General Information for Material Ti-6Al-4V ELI
| Material Group |
S - Superalloys (Heat resistant and Titanium) |
| Sub-Group |
Titanium alloy |
| Hardness |
32.0 HRC |
| Tensile Strength |
1130 [N/mm^2] |
| Machinability Range |
20% |
MACHINABILITY OF Ti-6Al-4V ELI MATERIAL
Material Ti-6Al-4V ELI is a titanium alloy with a hardness of 32 HRC and a machinability rating of 20%.
Titanium alloys such as Ti-6Al-4V ELI are used in mechanical components for two main reasons:
It has an excellent strength-to-weight ratio. On the one hand, it is almost as light as aluminum, and on the other hand, it has a higher strength than most steel alloys.
It has superb corrosion resistance.
The main challenges of machining Ti-6Al-4V ELI are:
Ti-6Al-4V ELI has very low heat conductivity. It causes heat generating from the cut to transfer mainly to the cutting tool instead of flowing to the chips and workpiece.
It has high flexibility, thus bending easily by the cutting forces.
High hardness of 32 HRC leads to premature wear.
Tip for machining Ti-6Al-4V ELI:
Use a positive cutting edge in medium/roughing operation, preferably ground with a small honing size.
In finish operations, use only ground inserts/tools with sharp cutting edges and minimal honing size.
On supper-finish applications, you can also use cutting tools that are designed for aluminum without honing.
On small diameter parts, on a workpiece with thin walls, or poorly clamped workpiece, be gentle with your depth of cut and feed rate to reduce the cutting force.
Use an insert/tool with a very hard substrate because Ti-6Al-4V ELI has a hardness of 32 HRC.
SUMMARY:
For detailed carbide grades recommendations, check the table below.
Recommended cutting speed range for turning at stable conditions is 230 - 300 [SFM] / 70 - 90 [m/min].
Recommended cutting speed range for milling with stable clamping and short overhang is 160 - 230 [SFM] / 50 - 70 [m/min].
For detailed cutting speed recommendations, check the table below.
Equivalent International Designations for Material Ti-6Al-4V ELI
| Standard |
Name |
| SAE |
4907, 4930, 4931 |
| UNS |
UNS R56401 |
Chemical Composition for Material Ti-6Al-4V ELI
| Element |
Amount |
| Aluminum (Al) |
5.5-6.75% |
| Iron (Fe) |
0.3% |
| Carbon (C) |
0.1% |
Cutting Speeds Recomendations for Material Ti-6Al-4V ELI
| Application |
Vc (m/min) |
Vc (SFM) |
| Turning |
70-90 |
230-300 |
| Milling |
50-70 |
160-230 |
| Parting |
45-60 |
150-200 |
| Grooving |
60-80 |
200-260 |
| Drilling |
60-80 |
200-260 |
Important! The speed estimation is given for an ideal situation:
- Most suitable carbide grade
- Stable tool clamping
- Stable workpiece clamping
- Good quality raw material
- A short overhang of the cutting tool.
- Nominal hardness of the material.
- etc.
Recommended Carbide Grades for Material Ti-6Al-4V ELI
Grade for Milling (Indexable)
Recommended Insert Cutting Edge Geometry for Material Ti-6Al-4V ELI
| Honing Size |
0.02-0.05 mm / 0.001-0.002" |
| Rake Angle |
13° -18° |
| Land Angle |
Neutral |
| Land Width |
0.10-0.20 mm / 0.004-0.008" |
| Ground Insert |
Recommended |
