Grinding Titanium.

Using a special made green silicon carbide wheel from Radiac to grind Titanium. The finished part measured .146 we removed .008 with .012 down feed. Below are some of the links mentioned in the video.
Eric at grimlockco Instagram page pBhjxQInld...
Seth Turner at Maskas Precision kinves / maskas_precision_knives
Dave at Effenberk Kinves / effenberk_knives

[@alexpudlo9063]

Great tip on setting angle of diamond! I always learn something from your videos. One of the most underrated machining channels on KZbin, IMO.

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Wow, thanks!

[@ericrichards5862]

I have a customer asking about grinding Titanium so I did a search and this video came up. Now I know it can be done I let them know. Thanks

[@st8972]

Steve, awesome video as always and your results are fantastic! Going to get one of those wheels on the way. Your fixture looks great, very clever design for holding the plates. Looks like I have some fixture making to do! Thanks again the help and advice you give is excellent and I really appreciate your time spent making the videos and helping others.

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Hi Seth, Your welcome. If you build a similar fixture have the clamping pressure push down rather than pinch from the sides like the one in the video. Thin plates will flex more with the side pressure. I didn't have thick enough steel at the time to make the fixture the way I wanted to. I think you will love the wheel. Steve

[@experienceprecision5406]

Well made video thank you

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@RRINTHESHOP]

Nice for the end product. The wheel sure worked out good. Like the grinding tips.

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Hi Randy, I love that wheel. I will be trying it in Cast Iron and Aluminum soon.

[@johnstrange6799]

Really nice finish. Thanks for sharing it.

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Thanks John.

[@bcbloc02]

Finish looks great to me! Good tips on the wheel dressing.

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Thanks Brian.

[@superdansilverman]

thanks for another great video. learned a lot as always

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Your welcome. Steve

[@glennfelpel9785]

Good video, I am looking forward to seeing your experience grinding aluminum again.

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Hi Glenn, Hopefully we will do that soon. I am curious about it as well. Steve

[@ER-zv1nr]

Nice, awesome little tool to hold the non magnetic work

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Thanks Eric.

[@DCT_Aaron_Engineering]

Oh my, you just taught me something today. I had no idea that you could grind titanium. I've never worked with it before, only ever seen a medical titanium screw before. Thanks for sharing. Cheers, Aaron.

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Hi Aaron, This was only my third short experience in Titanium. I can tell tell you it was hard on the carbide mill cutter doing the 45 degree angle. Steve

[@turningpoint6643]

I've done just a little turning and milling of titanium in my home shop. Since it is just a home shop tool life and it's cost is a bit more important than my time is. For a light cut like that 45 degree chamfer on each side of the plate maybe try a good quality braised carbide tool in a flycutter. Micro 100 make some excellent long lasting braised carbide. Interrupted cut or not, for light cuts or low metal removal rates I've found the braised carbide to stand up a lot better on titanium for me than even solid carbide end mills will. Of course I may have been using the incorrect grade of those carbide end mills and maybe a proper Titanium specific grade might have changed my results. HSS will cut and drill it, but let the tool rub at all and the grades I was trying will work harden right now. And Titanium doesn't like large depths of cut or excessive rpm while being cut according to one supplier I talked to. You want the heat removed in the chip so a light depth of cut and fairly high feed rate. Get it too hot and it seems to start to smear the surface finish, or even worse with some grades start that work hardening. Very interesting tip on coating that straight unmixed coolant on the part first as well as using the flood coolant Steve. Titanium to me just seems to be a real tough on tool edges material a bit like some stainless. Maybe a tight grain structure that's harder to get a smooth cut on than being actually a high Rockwell number hard? It's a long ways from my favorite metal. I'm not sure it could be ground without having flood coolant on it. It's also not a great idea to let the chips or dust build up anywhere since a lot of the Ti. grades are pretty easy to ignite.

[@DCT_Aaron_Engineering]

I bet it was hard on that carbide mill cutter. One day I'll experience working with it, but I'm in no hurry. Cheers Steve, Aaron.

[@DCT_Aaron_Engineering]

Thank you for the information. The fear of it igniting would be enough for me to stay away from it. I appreciate your time. Cheers, Aaron

[@turningpoint6643]

Aaron, some grades are more prone to the chips igniting than others. It's not a huge problem if you understand what can happen under certain circumstances. It's machined every day in industry for high performance racing parts, areospace, military parts etc. with few problems. Magnesium is far worse and it can be machined if your careful. The sharper the tool edge the less friction heat you generate.

[@ROBRENZ]

Nice work Steve! A standard 8 x 1/2 x 1-1/4 GC60-I silicon carbide wheel from Travers on sale is about $25.00 ATB, Robin

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Hi Robin, I never worked in Titanium before and everything I researched on the internet suggested it was going to be nasty. I knew heat build up was going to be the issue so I wanted an open structure knowing that with Aluminum Oxide wheels with open structure reduced heat significantly. Also, I liked the anti loading I had with the open structure Aluminum Oxide wheels by painting on undiluted coolant. I was hoping to have the same results with the Silicon Carbide wheel so Radiac made an open structure one for me and it worked great. I had know idea why I had such a huge improvement in the finish when painted with undiluted coolant but Erik Isberg had a good explanation in his comment on this page. Steve

[@erikisberg3886]

Hi Steve! Thanks for the education on dressing the wheel, very interesting how it affects surface finish! Never sen Ti being ground before. Ti is nowadays used extensively in modern fireworks in the form of 0.1 to 2.5 mm flake or sponge titanium. It gives very bright white sparks with oxidizers. A safety tip is that Ti fires (and even more so zirconium and magnesium) should never be put out with water, dry sand works well. These metals burn well under water and they do often then also explode violently. Titanium has a very hard oxide layer and the grades machine differently. My experience is mostly from medical grades. These are fairly soft and fine grain sharp inserts work best. Some Alu inserts work well. Once the cutting parameters are right, it is not very difficult to machine it. There will be quick build up on dull cutting edges and imminent tool failure. Taking to light cuts also tends to shorten tool life since the tool cuts more in the tough oxide layer than in the metal. I wonder how this translates into grinding. Ti oxides are normally softer than Silicon carbide, but it is known that they can also be the hardest metal oxides known in thin layers, even harder than CBN. I think it is then called cotunnite or something similar.

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Hi Erik, Thanks for the information. Titanium is a whole new ball game with a new set of rules. I can see why some struggle with it. Tips from those who know this material are a big help. Steve

[@erikisberg3886]

Hi Steve! Here is a link to my old PM post and responses about flammable metals from some Years ago that can perhaps be of interest for some: www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/cnc-machining/hazards-machining-magnesium-314231/index2.html I have a friend who fabricates many one off Ti medical implants and similar stuff. The preferred cutting oils for this seem to be straight oils for Ti. Maybe that keeps the oxygen out delaying re oxidation of the cut surface thereby improving machinability at low sfm:s? Perhaps this has something to do with the undiluted coolant trick that works really well, I tried it. Thanks for the tip! Grade 7 and the harder aerospace alloys are machined at high speeds with water based coolants. Ti is a really poor heat conductor, so at high speed water seems to cool best. I tried cooling with liquid CO2 from a stainless hypodermic needle some years ago, and it worked well as a dry process for HSM of Ti.

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Thanks for the information Erik. Steve

[@CapeCodCNC]

I use Bio-Syntra LM-10 made by Renewable Lubricants and get superb finishes on everything I have tried so far. No mixing required!

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

There are a lot of good products out there. Sometimes it can be frustrating finding the right coolant. Thanks for sharing. Steve

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Really nice finish Steve. I dont own a surface grinder but enjoyed the video. Would love to own one someday ~ Richard

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Thanks Richard.

[@PeteBrubaker]

Thanks for the tips on dressing! Interesting thought about the wheel hydroplaning. It made me wonder if the thick coolant would fill the voids in the wheel causing it to cut more evenly. It seems similar to machine ways, the hand scraped and flaked way holds enough high viscosity lubricant to provide a thin film between the contact surfaces. Maybe that's why it works well on aluminum? If it's filling the voids aluminum is more compressible than a fluid, so maybe that's what keeps the wheel from loading up.

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Hi Pete, I am not sure why the coolant trick works but it does make a big difference in the finish. I do know that using this method in Aluminum keeps the wheel from loading up.

[@robc2536]

Steve, Have you tried the Ceramic (SG) wheels? In my experience with them, they grind cooler because their structure allows the grit to fracture keeping a sharp edge. I haven't used them on Titanium, but they work great on CPM 10-V. and other tough/hard to grind materials. On a safety note, you may want to look into a dust collector for your grinder. I know they cost a few bucks but your lungs are worth it. Great content on your videos, I'm really enjoying them.

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Hi Rob, I have never used the Norton SG but I use the Radiac ceramic aluminum oxide mix and they work great for steels like 10V.

[@eduardoambriz741]

Hi, I just watched the video and its verry interesting, thanks for doing videos like this, I have a question, what is that liquid that you put for that great finish?

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

I used undiluted coolant. It "s Cimcool Cimperial 1070. Steve

[@jimsvideos7201]

Hello; based on how many of the other commenters I recognize it's little wonder your videos appear in my recommendations. It might be of interest that John Saunders @ NYC CNC has been getting pretty good work-holding results out of putting masking tape on both parts and superglue in between.

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Hi Jim I will have to check that out. Does he use coolant on the parts that are taped? Steve

[@jimsvideos7201]

This one (kzbin.info/www/bejne/imO9YoqtjpqKaLc) and this one (kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGendKmqmLprla8) refer; I can't recall if he's used flood coolant with it though.

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Hi Jim, Thanks for the links.

[@scottlundy257]

Somehow I though titanium would not throw sparks when grinding interesting

[@dsfs17987]

fun fact - Formula 1 racing series mandated that cars should use titanium pads on the underside of the car (wear surfaces, to prevent carbon fiber bodywork to touch the tarmac, which would instantly ruin the CF part) to generate lots of sparks to add excitement for the fans watching the race, I kid you not, that is exactly what they did, they used to use silicon carbide pads, but those basically didn't wear, thus generated no sparks, just dust, so teams were told to use titanium...

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Hi Scott, Those sparks were different than steel. They were white hot.