The Challenge of Exotic Metals

Titanium is also a poor conductor of heat, has a tendency to acquire surface damage when certain machining techniques are used and requires substantial patience from machinists.

 Titanium can catch fire during milling, even if it doesn’t combust, it can still overheat to the point where equipment is damaged and the process stalls. Machining titanium may lead to chatter and damaged product and tooling. Processes need to be slowed to a safe speed to keep heat accumulation under control.

 Determining which metalworking fluids to use when machining titanium requires careful consideration.  Coolants are an essential part of the process. If you choose the right coolant, it can extend tool life, speed up machining times, and reduce waste. 

  This high nickel alloy is highly resistant to oxidation, corrosion, and scaling in high-temperature environments, and will maintain its tensile strength at temperatures that would cause plain steel to become pliable. 

It is also extremely challenging to machine.  Machining difficulty can be attributed to its high strength which leads to high cutting forces at the tooltip. 

The right cutting fluid plays a vital role in the effective machining of this super-alloy, resulting in better machining parameters such as feed rate, depth of cut, and cutting speed as well as improved output parameters such as tool wear and surface roughness.

Stainless steel is known for its high work hardening rates and poor chip-breaking properties during machining. Overheating the surface can cause heat tint and reduce resistance to corrosion.

Selecting the right metalworking fluid to lubricate and cool stainless steel is essential, especially when you cut deep and operate at high feed rates. The right fluid helps to overcome the impact of work hardening, limit the flow of heat away from the machined face, due to the low thermal conductivity of the austenitic stainless steel, and minimize health hazards by collecting the harmful dust. 

  A softer metal with a relatively lower melting point than other materials such as steel, Aluminum poses a few specific challenges during cutting, grinding, and finishing, issues like deformation and reduced accuracy caused by CTE, oxidation, pitting, and ductility 

The right cutting oil for aluminum machining cools down and lubricates the machining region, flushes chips away, improves the surface quality of the machined part, and decreases the tool wear rate. 

Say more about machining Yellow metal, its challenges, and how we meet them.