Though light and strong, titanium is difficult to machine, weld, and form. That makes investment casting the best way of producing parts in this metal.
In this blog post we’ll explain:
Although titanium was discovered in the 18th Century, a high melting point, (3,020° F or 1,660° C) and a tendency to react with oxygen made processing difficult. Only in the 1960s did it start being used in the most challenging aerospace applications.
The aerospace industry likes titanium because it’s only a little heavier than aluminum yet more than twice as strong. It also resists cracking and fatigue and exhibits very little creep, all of which make it ideal for airframe components.
Two other notable characteristics are corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. A self-healing oxide layer on the skin, which behaves like the one on aluminum, helps resist attack by saltwater and most other chemicals, (although not strong acids.) This makes it the preferred metal for use in desalination plants and especially in desalination heat exchangers.
In addition, bio-compatibility means it’s a metal that can be implanted into humans without adverse effects.
Besides the high melting point, titanium is hard to work with because it reacts readily with oxygen and it’s difficult to machine.
Reactivity is addressed by melting and pouring under vacuum. However, welding is a significant problem as it’s very hard to exclude air completely.
Machinability challenges stem from the “gummy