The history of speciality materials processing in industry

In the industrial field, the development of special materials processing is like a magnificent history of scientific and technological evolution, profoundly affecting the development trajectory of various industries.

In the early days, industrial production mainly relies on traditional materials, processing means are more limited. With the development of science and technology, people's requirements for material performance continue to improve, special materials came into being. the mid-20th century, the aerospace field of lightweight materials, high-strength demand, prompting the development and application of aluminium alloys, titanium alloys and other special metal materials. At that time, processing these materials faced many challenges, such as titanium alloys, which are difficult to process and cause serious wear and tear on cutting tools. However, through continuous exploration, more suitable tool materials and machining processes were developed, gradually realising the effective machining of special metal materials and laying the foundation for the take-off of the aerospace industry.

During the same period, the rise of the electronics industry, the demand for semiconductor materials increased dramatically. The processing of semiconductor materials such as monocrystalline silicon became critical. Early processing technology with limited precision, with the continuous innovation of photolithography, from the initial contact lithography to today's extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV), processing precision from the micron level into the nanometer level, greatly promoting the development of integrated circuits, so that electronic products continue to miniaturise, high-performance step forward.

In the late 20th century, ceramic-based, metal-based and other composite materials came to the fore. These materials combine the excellent characteristics of a variety of materials, but the processing difficulty is beyond imagination. For example, ceramic matrix composites are hard and brittle, traditional processing methods are very easy to cause material damage. For this reason, special processing technologies such as EDM and laser processing have been widely used and developed. Laser cutting technology can accurately cut ceramic matrix composites, reduce material loss and improve processing quality.

Entering the 21st century, nanomaterials have become a research hotspot. Nanomaterials have unique quantum size effect and surface effect, and their processing technology is even more frontier in the frontier. Atomic manipulation technology, molecular beam epitaxy technology and other emerging technologies, can be in the atomic and molecular scale of the material for accurate processing, for the manufacture of high-performance nanodevices to provide the possibility of medical, energy, information and other fields show great potential.

Looking back on the development of special materials processing, from meeting the special needs of aerospace, to promote the booming electronics industry, and now widely used in a variety of fields, each breakthrough is accompanied by innovation in processing technology. It not only promotes the performance of industrial products, but also for the innovative development of various industries to inject a steady stream of power, the future will continue to write a brilliant chapter.