1. Material Characteristics Affecting Machining
Low thermal conductivity: Heat concentrates at the cutting edge, easily causing tool overheating and failure.
High work-hardening: Easy to harden during cutting, increasing subsequent machining difficulty.
Low modulus of elasticity: Prone to elastic deformation and chatter, affecting dimensional accuracy.
2. Tool Selection
Tool material: Solid carbide, cermet, or coated carbide tools are preferred.
Tool coating: TiAlN, AlTiN, or diamond-like coatings for high temperature resistance and wear resistance.
Tool geometry: Sharp cutting edge, large rake angle, proper clearance angle to reduce cutting force and heat.
3. Cutting Parameters
Use low to medium cutting speed to control heat generation.
Apply appropriate feed rate; avoid too small feed to prevent work-hardening.
Moderate cutting depth to minimize vibration and deformation.
4. Cutting Fluid & Cooling
Use abundant, effective cooling (emulsion, semi-synthetic coolant, or special titanium machining fluid).
Flood cooling is recommended to quickly take away heat from the cutting zone.
Insufficient cooling will severely shorten tool life and damage surface quality.
5. Machining Operations
Turning: Use sharp tools, steady clamping, avoid overhang; climb turning is better.
Milling: Use climb milling, rigid setups, avoid prolonged idle cutting.
Drilling: Use special titanium drills, peck drilling method to remove chips and cool.
Tapping: Use special tap and tapping fluid; avoid excessive force.
6. Fixture & Rigidity
Ensure high rigidity of the machine tool, fixture, and tool holder.
Avoid long overhang of tools to prevent chatter and vibration.
Clamp workpiece firmly but avoid excessive clamping force to prevent deformation.
7. Surface Quality & Dimensional Control
Due to work-hardening, final finishing should remove the hardened layer.
Control dimensional tolerance in multiple steps; avoid one-pass heavy cutting.
Check surface roughness regularly; poor cooling or dull tools cause burning or tearing.
8. Safety
Titanium chips are flammable; avoid accumulation of dry fine chips.
Use proper chip removal methods; do not touch hot chips or workpiece directly.
Ensure good ventilation and fire prevention measures.
