If you’re getting started in machining titanium and want some practical tips for milling, make sure you check out my guide on how to machine it like a pro.

Titanium turning is often used for making flanges or tubes that will be used in corrosive environments. It’s also used for strong, lightweight parts that need to bear load, and in turbine parts.

Since notch wear is so common, try varying your depth of cut to spread it out. Bury the cutter while there’s more stock, and reduce your depth of cut as your workpiece thins out.

In this article, I’ll share some of the tips that I’ve picked up that will help you successfully handle titanium on a lathe.

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Usually flatness is very challenging if the tolerances are tight. As the part deforms as it’s being turned, holes can also deform so that they become out of round and can only accommodate smaller pins.

Actually, it might make sense to try a stress relieving heat treating cycle between roughing and finishing. This is especially practical if you’re removing large amounts of stock and accuracy is required.

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Thin titanium parts usually need to be roughed on both sides, then unclamped, then finished. Creep up on finished dimensions to ensure that you can hold tight tolerances.

One thing that you’ll find out immediately when machining titanium is that it does not sit still. It’s very rare that you’ll be able to take a rough, finish, rough, finish approach as you machine all sides of the part. It warps significantly as you remove stock.

To sum up this tip: Don’t remove large amounts of material after hitting final dimensions; titanium warps like crazy. Do your roughing first, and creep up on tight tolerances.

Beyond appropriate cutter selection, there are a few programming techniques that can help you get more life out of your tools.

TechSolve did a really interesting study where they tested different coatings, feeds and speeds on turning titanium. If you’re wanting to go deep in the weeds on this subject, I’d highly recommend reading through it. You can find a copy of their tests and findings here.

Lots of tooling manufacturers will showcase their own studies on how much they’ve been able to improve tool life and efficiency with the latest and greatest. To be honest, it’s kind of hard to separate what’s just marketing from what’s legit.

Tools also don’t like being buried in corners. Even for turning, programming an arc interpolation and using a tool with a smaller nose radius will likely give better tool life than burying the tool fully at a step. This is especially critical for finishing toolpaths.

In fact, if you take an aggressive chip load, your carbide will burn out quickly. Your tool is what will take on most of the heat from cutting. The key to successful titanium turning is in minimizing heat as much as possible.

Pro Tip: Using a finishing tool with a small nose radius (like around .008″) might mean a longer finishing cycle, but the lighter cutting pressure and lower heat could mean less warping on precision finishing cuts.

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I've been working in manufacturing and repair for the past 14 years. My specialty is machining. I've managed a machine shop with multiaxis CNC machines for aerospace and medical prototyping and contract manufacturing. I also have done a lot of welding/fabrication, along with special processes. Now I run a consulting company to help others solve manufacturing problems.

I've been involved in metalworking in its various forms for the past 14 years. On this website, I share some of the really cool things that I've learned while working in all kinds of different shops.

Tooling reps are usually always wanting to show off their latest and greatest for carbide grades for titanium. I’d highly recommend grabbing all the freebies they’re willing to hand out to test out whether they actually make a difference.

Since one of the most typical applications for titanium relate to lightweighting, it’s really common to find very thin titanium parts.

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Heat doesn’t dissipate quickly with titanium. Actually, compared to most other metals, titanium is a thermal insulator more that a conductor.

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You might already be familiar with some of these challenges, especially if you’ve dealt with thin aluminum or stainless steel. For titanium, though, expect even more warping.

Common problems include chipping and notch wear at the “skin” of the cut. Insert geometry and grade can have a huge impact on tool life and process stability. For example, consider using a WNMG instead of a CNMG insert.

Titanium machining is often discussed for milling, but there isn’t a lot of available information on turning titanium. While most titanium is usually handled by milling, it’s not uncommon to turn this exotic material.