Swiss Machining Titanium Alloy Parts

Three cost drivers separate titanium from stainless: (1) Tooling life. Ti-6Al-4V's machinability rating is approximately 20% of 1212 free-machining steel — inserts wear 5–10× faster than on stainless 303. (2) Cutting speed. Titanium must be machined at significantly lower surface speeds to prevent heat buildup. Slower cutting means longer cycle times on the same machine. (3) High-pressure coolant requirements. Standard flood coolant is insufficient for titanium — high-pressure directed delivery (50–70 bar) is required, which demands specific machine capability. We are transparent about these costs: our titanium quotes itemize material, tooling, cycle time, and finishing separately so you can see exactly what drives the price.

Both are the same base alloy (6% aluminum, 4% vanadium), but Grade 23 ELI — Extra Low Interstitial — has tighter controls on oxygen (max 0.13% vs 0.20%), nitrogen, carbon, and iron. These tighter limits improve fracture toughness, fatigue crack propagation resistance, and ductility at lower temperatures. Grade 23 per ASTM F136 is the standard for implantable medical devices where cyclic loading over years of service makes crack initiation and propagation critical. For structural aerospace parts, standard Grade 5 is typically sufficient. We stock or source both grades and will advise on selection during DFM review.

Yes. As-machined, we achieve Ra ≤ 0.8 μm on titanium surfaces. With electropolishing, we reach Ra ≤ 0.2 μm. For implant surface texture requirements (such as specific Ra ranges for osseointegration on implant bodies), we can coordinate controlled blasting, acid etching, or electropolishing to the specified texture profile. All finishing is performed with lot traceability maintained, and we supply the finishing process documentation with the delivery package. Note: surface finish verification on titanium is performed with our Mitutoyo 178-560 profilometer — we do not rely on visual assessment.

We commonly machine to: AMS 4928 (Ti-6Al-4V bar and billet, aerospace), ASTM F136 (Ti-6Al-4V ELI for surgical implants), ASTM F67 (Grade 1, 2, 3, 4 unalloyed titanium for surgical implants), ASTM B265 (titanium strip, sheet, and plate), AMS 4931 (Ti-6Al-4V annealed bar). Material certifications traceable to these standards are supplied with every order. If your drawing calls out a specification not listed here, ask — we will verify our material sourcing capability before quoting.

We use a Seiko SII SEA1000A X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer on site to perform positive material identification on incoming titanium bar stock before it enters the machining cell. XRF confirms the elemental composition matches the mill certificate — catching grade mix-ups that could otherwise result in non-conforming parts in critical applications. PMI records are maintained with the lot documentation and can be included in the delivery package on request.

There is no fixed minimum. Prototype runs of 5–20 pieces are common for development-phase titanium parts, particularly for medical device and aerospace customers who need first articles before committing to volume. For high-volume production parts (thousands of pieces), pricing scales accordingly. Because titanium has meaningful material and tooling setup costs, prototype unit pricing is higher than production pricing — we are explicit about this in quotes so you can plan your development budget correctly.

Yes, and we strongly recommend it for titanium work. Titanium DFM issues that commonly appear on drawings include: tolerances specified to ±0.002 mm on features that don't require it (driving cost without quality benefit), surface finish callouts tighter than the application needs, thread forms with insufficient root radius (stress concentration in a fatigue-sensitive material), and material callouts that don't distinguish between Grade 5 and Grade 23 when the application requires implant-grade material. Our DFM review is provided at no charge as part of the quoting process.

Titanium is weldable, but requires inert gas shielding (argon) during and after welding to prevent oxidation — even on the back side of the weld. We coordinate electron beam welding (EBW) through our partner network for titanium assemblies where contamination from conventional welding is unacceptable. EBW is performed in vacuum, producing clean, narrow welds with minimal heat-affected zone — well suited to tight-tolerance titanium assemblies. If your titanium parts require post-machining joining, discuss this at the DFM stage so it's factored into the machining sequence and dimensional plan.