E-Beam Renaissance: Eishin Hayashi on JEOL’s Future in Electron Beam 3D Printing

Japanese company JEOL has been making electron beam equipment, scanning electron microscopes, spectrometers, and electron beam lithography machines for semiconductors for decades now. So their entry into the EBM 3D printing space was highly anticipated. The 3,400-person firm generates around $1 billion in sales annually from precise medical, scientific, and industrial instruments. With a deep R&D commitment, a precision mindset, and a long-term view, JEOL seems like just the kind of company that may do well in additive.

It got started with EBM in 2014, thanks to the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) TRAFAM project, the goal of which was to let Japan make world-leading LPBF and E-beam machines. JEOL launched its first machine in 2021, and initial response to its JAM-5200EBM system has been good. The machine currently works with Inconel 718, tungsten, copper, and Ti64, and is said to be accurate and reliable. For now, the company is most focused on aerospace, the energy market, and healthcare, and has also been internationalizing its efforts as of late. While its initial focus was on Japan, it now sells through its 21 subsidiaries worldwide, and has demonstration centers in both Pittsburgh and Munich. But still, little is known about JEOL and its intentions in the additive market. Therefore, we interviewed Eishin Hayashi, JEOL’s European Product Manager of Additive Manufacturing, to find out more.

Eishin, and JEOL, are ambitious. He knows that they are not yet a major player in additive, but Eishin says the company hopes to become the “best in the field of EBM.” One of its new features is an improved E-shield, with Eishin noting that, “our unique scan strategy already suppresses charging, but by using an E-shield as a mechanical cover to shield the areas where electrification is likely to happen, smoke events by charging can be reliably suppressed.” This is important because suppressing smoke events more generally, and through charging, is crucial to ensuring better EBM accuracy, reliability, and repeatability. Powder flying about can lead to failed builds, while some materials or powders become nearly impossible to process due to charging and the resulting smoke. Another feature the company has worked on is lengthening the life of the cathode. This is the source of electrons in the Electron Beam Gun, so it’s a crucial part of the process.

“Longer cathode life is directly linked to higher equipment uptime. One of the advantages of EB-PBF is the stacked build. Short-life cathodes may cause an increased risk of abnormal termination during the process, wasting powder and time, and resulting in delayed production plans. The use of long-life cathodes can play an important role in enhancing the overall production efficiency by helping to reduce downtime and relieve production operators from imposing rigid cathode replacement schedules.”

Eishin considers JEOL’s EBM solution maturity to be a main selling point for the machine.

“3D printing is still recognised as a developing technology, and because of bitter experiences with previous implementations, many customers are reluctant to install a new one. Our JAM-5200EBM is a robust industrial 3D printer that was developed with such customers in mind. We believe that our customers can greatly benefit from the close support provided by our global service network of e-beam specialists, no matter where they are in the world, while contributing to improved production efficiency.”

He also believes that JEOL takes pride “controlling electron beams and its applications, as well as in vacuum atmosphere operations.”

“With the recently developed BSE (backscattered electron detection) monitoring system, we have taken product quality control to a higher level, and we intend to implement a defect repair function to eliminate any defects in the future. In the field of processing refractory metals, we will continue to develop technologies to become the No. 1 in our class in both part size and quality.”

Across several product lines and decades, JEOL has been working on electron beam, and its deep experience could give the company a distinct advantage. The BSE system will see use in its scanning electron microscopy (SEM) portfolio, and the company can then leverage this for its broader E-beam product portfolio. At the same time, its traditional customer base is in labs, research institutions, and semiconductors. Some customers could buy both SEM systems and its 3D printers, but for many clients, JEOL will be entering completely new markets with completely new clients. For JEOL therefore, E-beam is a diversification into a new client base. With new industries, clients, and sectors, the company could feel more secure in all its businesses. That to me sounds like a sound approach.

Of course, JEOL will need to delve deep into additive and work with many firms in order to find the right customers globally. It’s difficult being the new kid on the block sometimes. But, along with Wayland and Freemelt, JEOL is part of an E-beam renaissance. That collective effort, along with the company’s E-beam expertise, will bring new clients and applications to the fore. I’m especially encouraged by JEOL’s focus on tungsten and copper, as both materials have traditionally been problematic in additive, and beyond. The potential for copper is huge in braised parts, as well as highly technical aerospace parts. Meanwhile, tungsten in F1, collimators, fusion reactors, armor, munitions, aero engines, and semiconductors is growing, while the technology also could see more growth from implants. At the same time, alloy creation and gradient part processing are something that EBM does exceedingly well. That heady combination of possibilities points to a bright E-beam future for JEOL.