Electron beam welding firm utilizes expertise to weld 3D printed components

EB Industries, LLC, a leading provider of electron beam welding, laser welding and hermetic laser sealing services, was recently featured in an article in Innovate Long Island for "coming to the rescue" of ThermoLift, Inc., by providing critical welds to its VHP Heat Pump prototype.

ThermoLift has developed a groundbreaking cold-climate heat pump technology that combines heating, air-conditioning, and water heating into a single appliance. It can provide a 30-50% reduction in building HVAC costs as well as associated reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. ThermoLift is using 3D printing with multiple materials, a process known as additive manufacturing, to construct the devices heat exchanger, a four-part aluminum assembly and a "critical component" of the device, according to ThermoLift CEO Paul Schwartz. In order to speed prototyping, ThermoLift had the four different sections of the heat exchanger printed simultaneous at different locations across the country, and then shipped back to Long Island for assembly.
"We needed high-quality work in a very short window of opportunity," Schwartz noted. "EB Industries came to the rescue." The Farmingdale-based precision-welding company was just what ThermoLift ordered: a local partner with electron-beam tech and "aerospace-quality expertise," Schwartz noted, "We needed somebody who could be spot-on and deliver."
"EB Industries was delighted to partner with ThermoLift to develop such a cutting edge heat exchanger" said John DeLalio, EB Industries Director of Business Development. The project was very complicated in that 3D printed aluminum is especially prone to weld porosity. "Fortunately, our electron beam welding technology, combined with 50 years of precision welding experience, was the perfect combination for overcoming the porosity and creating a strong and leak tight welds, and subsequently an exceptional heat exchanger for ThermoLift."
The complete article may be found at http://www.innovateli.com/5226-2/
About EB Industries
EB Industries has been a leading provider of electron beam welding, laser welding, and hermetic laser sealing services since 1965. They also offer a range of secondary services on the basis of customer interest, including CAD/CAM product design, tool design and fabrication, metallurgical evaluation, non-destructive testing, and thermal treating. They are ISO 9001:2008 and Nadcap certified. For more information please visit http://www.ebindustries.com.
About ThermoLift
ThermoLift is based out of the Advanced Energy Center at Stony Brook University, has 10 full time employees, and has raised nearly $5.8 million in funding, including grants from both the US Department of Energy and the New York State Research and Development Authority. The ThermoLift system is a natural gas driven air conditioner and heat pump that can replace building heating, cooling, and hot-water systems with a single appliance. This appliance is an advanced Vuilleumier Heat Pump (VHP) that can provide a 30-50% reduction in building heating and cooling energy consumption and costs, as well as associated reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.