Ningxia firm achieves mass production of aerospace alloy powder

A materials company in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region has achieved stable mass production of an aerospace-grade copper-chromium-niobium alloy powder used in liquid rocket engines, providing a domestically produced alternative to a material that has long relied on imports.

Xipuman New Materials Technology (Ningxia) recently announced that its self-developed production process is expected to annually deliver dozens of tons of the alloy powder, known as GRCop-42, with manufacturing costs coming in at about one-fifth of comparable imported products.

GRCop-42 is used to manufacture combustion chambers for liquid rocket engines, one of the most heat-intensive components. The alloy quickly transfers heat away from the chamber during operation to prevent overheating and improve engine reliability.

"Access to the latest GRCop alloy technologies has long been restricted overseas," said Wang Nan, general manager of the company. "As a result, domestic users could only obtain older-generation products at high prices and with unstable supplies."

Although some Chinese research institutes had produced laboratory samples, large-scale manufacturing remained difficult because of technical challenges in alloy production, Wang said.

The company began tackling the problem in 2021 with support from national research institutes. It first developed a core melting technology while working on tantalum-titanium alloys, then applied the same approach to copper-chromium-niobium alloys in March this year.

"The biggest challenge is getting copper, chromium, and niobium to mix evenly, because the three metals have very different melting points," said Li Xiaobo, the company's chief engineer. "Our melting technology and argon atomization process solved that problem and enabled stable mass production."

Within three months, the team completed the development of C-84 and C-42 alloy grades. By June, it had established a full production process backed by independent intellectual property rights, according to the company.

According to industry surveys cited by the company, only three Chinese manufacturers are capable of producing GRCop-42 with a performance comparable to international standards on a stable commercial scale. Xipuman New Materials Technology is the only one in Ningxia.

Zhang Ling, an associate professor at the Ningxia Institute of Technology, said wider use of domestically produced GRCop-42 could help reduce manufacturing costs for reusable rockets and strengthen China's commercial aerospace supply chain.

She added that the material also has potential applications in thermal protection systems for hypersonic aircraft and fusion reactors.

Ma Long, senior official at Shizuishan city's industry and information technology bureau, said the breakthrough would support the city's efforts to expand its advanced materials industry. The city plans to develop specialty metal powders, additive manufacturing, and other high-value manufacturing sectors while encouraging companies to move further up the value chain.