Machining Titanium: It's Complicated 1
Clicks:22582015-01-07 13:14:01 Source:TaeguTec Inserts,TaeguTec Cutting tools_TaeguTec CNC cutting tools (Shandong) Co., Ltd.
新闻摘要:The popularity of titanium is spreading across every industry due to the metal's exceptional strength to weight ratio and corrosion resistance.
Machining Titanium is a Popular Choice these Days
but it comes with a Number of Issues.
The popularity
of titanium is spreading across every industry due to the metal's exceptional
strength to weight ratio and corrosion resistance. However, it also means any
shop machining components on a schedule has to be creative enough to achieve
desired productivity while keeping costs down due to the challenges this
titanium poses.
The intensive research and development by the cutting
tool industry has led to big improvements that have facilitated the expansion of
titanium into everyday industrial applications.
The field now boasts
many tooling solutions that effectively machine titanium and titanium alloy.
Poly Crystalline Diamond (PCD) inserts, diamond coated inserts and specially
designed milling tools that enable quality finish on thin titanium alloy
components within specified tolerances have made machining titanium and titanium
alloys less complicated.
Sharper insert geometries have been introduced
that lower cutting forces while PCD and diamond coatings have proven to be
effective in increasing productivity and, when possible, speed.
Concepts such
as cryogenic gas show promise but further testing is required.
Overcoming
Challenges
Metallurgically speaking, titanium is
divided into four types: pure and un-alloyed, alpha alloy, alpha and beta alloys
and beta alloy.
Amongst the above described, alpha and beta alloys are
the most commonly applied in the manufacturing sector.
Yet, despite its
advantages, machining this metal poses certain difficulties. While titanium is
30-40 percent easier to machine in speed and metal removal rate terms (MRR) over
HRSA, titanium alloys such as Ti5553 is far trickier. One of the down sides of
machining titanium and titanium alloys is its thermal conductivity
characteristic.
If the incorrect tooling solution is applied to titanium
alloys such as Ti-6Al-4V, the heat generated during machining would cause total
failure of the cutting tool. Success depends on the titanium grade, application,
workpiece thickness and other aspects of the cutting conditions; this will
determine the speed and feed of the machine.
In the aerospace field,
titanium alloy is used for blades and casings which have complicated shapes.
Even if thermal conductivity were not an issue, in some cases, high feed cutting
tools cannot be effective because in 5-axis machines, which dominate this field,
applications with complicated tool paths cannot change direction at the intended
speed.
In milling applications involving thin titanium workpieces,
improper tooling solutions “push” up the component from the fixture resulting in
it being out of tolerance, hence ruining the workpiece.
Due to thermal
conductivity, up-milling is not an advisable course of action.
From a
concept perspective the issues for cryogenic gas machining has the potential to
increase productivity but there are drawbacks such as safety concerns and
cutting tool design limits.
but it comes with a Number of Issues.
The popularity
of titanium is spreading across every industry due to the metal's exceptional
strength to weight ratio and corrosion resistance. However, it also means any
shop machining components on a schedule has to be creative enough to achieve
desired productivity while keeping costs down due to the challenges this
titanium poses.
The intensive research and development by the cutting
tool industry has led to big improvements that have facilitated the expansion of
titanium into everyday industrial applications.
The field now boasts
many tooling solutions that effectively machine titanium and titanium alloy.
Poly Crystalline Diamond (PCD) inserts, diamond coated inserts and specially
designed milling tools that enable quality finish on thin titanium alloy
components within specified tolerances have made machining titanium and titanium
alloys less complicated.
Sharper insert geometries have been introduced
that lower cutting forces while PCD and diamond coatings have proven to be
effective in increasing productivity and, when possible, speed.
Concepts such
as cryogenic gas show promise but further testing is required.
Overcoming
Challenges
Metallurgically speaking, titanium is
divided into four types: pure and un-alloyed, alpha alloy, alpha and beta alloys
and beta alloy.
Amongst the above described, alpha and beta alloys are
the most commonly applied in the manufacturing sector.
Yet, despite its
advantages, machining this metal poses certain difficulties. While titanium is
30-40 percent easier to machine in speed and metal removal rate terms (MRR) over
HRSA, titanium alloys such as Ti5553 is far trickier. One of the down sides of
machining titanium and titanium alloys is its thermal conductivity
characteristic.
If the incorrect tooling solution is applied to titanium
alloys such as Ti-6Al-4V, the heat generated during machining would cause total
failure of the cutting tool. Success depends on the titanium grade, application,
workpiece thickness and other aspects of the cutting conditions; this will
determine the speed and feed of the machine.
In the aerospace field,
titanium alloy is used for blades and casings which have complicated shapes.
Even if thermal conductivity were not an issue, in some cases, high feed cutting
tools cannot be effective because in 5-axis machines, which dominate this field,
applications with complicated tool paths cannot change direction at the intended
speed.
In milling applications involving thin titanium workpieces,
improper tooling solutions “push” up the component from the fixture resulting in
it being out of tolerance, hence ruining the workpiece.
Due to thermal
conductivity, up-milling is not an advisable course of action.
From a
concept perspective the issues for cryogenic gas machining has the potential to
increase productivity but there are drawbacks such as safety concerns and
cutting tool design limits.
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