma (EP) welding technology.  With arc ignition voltages less than 60 VDC, the SPACE weld head performs clean weld joints on a wide variety of metals. Melt zone power transfer efficiencies are over 90 percent with arc power levels up to 3 kW.  The weld head presents no x-ray hazard to astronauts and may be safely hand held or adapted to robotic manipulation. The SPACE weld head and accompanying miniaturized gas feed system and light weight arc power system use a portable 60 VDC battery pack. The SPACE welding system also performs metal cutting, fluxless brazing, surface coating and surface cleaning functions.