Progress in Titanium Machining

Milling and drilling of titanium alloys represent a key technology for the aircraft manufacturers. The balancing act between production costs and tool costs leads to the need of tests and an optimized setup of the whole process. A Styrian consortium with experts in materials, tools and machining has been formed to extend the tool life in machining of titanium alloys. A series of tests is set up to evaluate the roughing and finishing operations. For finishing operations ultrasonic assisted milling is introduced and compared with conventional milling. Force measurement and optical wear detection are used for tool characterization.