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Specific application of C103 in space additive manufacturing

The latest application of niobium-based alloy C103 in the field of space additive manufacturing is mainly focused on the manufacturing and material innovation of key components of spacecraft. The following are specific progress and technical details:
1. Rocket engine nozzle manufacturing
The nozzle of the second-stage engine of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket uses niobium hafnium titanium C103 alloy, which is ultra-thin (tube wall is only 0.4 mm) through traditional spinning process combined with additive manufacturing technology. The following characteristics of this alloy make it an ideal choice:

• High temperature resistance: It can maintain structural stability at high temperatures of thousands of degrees without the need for an additional cooling system;
• Lightweight advantage: Low density (about 8.86g/cm³), significantly reducing the dry mass ratio of the rocket;
• Ductility optimization: By adding 10% hafnium and 1% titanium, the ability to resist vibration and thermal cycles is enhanced.

2. Breakthrough in additive manufacturing technology
The latest proprietary niobium alloy 3D printing parameters have been developed to solve the problems of C103 in traditional processing:
• Process innovation: high-precision printing is achieved on the equipment, the layer thickness is controlled at 20-40μm, and the laser power is optimized to 200-300W;
• Complex structure molding: internal cooling channels and special-shaped surfaces that cannot be achieved by traditional processes can be manufactured;
• Cost control: compared with traditional CNC subtractive processes, material waste is reduced by about 60%.

3. Expansion of space application scenarios