Beta titanium for high-strength tubular and shaft parts. We machine Grade 19 in the solution-treated or aged condition, hold ±0.005 mm on critical bores, and quote with DFM notes inside 12 hours.
Four failures we see on incoming titanium RFQs.
Aging takes this alloy from roughly 800 MPa to around 1,200 MPa tensile. If the last 0.5 mm is cut after aging, tool wear triples and surface finish drops to Ra 3.2 μm or worse. The fix is process planning, not a different cutter.
Beta titanium springs back more than Ti-6Al-4V. Three-jaw clamping on a 1.5 mm wall leaves ovality you cannot measure away later. Every scrapped tube costs the material, the machining time and a week of schedule.
Aging or stress relief after the final cut distorts bores and flatness. Dimensions verified on the bench then fail at incoming inspection. The heat treat sequence has to be locked before the first chip.
A supplier prices the job as if it were Ti-6Al-4V. Tool life, cycle time and cutter cost all land short. The quote looks cheap and the first article is late.
Three decisions carry most of the risk: material condition, heat treat sequence, and workholding.
Grade 19 is a metastable beta alloy. In the solution-treated condition it machines closer to Ti-6Al-4V and gives you more ductility for forming or bending before final dimensions. In the aged condition tensile strength roughly doubles, but cutting forces and tool wear climb with it. We ask which one the drawing specifies before quoting, because the answer changes cycle time and cutter selection.
For most parts we rough in the softer condition, leave 0.5–1.0 mm of stock, then age and finish. That keeps the finishing tool alive through the last passes and holds Ra 0.8–1.6 μm on sealing faces without a separate polish step.
Beta titanium deflects under load. On long shafts and thin tubular parts the first question is how the part is supported, not which tool to use. Where the geometry allows, we machine from bar in a single 5-axis setup so bores, faces and bolt patterns share one datum. Fewer setups means fewer chances to reintroduce error.
When a part is too slender for bar work, we turn between centers or use a filled fixture. The Ø400 mm rotary table covers most flange and housing work. Maximum part envelope on our large travels is 4,000 × 400 × 150 mm.
Compare against the two alloys it usually competes with.
| Criterion | Ti 3Al 8V 6Cr 4Mo 4Zr | Ti-6Al-4V (Grade 5) |
|---|---|---|
| Typical tensile strength | ~800 MPa solution treated, ~1,200 MPa aged | ~900–1,000 MPa annealed |
| Ductility before aging | High, supports forming and bending | Moderate |
| Machinability | Lower; sharp tooling and light finishing passes | Better established cutting data |
| Deep-hole and gun drilling | Suited to long shaft and tube geometry | Common, but less forgiving on thin walls |
| Best fit | High-strength tube, shaft, spring, fastener work | General structural parts and brackets |
| Less suitable when | Simple brackets where Grade 5 is cheaper | Parts needing the beta alloy's forming response |
One shop for the machining, finishing and inspection steps.
16 simultaneous 5-axis centers for contoured and multi-face parts. One setup keeps bores and faces on a shared datum.
Bar-fed turning and mill-turn for shaft and tubular families. 16 mill-turn centers cover both operations.
One-off and low-volume runs for fit checks before tooling is committed. No minimum order quantity.
Bead blasting, tumbling, brushing, polishing, anodizing and laser marking. Marking character height from 1.5 mm.
Raw material check, in-process monitoring and final inspection on every order. Reports on request.
Quotation and free DFM analysis within 12 hours. We flag heat treat sequence and thin-wall risks before cutting.
Numbers that decide whether a job fits.
| Item | Capability |
|---|---|
| High-precision CNC machines | 127 total |
| Simultaneous 5-axis centers | 16 |
| Mill-turn centers | 16 |
| Maximum processing size | 4,000 mm |
| Large travel | 4,000 × 400 × 150 mm |
| Medium travel | 750 × 1,150 × 550 mm |
| Compact travel | 500 × 500 × 450 mm |
| Rotary table | Ø400 mm |
| Achievable tolerance | ±0.005 mm (±0.0002 in) |
| Surface finish range | Ra 0.2–3.2 μm |
| Lead time | Quote in 12 hours, ship in 3–5 days |
Six things that decide whether the second article matches the first.
Fifteen years cutting titanium and nickel alloys. Process windows for beta alloys are already set, so we do not learn on your part.
±0.005 mm is the working tolerance on critical features, verified with in-process monitoring rather than a single final check.
127 high-precision machines in 7,600 m² across three wholly-owned plants in Dongguan and Singapore. Capacity is not rented out.
Send a STEP file and we return pricing plus DFM notes within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours of approval.
Raw material check, in-process monitoring and 100% inspection before shipment. Inspection reports on request.
Below 2% late delivery across past orders. Machining and finishing sit in the same building, so handoffs do not slip.
Brackets and fittings where weight and strength both matter.
Shaft and housing families that run at speed under load.
Long shafts and tubes where deflection controls the tolerance.
Suspension and driveline parts run under IATF 16949 controls.
It depends on what the part has to survive. If you need forming or bending before final dimensions, buy solution treated and age after the forming step. If the part is a finished high-strength shaft or fastener, age first and take light finishing cuts only.
Send the drawing with the condition marked. If it is unclear, we say so in the DFM notes rather than guessing.
For most shaft and tube work we leave 0.5–1.0 mm on diameters and faces that will be finished after aging. Thinner walls distort more, so the allowance goes up. The point is to give the finishing tool a consistent cut, not to remove a large volume from aged material.
Yes, when the part is supported properly. That usually means turning between centers or a filled fixture rather than a plain three-jaw chuck. On slender parts the limiting factor is deflection during cutting, not the machine. We check the length-to-diameter ratio before quoting.
Ra 0.8–1.6 μm is our standard high-finish range and is achievable on Grade 19 with sharp tooling and a light finishing pass. Ra 0.2–0.8 μm is available where the drawing calls for it. We do not add a polish step unless the geometry needs one.
It can, and that is exactly why the heat treat sequence gets fixed before the first cut. Where a customer requires aging after machining, we leave allowance for it and verify the first article after the cycle, not before.
A 2D drawing and a STEP file. Note the material condition, the critical tolerances and any finishing requirement. Quotation and free DFM analysis come back within 12 hours. Uploads stay confidential and we sign an NDA on request.
One prototype up to 10,000+ part runs, with no minimum order quantity. Prototype work and production work go through the same inspection steps, so the second part matches the tenth.
Yes. Bead blasting, tumbling, brushing, polishing, anodizing, plating and laser marking all run alongside machining. Laser marking has a minimum character height of 1.5 mm, so keep that in mind for small parts.
STEP file plus tolerances is enough to start. Quote and DFM notes back in 12 hours, no minimum order quantity.
12-hour quote100% inspectionNo minimum orderNDA on request
Trusted by engineers and manufacturers worldwide
Upload your 3D model or 2D drawing and get a quotation with a free DFM analysis. Maximum processing size 4,000 mm.
CNC Metals 13 grades
CNC Plastics 10 grades
Machines & processes 12 options
Surface & post-processing 10 options
Material: not selected Machine: not selected Post-process: not selected
Fill in this short form and we'll open WhatsApp with your message ready to send. We only use these details to reply to you.
Nothing is sent until you press send inside WhatsApp.
