CNC Machining Titanium Alloys

Titanium is a very expensive alloy. 

In comparison, ferroalloy is around the price of 9 RMB/kg; brass is around the price of 50 RMB/kg; which titanium alloy can reach 300 RMB/kg. 

The civilian titanium alloy plate is in the range of 150-280 RMB/kg; while the military titanium alloys will be no less than 500 RMB / kg, and even reach 1300 RMB/kg.

Titanium alloys are the nobles of machined metals. Titanium alloy has the characteristics of high strength, good corrosion resistance, high temperature resistance and fatigue resistance. Titanium alloy with the same physique is only 60% of the weight of steel, but stronger than alloy steel. Titanium alloys are mainly used in the development of high-temperature titanium alloys for aero-engines and structural titanium alloys for airframes.

The properties of titanium are related to the content of impurities such as carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen. The purest titanium iodide has an impurity content of no more than 0.1%, but has low strength and high plasticity. 

The properties of 99.5% industrial pure titanium are: density ρ=4.5g/cm3, melting point 1725℃, thermal conductivity λ=15.24W/(m.K), tensile strength σb=539MPa, elongation δ=25%, area shrinkage ψ =25%, elastic modulus E=1.078×105MPa, hardness HB195.

The most widely used titanium alloys are Ti-6Al-4V (TC4), Ti-5Al-2.5Sn (TA7) and industrial pure titanium (TA1, TA2 and TA3).

There are many processing methods for titanium alloys, including: turning, milling, boring, drilling, grinding, tapping, sawing, EDM, etc. 

For continuous cutting, mass production or cutting with a large amount of metal removal, tungsten-cobalt carbide tools are generally used. 

For forming cutting, grooving or cutting, tempered steel tools or cermet tools can be adopted. Drilling titanium alloys should use a short, sharp drill bit and low-speed force feed. And the brackets should be tightened and repeatedly cooled sufficiently, especially for deep hole drilling.

During the drilling process, the drill bit should be kept in the drilling state in the hole, idling in the hole is not allowed, and the drilling speed should be kept low and constant. 

Tapping titanium alloys is probably the most difficult machining operation. Blind holes or long through holes should be avoided as much as possible to prevent the internal thread surface from becoming rougher or taper breaking.

At Specialized Turning, Sibai is an expert in machining titanium alloys to produce the best possible quality and value. 

While each type of titanium has its own intricacies, we match state-of-the-art tooling geometries and coatings to ensure the most economical stock removal rates at the highest speeds possible for economical machining. 

Sibai staff has decades of experience in Custom machining titanium.

Our extensive inventory of tooling allows us to minimize the costs and to optimize processing effections.