Titanium is a metal renowned for its desirable properties, but it presents unique challenges during CNC machining.
- Heat Buildup: Titanium has low thermal conductivity, meaning it retains heat generated during machining. This can lead to tool wear, work hardening of the material, and even thermal expansion, affecting part accuracy.
- Tool Wear: The combination of heat generation and titanium's inherent hardness causes rapid tool wear. This necessitates frequent tool changes, increasing production time and costs.
- Work Hardening:As titanium is machined, it tends to become harder, making subsequent machining more difficult. This can result in tool breakage and poor surface finish.
- Chip Formation: Titanium produces long, continuous chips that can wrap around the cutting tool, causing breakage and hindering machining efficiency.
- Material Adhesion: Titanium has a tendency to adhere to cutting tools, a phenomenon known as galling. This can lead to poor surface finish and tool damage.
Overcoming these challenges requires specialized tooling, cutting parameters, and coolants.