Quite simply, electron beams are a stream of electrons (the negatively charged particles within atoms) that move at very high speeds. Electrons are generated when a current is passed through a tungsten wire filament within a vacuum. The wires heat up due to the electrical resistance and emit a cloud of electrons. These electrons are than accelerated by an electric field to over half the speed of light and move out of the vacuum chamber through a thin titanium window into the atmosphere. Once outside the vacuum chamber, the electron beam is a powerful source of energy for forming or breaking chemical bonds.

Commercial applications for electron beam technology are based broadly on utilizing the electron beam as a source of ionizing energy in order to initiate chemical reactions (for example, printing and curing of films) or to break down more complex chemical structures (for example, air pollution abatement). The commercial potential of electron beams was first recognized in the 1970s. Since then, electron beams have been used to a limited extent across some industrial processes, such as the drying or curing of inks, adhesives, paints and coatings as well as the crosslinking of rubber tires and the terminal sterilization of medical devices. Electron beams are an extremely efficient form of energy for industrial processes and also, at the same time, reduce energy dependency and eliminate the need for harmful chemicals, which result in pollution.

For commercial purposes, electron beams are classified either as high or low voltage. High voltage accelerators achieve MeV in the range 0.5 - 10 MeV, while low voltage accelerators generate electrons with up to 0.3 MeV. Today there are more than 1,000 electron beam systems in commercial operation worldwide. Of these, about 700 are high voltage systems, although now the number of low voltage installations is growing at a much faster rate.
 

Conventional electron beam processes for industrial purposes involve an electron beam accelerator that directs an electron beam onto the material to be processed. The accelerator has a large, lead-encased vacuum chamber containing an electron generating filament, or filaments, powered by a filament power supply. During operation, the vacuum chamber is continuously evacuated by vacuum pumps.

Although electron beams have a number of advantages over potential alternatives, they have historically suffered from the major commercial disadvantage that traditional systems are very large, expensive, and complex to maintain. In particular, electron beam systems have, until now, required vacuum pumping equipment, large high voltage power supplies and complex shielding, as well as in-plant engineering and maintenance expertise. As a result, it has been difficult- or sometimes impossible - to integrate the electron beams into manufacturing equipment.

Advanced Electron Beams has achieved a breakthrough in the use of electron beam technology with the creation of the AEB Emitter. The AEB Emitter produces this energy source in a form that is significantly less expensive and more compact in size than conventional electron beam systems. As a result, AEB Emitters are making it possible to apply this highly efficient and clean energy source to a wide range of industrial applications never before considered feasible.