High-energy density beam processes for welding, including laser beam welding and electron beam welding, are essential processes in many industries and provide unique characteristics that are not available with other processes used for welding. More recently, these high-energy density beams have been used to great advantage for additive manufacturing. This review of the literature serves to provide an overview of the evolution of the laser and electron beam processes including the fundamental nature of the beam itself and how such a high-energy density beam has been applied for welding. The unique nature of each process regarding weld bead formation and penetration, and metallurgical considerations are covered in detail. In addition, the evolution of monitoring systems for both characterization and control of these beam processes is reviewed. Over 500 references have been cited in this comprehensive review that will allow the reader to both understand the current state-of-the-art and explore in more detail the fundamental concepts and practical applications of these processes.

用于焊接的高能量密度光束工艺，包括激光束焊接和电子束焊接，是许多行业中必不可少的工艺，并提供了其他焊接工艺所不具备的独特特性。最近，这些高能量密度光束已被用于增材制造的巨大优势。这篇文献综述旨在概述激光和电子束工艺的演变，包括光束本身的基本性质以及如何将这种高能量密度光束应用于焊接。详细介绍了每个工艺在焊道形成和熔深方面的独特性，以及冶金方面的考虑。此外，还回顾了用于表征和控制这些光束过程的监测系统的发展。