Titanium CNC machining

We machine the commercially pure grades and Grade 5 by CNC milling and CNC turning. The exact grade is confirmed in your quote.

The grade numbers come from ASTM. ASTM B348 covers titanium bar and billet: Grades 1 to 4 are unalloyed (commercially pure) titanium, and Grade 5 is the alloy Ti-6Al-4V, with about 6% aluminum and 4% vanadium (ASTM International).

Commercially pure titanium gets stronger and less formable as the grade number rises, because each grade allows more oxygen (NASA). Grade 5 is an alloy, not a purer or harder version of Grade 4, and it’s chosen when the part needs more strength than the commercially pure grades give.

Grades and UNS numbers are from ASTM B348 (ASTM International). We don’t print strength figures here; the mill certificate that ships with your parts gives the values for the batch you receive.

Titanium conducts heat poorly, and the chip touches only a small area of the tool. Together, these push heat into the cutting edge, raising tool temperature and wearing tools faster (NASA). Shops cut titanium more slowly than aluminum or steel for this reason.

What that means for your part:

• Cycle time. Titanium parts take longer to cut than the same part in aluminum, so the material choice shows up in the quote.
• Thin walls and deep pockets. These add cutting time and risk in titanium. Use the thickest walls and largest internal radii the design allows.
• Grade choice. If the part doesn’t need Grade 5 strength, a commercially pure grade can be worth asking about in the quote.
• Sliding fits and threads. If the drawing has sliding fits or threads into titanium, mention how the part works, so the DFM notes can cover it.

If you’re comparing titanium with other metals for a light, strong part, see aluminum for CNC machining, which cuts faster, or stainless steel CNC machining for corrosion resistance at lower cost.

Tell us the finish your part needs, and we confirm in the quote which of our finishes suits titanium for that part. Anodizing Type II and Type III on our list are aluminum finishes.

Our full list of finishes:

• As-machined
• Bead blasting
• Anodizing Type II
• Anodizing Type III (hard anodizing)
• Powder coating
• Brushing
• Passivation
• Electroplating (nickel, chrome, zinc)
• Painting

Write the grade and the product standard. For example (an example callout, not a recommendation): “Titanium Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V), bar to ASTM B348”. Drawings also cite ASTM B265 for strip, sheet and plate, ASTM F67 and F136 for surgical implant material, and SAE AMS 4928 for annealed Ti-6Al-4V bar in aerospace (ASTM International; SAE International).

What to put on the drawing or in your message:

1. Grade, such as Grade 2 or Grade 5. “Titanium” alone isn’t enough to quote.
2. Product standard, such as ASTM B348, if your customer or industry requires one.
3. Finish, and any surfaces to leave bare.
4. Equivalents, if you’d accept another grade or standard.

Naming a standard such as F136 or AMS 4928 on your drawing tells us what material certification you need. We confirm in the quote whether we can supply material to that standard.

Every order comes with a mill certificate that traces the metal to its batch, along with QC inspection and ISO 9001 documentation.

• Standard QC inspection
• Material certification (mill certs)
• ISO 9001 documentation