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Most manufacturers find themselves neglecting titanium alloys as a raw material. This is mainly due to its unique features. Recent advances in technology and metallurgy allow us to look at titanium from another angle. However, the use of titanium alloys creates its own set of problems. Fortunately, our team of experts at Concorde excels at taking on challenges. We provide good quality control on machined titanium parts with some high precision machining. The following guide describes how we achieve high speed titanium machining.

Titanium alloys ideally offer a better weight-to-strength ratio than steel. It is also highly resistant to corrosion and pairs well with human tissue. Furthermore, it provides excellent performance even at very high temperatures. Its light weight and strength make it ideal for aerospace applications.

What are the most common types of titanium alloys?

Due to the addition of elements, titanium alloys come in different forms. These elements help to improve the function of titanium alloy parts. Titanium may undergo transformation at temperatures in excess of 800 degrees. Certain elements lower the temperature of the titanium used. We call them beta stabilizers. Certain elements increase the temperature of the titanium used. We call these alpha stabilizers. We divide titanium alloys into 4 groups. This depends on the type of stabilizer present. Knowing which alloy variant you are dealing with is key. These groups are:

Unalloyed titanium

This refers only to the basic form of titanium. This form of unalloyed titanium offers the best corrosion resistance. However, it has a lower strength compared to other variants.

Alpha titanium alloy

This type of titanium offers better creep resistance. So we use it for high temperature performance.

α-β alloy

This is the most diverse group because it provides great functionality. The presence of the alpha component increases heat resistance, while the beta component increases strength. This blend sometimes accounts for around 50% of the total titanium alloy market.

β alloy

It is currently the alloy group with the highest hardness. It is also denser than previous alloy groups.

What are the reasons for limiting high-speed titanium cnc machining?

There are many reasons why titanium is difficult to machine. We'll cover them without delving into the mechanics of titanium grinding, milling, or turning. Here are the gist of what titanium does to the machine.

High speed titanium alloy processing

First, titanium retains its enormous strength even at high temperatures. In addition, it maintains resistance to plastic deformation even at high cutting speeds. So we ended up using a higher cutting force than steel. This ultimately compromises high speed titanium machining.

Second, its chips are very thin after forming. Therefore, the contact area between the tool and chip ends up being 3 times smaller than with steel. Therefore, the tip of the tool ends up bearing most of the cutting forces.

Third, titanium alloys generally have a greater coefficient of friction than most cutting tools. We ended up having to increase the cutting force and temperature. Therefore, this limits high-speed titanium machining.

Fourth, titanium can sometimes react with tool materials at temperatures in excess of 500 degrees. It also tends to spontaneously ignite when cut after heat buildup. So we end up using coolant when cutting titanium. The time taken by this process interferes with high speed titanium machining.

Fifth, most of the heat generated during the cutting process enters the cutting process. This is due to the thinness of the chip and the low contact area. This ultimately reduces its lifespan. We ended up using high pressure coolant to prevent heat buildup.

How do we achieve high-speed titanium cnc machining?

Use cutting tools

Choosing the correct cutting tool is the first step in achieving the correct machining process. There are several cutting materials that can handle the hardness provided by titanium. They must be used at high temperatures with suitable hardness and excellent resistance to matching. In addition, they are chemically neutral to titanium at high temperatures. We use this material in our high speed titanium machining.

Use the ledge tool

This refers to tools with protruding thin-walled shelves. Instead of using the whole tool, we used this ledge to cut the titanium. Ledges generally wear slower and are easier to sharpen. However, its flanks wear out quickly and then stay put as the rest of the ledge wears down. This happens slowly with constant flanking. This allows us to perform high speed titanium alloys.

The use of rotary blades

We typically use rotary inserts in titanium turning. Unusable initially because of their lack of accuracy in machine tool design. Fortunately, current manufacturing technology allows us to take advantage of it. Its knife blade has a round shape. It continues to rotate the fixture while the cutter cuts the blank. Thus, there is a faster heat exchange which prevents it from building up. This allows us to increase the speed to meet the demands of high-speed titanium machining. If you have any questions or orders regarding titanium machining, please contact us today.