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

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

jennnifer (3593) inventoried this Set on Oct 7, 2015. Brixalotl (18702) confirmed accuracy of this inventory on Feb 27, 2020.  (source: Sealed Set Contents) axaday (7553) confirmed accuracy of this inventory on May 3, 2023.  (source: Sealed Bags/Open Box)Links Related to this Inventory:View a printer-friendly version of this page [with temporary checkboxes]Show Part Color Codes (?)Confirm Accuracy of this inventory if you are a registered Inventories Verifier (?)Upload an Image in the specific color if you have one and the one in the above listing is not available.Fill out an Inventory Change Request (?) [ Show Inv Item IDs ] if you found an error in this inventory.See explanation on what Regular, Extra, Counterpart and Alternate means.Disclaimer: BrickLink does not guarantee an inventory to be correct and therefore an inventory should be only used as a guide.

Disclaimer: BrickLink does not guarantee an inventory to be correct and therefore an inventory should be only used as a guide.

jennnifer (3593) inventoried this Set on Oct 7, 2015. Brixalotl (18702) confirmed accuracy of this inventory on Feb 27, 2020.  (source: Sealed Set Contents) axaday (7553) confirmed accuracy of this inventory on May 3, 2023.  (source: Sealed Bags/Open Box)Links Related to this Inventory:View a printer-friendly version of this page [with temporary checkboxes]Show Part Color Codes (?)Confirm Accuracy of this inventory if you are a registered Inventories Verifier (?)Upload an Image in the specific color if you have one and the one in the above listing is not available.Fill out an Inventory Change Request (?) [ Show Inv Item IDs ] if you found an error in this inventory.See explanation on what Regular, Extra, Counterpart and Alternate means.Disclaimer: BrickLink does not guarantee an inventory to be correct and therefore an inventory should be only used as a guide.

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.

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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* This Set Consists of the following Items:[ List | List with Images ] --- [ Standard View | Break Sets | Break Minifigures | New Items ]  Image   Qty   Item No  Description   MID  Regular Items:Parts:*  2  87994Black Bar 3L (Bar Arrow) Catalog: Parts: Bar*  4  99780Black Bracket 1 x 2 - 1 x 2 Inverted Catalog: Parts: Bracket*  2  11610Black Cone 1 x 1 Inverted with Bar Catalog: Parts: Cone*  1  3020Black Plate 2 x 4 Catalog: Parts: Plate*  2  60470bBlack Plate, Modified 1 x 2 with 2 Open O Clips (Horizontal Grip) Catalog: Parts: Plate, Modified*  1  2780Black Technic, Pin with Short Friction Ridges Catalog: Parts: Technic, Pin*  2  44728Dark Bluish Gray Bracket 1 x 2 - 2 x 2 Catalog: Parts: Bracket*  1  3022Dark Bluish Gray Plate 2 x 2 Catalog: Parts: Plate*  4  4032Dark Bluish Gray Plate, Round 2 x 2 with Axle Hole Catalog: Parts: Plate, Round*  4  15535Dark Bluish Gray Tile, Round 2 x 2 with Hole Catalog: Parts: Tile, Round*  2  87087Light Bluish Gray Brick, Modified 1 x 1 with Stud on Side Catalog: Parts: Brick, Modified*  2  2540Light Bluish Gray Plate, Modified 1 x 2 with Bar Handle on Side - Free Ends Catalog: Parts: Plate, Modified*  1  4073Light Bluish Gray Plate, Round 1 x 1 Catalog: Parts: Plate, Round*  1  3049cLight Bluish Gray Slope 45 2 x 1 Double / Inverted with Bottom Stud Holder Catalog: Parts: Slope*  2  15571Light Bluish Gray Slope 45 2 x 1 Triple with Bottom Stud Holder Catalog: Parts: Slope*  2  15712Light Bluish Gray Tile, Modified 1 x 1 with Open O Clip Catalog: Parts: Tile, Modified*  1  43723Light Bluish Gray Wedge, Plate 3 x 2 Left Catalog: Parts: Wedge, Plate*  1  43722Light Bluish Gray Wedge, Plate 3 x 2 Right Catalog: Parts: Wedge, Plate*  3  53454Pearl Dark Gray Minifigure, Weapon Axe Head with Clip Catalog: Parts: Minifigure, Weapon*  1  30374Reddish Brown Bar 4L (Lightsaber Blade / Wand) Catalog: Parts: Bar*  2  3701Reddish Brown Technic, Brick 1 x 4 with Holes Catalog: Parts: Technic, Brick*  1  18674Reddish Brown Tile, Round 2 x 2 with Open Stud Catalog: Parts: Tile, Round*  4  3749Tan Technic, Axle 1L with Pin without Friction Ridges Catalog: Parts: Technic, Axle*  1  3941Trans-Light Blue Brick, Round 2 x 2 with Axle Hole Catalog: Parts: Brick, Round*  1  18605c01pb38Trans-Light Blue Dimensions Toy Tag 4 x 4 x 2/3 with 2 Studs and Trans-Light Blue Bottom with Angled Copper Lines and Symbols on Dark Brown Background, Silver Wavy Lines Pattern (Gimli) Catalog: Parts: Electronics*  1  18602c01Trans-Light Blue Dimensions Toy Tag 4 x 4 x 2/3 with 4 Studs and Trans-Light Blue Bottom (Generic for Gadgets) Catalog: Parts: Electronics*  2  64647Trans-Orange Minifigure, Plume Feather Triple Compact / Flame / Water with Small Pin Catalog: Parts: Minifigure, Headgear AccessoryMinifigures:*  1  dim007 (Inv)Gimli Catalog: Minifigures: Dimensions: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: The Lord of the RingsExtra Items:Parts:*  1  87994Black Bar 3L (Bar Arrow) Catalog: Parts: Bar*  1  2780Black Technic, Pin with Short Friction Ridges Catalog: Parts: Technic, Pin*  1  4073Light Bluish Gray Plate, Round 1 x 1 Catalog: Parts: Plate, Round*  1  53454Pearl Dark Gray Minifigure, Weapon Axe Head with Clip Catalog: Parts: Minifigure, Weapon*  1  64647Trans-Orange Minifigure, Plume Feather Triple Compact / Flame / Water with Small Pin Catalog: Parts: Minifigure, Headgear AccessorySummary: Type  Unique Lots  Total Qty Regular Items: Parts  27  51  Minifigures  1  1 Extra Items: Parts  5  5 Source:Sealed Set Contents

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Links Related to this Inventory:View a printer-friendly version of this page [with temporary checkboxes]Show Part Color Codes (?)Confirm Accuracy of this inventory if you are a registered Inventories Verifier (?)Upload an Image in the specific color if you have one and the one in the above listing is not available.Fill out an Inventory Change Request (?) [ Show Inv Item IDs ] if you found an error in this inventory.See explanation on what Regular, Extra, Counterpart and Alternate means.Disclaimer: BrickLink does not guarantee an inventory to be correct and therefore an inventory should be only used as a guide.

I really like using rebar for making all kinds of industrial-looking welding projects. It's also useful for things like reinforcing concrete, surprisingly. There are also a lot of different tools...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Forge welding is essentially the oldest way of joining two pieces of metal together. Some say that it's been around for almost 4,000 years, starting from when people were learning to smelt iron from...

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.

Brixalotl (18702) confirmed accuracy of this inventory on Feb 27, 2020.  (source: Sealed Set Contents) axaday (7553) confirmed accuracy of this inventory on May 3, 2023.  (source: Sealed Bags/Open Box)Links Related to this Inventory:View a printer-friendly version of this page [with temporary checkboxes]Show Part Color Codes (?)Confirm Accuracy of this inventory if you are a registered Inventories Verifier (?)Upload an Image in the specific color if you have one and the one in the above listing is not available.Fill out an Inventory Change Request (?) [ Show Inv Item IDs ] if you found an error in this inventory.See explanation on what Regular, Extra, Counterpart and Alternate means.Disclaimer: BrickLink does not guarantee an inventory to be correct and therefore an inventory should be only used as a guide.