By E Ethier
Machining titanium can be very hard on the tools that you use. Often, the machines run down and break quite easily, but there are measures you can take to prolong the life of your tools when you are machining the titanium to make products.
Below is a few tips on things you can do to prevent machine malfunction. These range from coolant to new tools and if you follow them, you will no further problems when you are machining titanium.
Use a Coolant
You must use a coolant when you are machining titanium. If you don't the tool is likely to chip and the sheet might become over heated. Using a coolant helps keep the sheet cool and it acts a lubricant for the tool.
When using a coolant, make sure that you look out for chips that are machined away from the sheet
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you are cutting. Sometimes with the coolant, it does not cool or flush the chips away properly so they can become jammed in the tool, or result in re-chipping. This is why you have to make sure that the chips are properly evacuated from the tooling area.
If you are using a proper coolant, you might think that it will be enough lubrication so that you will not have any further issues, but, you have to make sure that there is enough pressure in the implementation of the coolant, so it results in the required amount of lubricant. If there isn't enough pressure, this could lead to the tool failing and the titanium will wear down during the machining process.
When titanium is being machined, the tip of the tool can get very hot and this can lead to problems with how the coolant is applied during the process. If the tool is very hot, the coolant with evaporate before it even makes contact with the sheet. This will also lead to tool failure and a loss of accuracy when it comes to the item you are making. To overcome this, think about purchasing a new tool that has localised pressure.
Quality of Machine Tool
For some companies, they try and do their machining at the lowest possible costs. They have to cut costs somewhere and they often do this by buying machines that cost less. What do you think happens when you are using a machine often and you have sacrificed on the quality of the machine? Yes, it will break often and you will have to buy new machines more often.
When machining titanium, the tool will get hot and it is even more likely to break. So, the only option you have is to spend more money on a better machine. Make sure the tool has a rigid work holder that remains stiff. In titanium machining, the sheet that you use is going to vibrate, there is no getting around that, so make sure that the tool you buy has been designed well, with stability in mind.
Which Machine?
If you are new to machining titanium, the task of buying the right tool can be daunting. You will probably have no idea what to buy. So, go on websites and look for machines that were made specifically for cutting hard materials.
Once you have found one, read the reviews on the machine. If you still aren't sure if the machine is suitable, then do a Google search on the machine and look of forums that technicians frequent. They will have a better idea if the machine is suitable for machining titanium or not and their opinion will be more reliable than product reviews.
Supra Alloys was founded in 1965 by George Esseff Sr. The company is one of the leading distributors of titanium in the United States of America. They supply titanium to the medical, aerospace and chemical industries, among others. The company was bought by Lawrence Holdings in February 2015 and have been going strong since then. They have a policy by where they are committed to service, reliability and quality, with a customer service team who are trained with the knowledge to help their customers with any titanium related queries, they can even help with technical issues. You can visit their website at http://www.supraalloys.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/E_Ethier/1680400
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