Industry
Invar and Super Invar Machining for Space and Satellite Hardware
Satellite programs use Invar 36 and Super Invar for structures and optical hardware that must survive launch and then hold dimensional stability in vacuum for years. We are a matching service, not a shop: send your drawing and we connect you with up to three vetted shops who quote you directly.
Why Space & Satellite Hardware programs specify these alloys
Satellite programs specify Invar 36 and Super Invar for the same underlying reason as ground-based optical and metrology work: low, well characterized thermal expansion. What changes in space is the environment the part has to survive first. A structure has to come through launch vibration and shock intact, then hold its geometry for years in hard vacuum with no atmosphere to buffer temperature and no technician available to realign it if it drifts.
That combination pushes flight hardware toward more conservative fixturing, a full stabilization cycle rather than a simple stress relief, and verification testing, vibration and thermal vacuum, that a lab or ground instrument rarely needs. It also raises the stakes on supplier qualification: a program wants material traceability and a documented process history from a shop, not just a part that passes first article inspection once.
None of this involves invarmachining.com or a matched shop holding or claiming a specific certification. Programs that require AS9100, ITAR registration or a specific outgassing or test capability confirm that directly with the shop in writing before committing flight hardware or export-controlled drawings to it.
Where Space & Satellite Hardware uses Invar, Kovar and Alloy 42
Structural brackets and mounts
Invar 36 brackets and mounts that hold their geometry through launch loads and years of on-orbit thermal cycling without access for realignment.
Spacecraft optical benches
Bench sections and reference surfaces that keep optical elements aligned through launch vibration and sustained vacuum and thermal-vacuum cycling on orbit.
Temperature-controlled instrument mounts
Super Invar mounts for payloads inside a tightly controlled thermal enclosure, where the narrower CTE band is worth the added cost and lead time.
Vacuum-clean hardware
Parts machined, cleaned and packaged to limit outgassing near sensitive optical or electronic surfaces, verified against a program’s acceptance criteria.
What to put on the RFQ, and what to vet in a supplier
We match your RFQ. You still own supplier qualification. These lines get you a comparable quote and a shop that can answer the qualification questions your program asks.
State the alloy and spec (Invar 36 or Super Invar per ASTM F1684) and the traceability level your program requires.
Give the actual predicted on-orbit thermal excursion from your thermal model, not a generic room-temperature assumption.
Note any launch vibration, shock or minimum natural frequency requirement stated on the structural drawing.
State your outgassing and cleanliness requirement and acceptance criteria, if your program has one, rather than a general cleaning assumption.
Say whether a second source will eventually be qualified, so the first shop documents its process in a form that transfers.
Flag any certification, registration or export-control requirement explicitly so it can be verified directly with the shop, not assumed.
Space & Satellite Hardware guides
- Choosing a Supplier
Supplier Qualification for Invar Satellite Structure Machining
What a satellite program checks in a machine shop beyond cutting ability: material traceability, first article inspection and second-source qualification for flight hardware.
- Materials
Invar Optical Bench Machining for Spacecraft Instruments
Why a spacecraft optical bench drawing differs from a ground telescope one: launch vibration survival, on-orbit vacuum and thermal cycling, and the verification tests that follow.
- Materials
Super Invar Machining for Satellite Instrument Mounts
When a satellite payload's temperature-controlled band makes Super Invar worth the added cost and lead time over Invar 36, and the schedule risk that decision creates.
- Process
Outgassing and Cleanliness Requirements on Invar Space Parts
What ASTM E595 outgassing testing measures, why it matters for Invar parts going into a vacuum optical or electronic system, and cleaning and handling practice after machining.
- Materials
Invar for Optical Benches and Telescope Structures: Why CTE Stability Matters
Why optical and telescope designers specify Invar 36 or Super Invar for mounts and structural benches, and what that means for how the parts are machined.
- Materials
Machining Invar for Cryogenic and Vacuum Applications
How Invar 36 behaves at cryogenic temperature and in vacuum service, and what that means for machined tolerances, cleaning and outgassing on parts destined for those environments.
- Choosing a Supplier
Second-Source Qualification: Requalifying an Invar Part at a New Shop
What changes when you move an existing Invar part to a second machine shop: process differences to check, first article comparison and what to document.
Alloy pages: Invar 36 machining, Super Invar machining, Kovar machining, Alloy 42 machining. Spec numbers and CTE by temperature band on the Invar specs reference.
Have a drawing ready?
Send the short version now. We will ask for anything missing. For full details up front use the full RFQ form. Reply within 24 business hours.
Your files go only to the shops we match. Ask for an NDA and nothing is shared until it is signed.
Questions from Space & Satellite Hardware buyers
Something else? Email .
Are your matched shops AS9100, ITAR or otherwise certified for space hardware?
We do not certify shops and do not claim any matched shop holds AS9100 certification, ITAR registration or specific space heritage. If a certification or registration matters to your program, ask the shop directly and verify it before releasing flight hardware or export-controlled drawings.
When is Super Invar worth the extra cost and lead time over Invar 36 for a satellite part?
When the payload sits inside a tightly controlled thermal band, roughly 20 to 90 °C, where Super Invar’s lower CTE holds. Outside that band, or on a tight schedule, Invar 36’s shorter, more predictable lead time is often the better fit.
Does a spacecraft optical bench need different verification than a ground telescope bench?
Usually yes. A ground bench is typically checked dimensionally and sometimes thermal cycled. A flight bench typically also faces vibration testing for launch survival and thermal vacuum testing for on-orbit performance, since it has no atmosphere and no access for realignment once launched.
Do you machine or test these parts yourselves?
No. We are a matching service. We connect your RFQ with up to three shops experienced in Invar and Super Invar for demanding environments, and you manage qualification, testing and certification verification directly with the shop you choose.
What does a satellite program check in a shop beyond its ability to cut the alloy?
Material traceability back to a heat lot, a first article inspection built around the part’s real sensitivities, and a documented process history a second source can pick up later. Cutting the alloy well and documenting the work to program standards are different capabilities.