Titanium Machining

Types of titanium alloys

Like all other metals titanium has numerous different alloys available, each with its own special set of properties and behaviour. Here is a summary of the different types:

Pure titanium – As the name suggests, pure titanium consists of no alloying elements and is the easiest type of titanium to machine

Alpha alloys – This refers to titanium alloys that contain aluminium, oxygen and/or nitrogenBeta alloys – This refers to titanium alloys that contain molybdenum, iron, vanadium, chromium and/or manganese

Mixed – This is a mixture of both alpha and beta titanium alloys

Benefits of using titanium

Why even bother using titanium if it is so difficult to use? 

The main advantages of titanium as a manufacturing material are that it is highly corrosion resistant, has exceptional bio-compatibility and has the best strength to weight ratio of any metal. These qualities make it an especially sought after material in the aerospace and medical industries. 

Disadvantages of using titanium

Due to titanium’s affinity to other elements it cannot be found naturally occurring and therefore requires complex and energy-intensive processes to refine it. This means that it is very expensive compared to other common materials. Another major disadvantage of titanium is its degree of difficulty when machining processes are required.

What makes titanium difficult to machine?

Titanium is known as being a tough material to work with and is very sensitive to a number of factors. Listed below are some of the key challenges with machining titanium.

More coolant 

High pressure coolant 

Constant feed 

Increased feed rate 

Tooling 

Chip control

Workholding 

Tool path 

Machine tools

In conclusion

Titanium is certainly not a straightforward material to work with, but its material properties mean that it is here to stay. With the correct machine tool and machining strategy, titanium can be cut with ease. Contact us for expert advice on machine tools and strategies that were specifically designed for milling materials like titanium.