An alpha-beta grade that swaps vanadium for 7% niobium. We mill and turn it to ±0.005 mm on 5-axis centers, with tool paths and feeds written specifically for titanium.
Most failures on this grade are process decisions made before the first cut.
The same program that ran clean on Ti-6Al-4V can chatter and smear on Ti-6Al-7Nb. Niobium raises the alloy's resistance to chip shear, so the tool rubs instead of cutting. The part comes off the machine with a torn surface and a work-hardened skin that the next operation cannot remove.
A 0.8 mm implant shell or a 1.5 mm flange looks good in the machine. Release the clamps and it springs back 0.05 mm to 0.1 mm. Now the mating bore is out of round and the assembly will not seat. This is clamping strategy, not tool wear.
Titanium conducts heat poorly. Cutting heat stays in the edge instead of leaving with the chip. Run the same surface speed you use on stainless and a carbide end mill will fail in one pocket. The tool cost lands on your part price, and the second setup has to be re-datumed.
A long boring bar on a deep implant or aerospace bore deflects under load. The entry measures on size, the middle is 0.03 mm tight, and the exit bells out. Scrap on a forged or bar-stock part is expensive, and rework on titanium is slow.
Three things drive the result on this alloy: heat, clamping, and datum control.
Titanium Alloy 6Al in the 7Nb form cuts at low surface speed. We run carbide at 40–60 m/min with high feed per tooth, and we flood through the spindle so the chip leaves with the heat. Climb milling keeps the chip load on the tooth instead of the edge. For deep pockets we switch to high-pressure through-tool coolant, which breaks the chip and clears the flute.
Every setup starts from a roughing pass that leaves 0.4–0.6 mm of stock, a stress-relief pause if the part is thin, and a semi-finish that removes the work-hardened layer before the finishing cut. That extra pass is what makes the final dimension repeatable instead of a one-off reading.
Thin Ti-6Al-7Nb features are usually the reason a part gets rejected, not the cutting data. We build soft jaws or a dedicated fixture that supports the wall from the outside, and we take light finishing passes with reduced radial engagement. On 5-axis centers we keep the part on one fixture and machine five sides so the number of re-clamps drops.
Inspection follows the same logic. We check the raw material certificate, monitor the critical dimensions in process, and run a final layout before shipment. Reports come on request. For bores we measure after the part has relaxed to room temperature, not straight off the machine.
Pick by what the part has to survive, not by what is in stock.
| Grade | Where it fits | When to pick another |
|---|---|---|
| Ti-6Al-7Nb (UNS R56700) | Implant bodies, bone plates, chemical valve parts | Cost-sensitive brackets with no bio contact |
| Ti-6Al-4V (TC4) | Aerospace structure, fasteners, high-load frames | Vanadium-free medical requirements |
| Commercially pure TA2 | Formed covers, low-load ductile parts | Anything needing high yield strength |
| 17-4PH stainless | Shafts and housings where weight is not critical | Parts that must shed weight or resist chlorides |
One shop handles the cut, the finish and the paperwork.
Contoured implant surfaces and complex aerospace geometry cut in one setup on 16 simultaneous 5-axis centers.
Prismatic mill work plus Ø400 mm rotary turning for round Ti-6Al-7Nb parts with tight bore tolerances.
One-off Ti-6Al-7Nb prototypes with no minimum order, quoted and reviewed within 12 hours.
Bead blasting, tumbling, brushing and polishing to reach Ra 0.2–0.8 μm on sealing faces.
UDI and lot marking on titanium with a minimum character height of 1.5 mm.
Sub-assembly, 100% inspection before shipment and dimensional reports on request.
| Item | Range |
|---|---|
| Maximum part 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 |
| Tolerance | ±0.005 mm (±0.0002 in) |
| Fine finish | Ra 0.2–0.8 μm |
| Standard finish | Ra 0.8–1.6 μm |
Fifteen years of running alpha-beta alloys, with the tool libraries and fixture designs already proven.
Hold ±0.005 mm on critical features, with a documented semi-finish pass before the finishing cut.
Capacity across 3 wholly-owned plants and 7,600 m², so one job does not wait for a single spindle.
Operators and programmers who read titanium by chip color and sound, not just by the screen.
You get a price and a manufacturability review within 12 hours of sending a drawing.
Production can start within 24 hours, and historical late-delivery risk sits below 2%.
Vanadium-free bodies and plates where the alloy must stay bio-compatible and hold a fine surface.
Low-weight structural parts machined on 5-axis centers, with traceable material certificates.
Valve bodies and pump internals for chloride and acid service where corrosion resistance is the point.
No. Both are alpha-beta titanium alloys with 6% aluminum, but the beta stabilizer differs: 7% niobium instead of 4% vanadium. Mechanical properties land close to Ti-6Al-4V, so drawings written for one usually transfer to the other.
The difference matters when the specification bans vanadium. Niobium is the accepted substitute for implant and food-contact work, and it also gives slightly better corrosion behavior in some chloride environments. Machining behavior is similar but not identical, so the program needs a re-check.
Yes, on features we can reach with a supported setup and a clean datum. Titanium deflects under cutting force, so the limit is usually the part geometry, not the machine. A long unsupported bore or a thin wall may need a different strategy or a wider tolerance.
We confirm what is achievable during the DFM review, before you commit to a purchase order. If a callout cannot be held repeatably, we say so and propose a workable number.
As-machined surfaces sit around Ra 1.6–3.2 μm. Standard fine finishing reaches Ra 0.8–1.6 μm, and polished sealing faces can reach Ra 0.2–0.8 μm. Bead blasting and tumbling even out tool marks on non-critical faces.
Anodizing, plating and laser marking are all available. Marking on titanium is legible at a minimum character height of 1.5 mm.
Both, on the same process. There is no minimum order quantity, so a single Ti-6Al-7Nb prototype and a 10,000-part run use the same fixtures, tool paths and inspection routine.
Working this way means the prototype you approve is the part you get in volume. Nothing gets re-qualified between the two.
Send a drawing or STEP file and you get a quotation plus a free DFM analysis within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours of release, and parts typically ship in 3–5 days.
Historical late-delivery probability across our order book is below 2%. If a schedule is at risk, you hear it early, not on the ship date.
A 2D drawing with tolerances and finish callouts, or a 3D model plus a drawing for the critical features. Tell us the alloy condition and any specification the part must meet.
If the part has thin walls or deep bores, include that in the note. It changes the fixture plan and sometimes the price.
Uploads are secure and confidential. An NDA is available on request before you send anything, and we hold ISO 27001:2022 for information security.
Files are shared only with the programmers and machinists working on your job.
Skip it when the part is a low-load bracket with no bio-contact or corrosion requirement. Aluminum 7075 or 6061 will do the job at lower cost and machine faster.
It also makes little sense for large flat covers where stiffness, not strength-to-weight, sets the design. Titanium adds cost without adding much there. We say so when we see it.
Upload a STEP file or 2D drawing. We come back with a quotation and a DFM review, no minimum order and no obligation.
12-hour quote100% inspectionNo minimum orderNDA on request
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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
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