Machinability evaluation of titanium alloys.

In the present study, the machinability of titanium, Ti-6Al-4V, Ti-6A1-7Nb, and free-cutting brass was evaluated using a milling machine. The metals were slotted with square end mills under four cutting conditions. The cutting force and the rotational speed of the spindle were measured. The cutting forces for Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-6Al-7Nb were higher and that for brass was lower than that for titanium. The rotational speed of the spindle was barely affected by cutting. The cross sections of the Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-6Al-7Nb chips were more clearly serrated than those of titanium, which is an indication of difficult-to-cut metals. There was no marked difference in the surface roughness of the cut surfaces among the metals. Cutting force and the appearance of the metal chips were found to be useful as indices of machinability and will aid in the development of new alloys for dental CAD/CAM and the selection of suitable machining conditions.