Electron beam welding isn’t new, but what Cambridge Vacuum Engineering (CVE) is doing with it is catching attention for good reason. Their Ebflow technology, recently showcased during a visit by Rachel Reeves and Ed Miliband, is built to tackle one of the major bottlenecks in nuclear infrastructure: time. In a trial with Sheffield Forgemasters, Ebflow managed to shrink a year-long weld job on a small modular reactor (SMR) vessel down to less than a day. That kind of leap isn’t just technical—it’s strategic.
With the UK government preparing investments in Sizewell C and gearing up for SMR deployment under the Great British Nuclear initiative, faster production methods are more than welcome—they’re necessary. SMRs are smaller than traditional reactors and designed to be built in modular fashion, which theoretically enables phased, more cost-effective rollouts. But fabrication still needs to catch up. If Ebflow delivers consistent results at scale, it could significantly alter the tempo of nuclear construction timelines.
CVE’s leadership claims the tech has crossover potential beyond nuclear, into aerospace, defence, automotive, and renewables—anywhere large, high-integrity welds are needed quickly.
Source:
Craig Quirie
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