Swiss CNC Machining Titanium: Speeds, Feeds & Work-Hardening Control
Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V) is the workhorse: it cuts hot and work-hardens, and it is the grade that rewards a disciplined process. Grade 2 is commercially pure — softer, gummier, with a lower cutting force but a chip that smears more easily.
Both want the same discipline: a sharp edge, a continuous feed, and coolant at the cut. The grade changes the parameters, not the process.
Benefits and alternatives at a glance
Run titanium with a sharp positive-rake edge, a low speed and high-pressure coolant, and the payoff is a clean finish and a part that holds tolerance on a difficult material. Run it dull or dry and every one of those reverses.
Where titanium is not the answer, the alternatives are a higher-strength alloy, a stainless or cobalt-chrome for wear or temperature, or a different process. The material follows the service, and the parameter follows the material.
What this shop actually runs
Capability evidence should come as specifics, not slogans. Behind this guide is a 6,800 m² plant in Dongguan, China running 100+ CNC machines with 100+ staff. The machine list by category:
- 5-axis machining centres (10+) - Mazak VARIAXIS I-600 (510/910/510 mm travel, 12,000 rpm, 22 kW, 71.6 N·m, 30-tool BT40) and Mazak INTEGREX I-250H S (B-axis 0.0001°, 24 kW, 124 N·m, 38-tool HSK-A63). Practical for compound-angle parts, single-setup multi-face prismatic work, and aerospace fittings where datum transfer loss is unacceptable.
- 3-axis / 4-axis machining centres (50+) - Brother SPEEDIO S500Z2N / S700Z2N (10,000 rpm, 14/21-tool ATC, 0.7 s tool-to-tool, Z-axis 2.2 G) and Mazak VCE-430A L / VCE-570C L (10,000 rpm, 118 N·m, 24-tool ATC). Practical for prismatic parts, plates, brackets, housings.
- Swiss-type turning centres (10+) - TSUGAMI B0206-III, TSUGAMI B0205-III, STAR SR-32JII, STAR SR-32J Type N, Citizen Cincom A20-3F7. Practical for long, slender rotational parts at ±0.002 mm.
- CNC turning centres (20+) - Used for shafts, bushings, flanges up to ±0.002 mm.
- Wire EDM (5+) - Sodick AQ535L (550/350/300 mm travel, ±20° taper, 800 kg workpiece). Practical for hardened tool steel, internal splines, sharp internal corners that milling cannot reach.
- Inspection: Hexagon CMM + 20+ gauges - Hexagon CMM for coordinate measurement, plus vision system, profilometer, hardness tester, coating thickness gauge, XRF for material verification. The 10:1 rule (gauge 10x more accurate than the band) is applied to every feature.
- Machine highlights - VARIAXIS I-600: one-setup multi-face 5-axis + MAZA-CHECK auto-calibration; INTEGREX I-250H S: DONE-IN-ONE mill-turn, B-axis 0.0001° + Ai thermal shield; SPEEDIO S500Z2N / S700Z2N: Z-axis 2.2 G + 0.7 s ATC; Swiss-type: guide-bush switchable + 0.1 µm resolution.
Tolerance: ±0.003 mm CNC milling / ±0.002 mm CNC turning / ±0.002 mm grinding and wire EDM. Capability: Ppk ≥ 1.67 initial on key characteristics, Cpk ≥ 1.33 ongoing.
Certificates: ISO 9001:2015 (116024/A/0001/UK/En), IATF 16949:2016 (131941/A/0001/SM/En, with design clause 8.3 excluded, stated openly) and ISO 14001:2015 (116024/B/0001/UK/En), issued to Dongguan Zhuohang Ltd, registration 91441900MA4UWT6X39, founded 2005.
Where we ship: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom in Europe; Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States in the Americas; China, Israel, Japan, Singapore and Sri Lanka in Asia; Australia and New Zealand in Oceania; and South Africa in Africa — plus other countries and regions worldwide, shipped from our base in Dongguan, China.
Contact: Felipe Iglesias, [email protected], +86 13126536955.
The IATF 16949 certificate excludes clause 8.3 (product design). That is normal for a build-to-print manufacturer and it is stated here rather than left for an auditor to discover: the plant cuts to the drawings you provide, it does not originate the design.
Send a drawing and get a manufacturability read
Upload your model for a quote, or arrange a factory audit with [email protected] or +86 13126536955. Ask for Felipe Iglesias.
Frequently Asked Questions
What surface speed do you cut titanium at?
Roughly 30 to 60 m/min for the common grades — a fraction of steel's speed — because titanium holds its heat at the tool and a fast cut destroys the edge.
Do you cut titanium dry?
No. Coolant is directed at the cut at high pressure, because the heat is at the tool tip and must be carried away. Dry cutting smears the surface and destroys the tool.
Do you certify aluminum material?
Yes. Material certificates are supplied with the parts and incoming stock is checked against the mill certificate — composition by XRF, hardness where specified. Traceability is per heat or per batch as the certificate defines it.
What tolerances can you hold?
±0.003 mm on CNC milling, ±0.002 mm on CNC turning, and ±0.002 mm where precision grinding or wire EDM is used. The achievable tolerance depends on geometry, material and datum structure, so it is confirmed per feature at quote stage.
Can I audit the factory before placing an order?
Yes — on-site and video audits are both welcome at No. 8, Shuibian Songyuan Road, Hengli Town, Dongguan, Guangdong, China 523470.
Continue reading: Swiss CNC Machining Aluminum · Swiss CNC Machining Checklist · Swiss CNC Machining Quality Control
Standards referenced on this page
- ASTM B348/B348M-21 — Standard Specification for Titanium and Titanium Alloy Bars and Billets
- ASTM B211/B211M-19 — Standard Specification for Aluminum-Alloy Rolled or Cold Finished Bar, Rod, and Wire
- ISO 9001 — Quality management systems — Requirements