As the use of precious metals gradually decreases, material aviationBrazing materialsis also developing towards lower costs. At the same time, to bring sensors closer to rocket engines and improve safety, it is necessary to develop better brazing materials.

According to Morgan Stanley's data, by 2040, the aerospace industry is expected to reach $1.1 trillion, far exceeding $384 million in 2017. This funding can be applied not only to space exploration, satellite communication, and space tourism but also to other application demands for entering orbit or further locations.

However, the enormous costs involved in space shuttle launches may slow this growth. The complexity of space travel leads to high costs. The average launch cost of a space shuttle is estimated at $450 million per mission. Between a mission in 1992 and the retirement in 2011, multiple major overhauls were conducted on this orbital vehicle in the shuttle program. Additionally, more manned flights make safety a significant issue for exploration and travel, requiring carefully designed and validated systems.

In the aerospace industry, brazing is a commonly used connection technology, and improvements in brazing technology can enhance safety and reduce costs.Brazing materialsIt is a key material for brazing technology, and with the continuous development of aerospace technology, brazing materials will have new development trends.

1. Reduction in the use of precious metals.

Precious metals such as gold and palladium—welding materials that sent humans to the moon and supported most early space exploration work—are becoming increasingly scarce, thus driving up the prices of these welding materials. Since these data have shown that precious metal brazing is safe and reliable, engineers are often reluctant to abandon years of R&D data.

However, non-precious metal alloys made from nickel, chromium, and cobalt have also achieved success in aerospace applications. Researchers are working to optimize this drill material to make it better suited for orbit and beyond.

In the early days, a foreign company developed two brazing alloys RI-46 and RI-49, which are the main engine RS25 used by NASA for its famous space shuttle. Currently, the company has developed RI-46 to replace traditional gold/nickel Nior brazing alloys. Copper reduces the amount of gold element and replaces it with copper and manganese. Within the temperature range of -240°C to 700°C, copper still maintains good service performance, significantly reducing the density of copper elements and thus lowering overall weight. NASA plans to continue using these copper elements in its Space Launch System, which is planned for manned Mars missions.