Overview of Machinability of Titanium Alloy (Ti6Al4V) and Selection of Machining Parameters

Abstract

Machining of titanium alloy Ti6Al4V is a challenging task for the industry; however, there are some solutions to overcome these difficulties. One of those is optimizing the machining parameters. Machining of Ti6Al4V made by additive manufacturing is an emerging future and is even more difficult when comparing to standard Ti6Al4V alloy. There is lot of invention on Ti6AL4V 3D printed samples, but influence of machining post-printing is lacking. In additive manufacturing of Ti6Al4V alloy, it is necessary to make a finishing operation to improve the surface quality and to ensure precise geometry tolerances. During this process, it may affect the workpiece properties such as microhardness, microstructure, internal defect distribution, internal stresses. During printing there are lots of stresses created, heat treatment is done to normalize the parts. Machining (using milling machine) also causes internal stresses which can damage the surface and part itself. Optimisation of machining parameters and printing parameters can solve this issue. This study gives an overview of selection of machining parameters by considering all the previous relevant research.