titanium manufacturing

[lesch2k]

any idea how you would make a 1 inch square cube of titanium that is flat and has a sphere of diameter half inch right inthe middle with a quarter inch whole through the entire thing???

edit - this can be made because it was discussed in a manufacturing class

edit - this is really a question for mechanical engineers / people with mechanical manufacturing background

edit - i expect this piece to be very expensive to make

edit - welding 2 halves together is not a good option.

this is what it looks like

 

[Ogg]

nope

 

[Viper0329]

Do you want a 1 inch cube with a sphere hollowed out in the middle? Then it has a quarter inch hole drilled through it?

 

[UNCjigga]

I don't understand this whole sphere inside the cube thing...are they both hollowed out???

 

[Bulk Beef]

Is this something that already exists, or something you want to make? Sounds pretty undoable to me, at least in one piece.

Titanium is really hard on tooling as well.

 

[MattCo]

I think I know what you are describing but a pic or drawing would be much easier to follow.

-MC

 

[Viper GTS]

I'm pretty sure you'd have to cast that.

Why on earth would you need/want such a thing?

Viper GTS

 

[lesch2k]

it would be a solid cube with a round hole all the way through the piece, then a sphere would be hollowed out of the middle. the resulting piece is a cube onthe outside with a hollow sphere in the middle

 

[IamElectro]

Machine the piece in two havle and then weld together. Only a few problems though machining titanium, is quite hard aswell as welding is very specialzed. I would suspect this to cost quite a bit of money to have made.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

If you can't do it in halves, drill the hole through the center, then put in a laser bit and have it melt a sphere.

 

[dullard]

It would be easy to machine in two pieces as others have said. I've done that before. But it would be expensive - most places don't like working with Titanium.

For a one piece item, I suppose it may be possible to make a breakable sphere and mold titanium around it. The sphere would have to be elevated during the process - use a rod that is less than 1/4" diameter to hold the sphere up. When cooled, remove the rod. Where the rod was, will be one of your 1/4" holes. Drill a 1/4" hole through the whole thing. Break out the sphere, and you have your finished item. I have no idea where you would go to get this type of work done.

 

[lesch2k]

thanks dullard, this was the hard theoretically question from class, so actually doing it isnt as important as describing what to do with the correct machines

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: dullard
It would be easy to machine in two pieces as others have said. I've done that before. But it would be expensive - most places don't like working with Titanium.

For a one piece item, I suppose it may be possible to make a breakable sphere and mold titanium around it. The sphere would have to be elevated during the process - use a rod that is less than 1/4" diameter to hold the sphere up. When cooled, remove the rod. Where the rod was, will be one of your 1/4" holes. Drill a 1/4" hole through the whole thing. Break out the sphere, and you have your finished item. I have no idea where you would go to get this type of work done.

Meh. You just need a clay ball.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosisMeh. You just need a clay ball.

Isn't a clay ball a breakable sphere?

 

[RayH]

sand casting?

 

[Mookow]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosisMeh. You just need a clay ball.

Isn't a clay ball a breakable sphere?

Depends on the clay...

 

[Ornery]

It would end up like this? How close tolerance does the ball have to be?

 

[klod]

Electrical discharge machining.

 

[lesch2k]

Originally posted by: Ornery
It would end up like this? How close tolerance does the ball have to be?

it would look like that with holes on 2 of the surfaes of the cube, not all 6, and with the ball being hollow, and a solid material from the outer surface to the innner surface of the hollow sphere

 

[Kyteland]

Originally posted by: lesch2k
any idea how you would make a 1 inch square cube of titanium

No, that is mathematically impossible.

A 1 inch cubed cube of titamiun however...

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosisMeh. You just need a clay ball.

Isn't a clay ball a breakable sphere?

Yeah. I'm saying it's not hard.

 

[RU482]

Go here, do a search for " 9139K65 " (1ft long of 1 inch x 1 inch titanium grade2 - $113.51)
on the left hand side, click the link for "Working and Machining Titanium Alloys"

Working and Machining Titanium Alloys
One important factor to remember when machining titanium is chip formation. Cold titanium chips break off short
and clean. However, as the temperature rises, titanium chips become curly, longer, and increasingly softer. The
chips curl away from the tool at a very sharp angle. This sharp chip angle concentrates the stress on the titanium,
which results in its temperature increasing. At these higher temperatures, the titanium chips can weld to the cutting
edge of the tool.
Tool Selection
The most successful method for cutting titanium is to use high-speed steel blades at low speeds. However, for
interrupted cuts or applications where tool damage is likely, high speeds may be a more economical choice.
Drilling
When drilling titanium, use low speeds and heavy feed rates. It is important to apply the maximum force that the
drill will permit; the drill should not be allowed to ride in the hole under light pressure. For applications when it is
necessary to use intermittent cuts while drilling deep holes, the drill should be engaged and disengaged as rapidly
as possible for maximum chip removal.
Sawing
The best method for sawing titanium is to use an abrasive wheel. However, the power hacksaw is a more economical
choice and the most popular method. For both methods, use low speeds and heavy feeds. Coarse pitch
blades with two to six teeth per inch are recommended. Blade tension should be high.

Enjoy!!

 

[Ornery]

How big do you make the inner box\opening around the sphere? How tight would the sphere be pinched in there? Would it be a sphere shaped opening, or a box?

 

[Bulk Beef]

Originally posted by: Ornery
How big do you make the inner box\opening around the sphere? How tight would the sphere be pinched in there? Would it be a sphere shaped opening, or a box?

I think he's saying that it has a spherical hollow 1/2" in diam.

 

[Ornery]

No way. Can't drill a 1/4" hole through a hollow.