Hollow cathode glow discharge as a heating source in welding and brazing

The paper presents milestones of researches dedicated to determination of physics of low-temperature distributed gas-discharge plasma of the glow discharge with hollow cathode and its application in technological processes of welding and soldering since 1916. It is demonstrated that powerful-current glow discharge is the perspective and competitive energy source in the processes of joining materials in the solid phase, but there are a number of factors significantly limiting its widespread industrial application because of its insufficient stability at medium pressures and low processability. The usage of glow discharge initiated in a hollow cathode as the surface heating source during the pressure welding allows to eliminate indicated problems.