Machining Titanium?

gull wing

gull wing

Joined
May 4, 2002
Messages
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What type cutter do you use for machining titanium? Material type.
I have used HS steel and it didn't cut it.
 
Carbide is indeed the way to go. You can also get by with cobalt if you back off on the speed and use coolant.
 
THe only thing harder then carbide is diamond. Youll find that titanium has what is called an alpha case which is an oxide layer that is very hard once you get past it Bob's your uncle.:)
 
Im working on a big chunk right now, drilling some holes for a fixture so i can cut it up in smaller pieces with a waterjetmachine. Im not 100% sure what alloy I have, could only read 2.5 and the word MIL on it. I know there is a few alloys with 2.5 in their name but I guess its 3al-2.5v because its common. Well here is what I did, I sharpened a drillbit and started drilling at low speed and the bit just melted.. :D I had to resharpen it immidiately and remove about 1cm.

I had better luck using ethanol as cutting/cooling fluid and pulling very hard in short bursts. Try ethanol. Does anybody know if 3al-2.5v is any good for framlocks or linerlocks?? I read it could only go up to 28-30 hrc is that too soft for a lock? Its funny if it is 3al-2.5v its supposed to be an "easy to machine" grade, I wonder how the not so easy to machine grades are to work with.. :barf:
 
You really have to have sharp drills! Once they dull the least bit, it creates a lot of heat, so kills them faster. You can watch HSS die immediately. I usually use cobalt drills because they don't shatter like carbide, but they will die pretty quickly if you are spinning at high or even medium rpms. I use Valcool, which is a cutting fluid, but other stuff works too. It really needs to be a constant flood of coolant, not just a spray here and there.

I would assume that 3Al- 2.5V should work OK in that application. They use it a lot on bike frames because it's weldable.
 
TIP for machining Ti!

Carbide does wonders! BUT if you dont have a carbide bit in the size you want use a chunk of aluminum. Somthing about the aluminum will bind to your bit and keep the titanium from sticking and galling on your bit. Just mill or drill your peice of aluminum first then go on to your titanium!

It works... Try it!

Alan Folts
 
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