Titanium Alloy Hexagonal Bar Manufacturing Process + Applications in All Fields

Common Grades: TA1/TA2 Pure Titanium, TC4 (Gr5), TC4ELI (Gr23 Medical Grade), TA18, TC16, with 6-100mm across flats being the mainstream specifications.

Aviation-grade titanium hexagonal bar raw material

Medical-grade titanium hexagonal bar

I. Complete Production Process (4 Mainstream Forming Routes)

1. Basic Processes (Universal Pre-processes for All Technologies)

Vacuum Melting: Sponge titanium + alloy material → Vacuum self-consuming arc furnace (VAR)/cooled hearth furnace melting and casting titanium ingots, removing gases and impurities, ensuring uniform composition

Forging: Ingot heating to 880～1100℃, multi-directional upsetting and forging, peeling and grinding, rolling into round bar billets, refining grains, eliminating casting defects

2. Four Forming Processes

① Hot Rolling with Passes (Medium and large specifications, opposite sides ≥16mm, preferred for mass production)

Round billet heating to 850～1050℃ and holding for 1～2h, elliptical → rhomboid → hexagonal multi-stage pass continuous rolling (9 passes); Rough rolling with large deformation for billet preparation, finish rolling with small deformation for shaping, finished product tolerance ±0.3～0.5mm;

Advantages: High yield, low cost, suitable for mass production of fastener raw materials.

② Cold drawing process (small to medium precision specifications, 6～32mm across sides): Hot-rolled round billets are pickled to remove oxide scale, then cold-drawn in multiple passes, with a single-pass deformation of 12%～18%, interspersed with stress-relief annealing (550～650℃) to prevent cracking;

Finished product precision ±0.03～0.08mm, bright surface, special raw material for precision bolts.

③ Hot extrusion forming (large-size irregular hexagonal, difficult-to-deform titanium alloy TC16): Billet is extruded at 1100～1200℃ in one step using a hexagonal die, suitable for large cross-section, high-strength titanium hexagonal bars.

④ Round bar turning/milling hexagonal (small batch ultra-high precision parts): Finished round titanium bars are milled into hexagons on a CNC milling machine, with a precision of ±0.01mm, suitable for small batches of medical devices and precision instruments.

3. Post-processing Steps

Heat Treatment: TC4 conventional 930℃ solution treatment + 520℃ aging to improve strength; pure titanium 600℃ stress-relief annealing to eliminate processing stress.

Finishing: Roller straightening → Length sawing → Pickling/Polishing (Pickling Ra3.2, Polishing Ra0.4 and below)

Non-destructive Testing: Ultrasonic + Eddy current testing, checking for internal cracks; mandatory full inspection for aerospace/medical materials.

II. Application Scope and Sub-sectors

1. Aerospace (TC4/TC16 has the largest usage)

Aircraft fuselage, landing gear, aero-engine hex bolts, studs, locating pins;

Spacecraft, missile structural connectors, weight reduction + high temperature resistance + fatigue resistance, replacing alloy steel with a weight reduction of over 40%.

Marine Titanium Fittings

2. Medical and Pharmaceutical (TC4ELI Medical Grade Hexagonal Rods)

Orthopedics: Bone screws, bone plate fixation bolts, spinal internal fixation connectors;

Dentistry: Implant abutment screws, orthodontic accessories;

Surgical Instruments: Minimally invasive instrument hexagonal connecting rods, excellent biocompatibility and no rejection.

3. Oil and Gas Well Downhole Equipment

Deep well and oil and gas well corrosion-resistant valve stems, downhole connectors, high-pressure fasteners; resistant to hydrogen sulfide and brine corrosion, a substitute for stainless steel.

4. Chemical & Seawater Desalination Industry (TA2 Pure Titanium Hexagonal Rods)

Reaction vessel fasteners, chemical pump shafts, valve hexagonal threaded rods; zero corrosion in strong acids, chloride salts, and seawater environments;

Seawater desalination equipment, heat exchange equipment connectors for coastal power plants.

Chemical Titanium Equipment

5. Marine Engineering

Ship deck hardware, propeller connectors, seawater pipeline bolts; resistant to chloride ion corrosion in all seawater environments.

6. High-end Automobiles & Racing Cars: Lightweight bolts for racing car chassis, engine connecting rod bolts, suspension pins for new energy vehicles—reducing weight and increasing power.

7. Precision Machinery & Semiconductors: Pins for automated equipment, fasteners for vacuum chambers, screws for semiconductor equipment fixtures; non-magnetic, dimensionally stable.

8. Outdoor & Sporting Goods: High-end bicycle hub shafts, trekking pole connectors, fasteners for diving equipment, golf accessories.