What Are the Drawing Technologies of Titanium Wire？

Titanium wire is an important titanium processed material, and its precision and performance directly determine the quality of related products. The drawing process is the core technology for "reducing diameter and improving precision" of titanium wire. From rough billets to micron-level precision titanium wire, breakthroughs in the drawing process continue to drive the upgrading of titanium wire applications.

 

 

With the plastic deformation of titanium, the titanium billets is forced to pass through a die with a specific aperture under tensile force to reduce the cross-sectional area and increase the length, finally obtaining titanium wire.It meets the requirements of size, surface, and mechanical properties. Compared with steel and aluminum, titanium has poor room-temperature plasticity, high deformation resistance, and is prone to adhesion to dies. So the drawing process has more stringent requirements for parameters, dies, and lubrication.

 

 

Titanium Wires in stock

 

 

1. Blank Pretreatment

As the foundation of drawing, it directly affects process stability and finished product quality.

Surface treatment-using a mixed solution of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid to remove the hard TiO₂ oxide scale and form a passivation film;

Annealing treatment-heating at 600-800℃ to eliminate internal stress of large-size or titanium alloy blanks and improve plasticity;

Controlling the flatness and roundness of the blank end face to avoid uneven stress leading to die wear or titanium wire eccentricity.

 

2. Die System

A core component that determines the dimensional accuracy and surface quality of titanium wire. The die requires high hardness, high wear resistance, and anti-adhesion. Tungsten carbide and polycrystalline diamond (PCD, more suitable for multi-pass drawing of precision titanium wire) are commonly used. The hole type adopts a composite structure of a conical inlet, working area, sizing area, and outlet area. The cone angle of the working area must be precisely controlled-too small increases friction and is prone to scratching, while too large easily causes the "bamboo joint-like" defect of titanium wire.

 

3. Lubrication and Cooling System

The key to solving "adhesion" and "overheating" in titanium wire drawing. The industry mostly adopts the "oil-based lubrication + forced cooling" mode:

Oil-based lubricants (containing extreme pressure additives) form a lubricating film to isolate the die from the blank, and extreme pressure additives form a wear-resistant chemical film under high temperature and pressure;

Forced cooling achieves real-time temperature reduction through circulating water/oil, controlling the temperature below the titanium recrystallization temperature to avoid performance degradation. Medical titanium wire requires food-grade/medical-grade lubricants to ensure biocompatibility.

 

4. Process Parameter Optimization

The core of achieving "high efficiency and low consumption" production.

The pass deformation must match the plasticity of titanium materials: 15%-25% for pure titanium wire in a single pass, and reduced to 10%-18% for titanium alloys such as Gr5. Intermediate annealing is required between multi-pass drawing to eliminate work hardening.

The drawing speed is selected as needed: 1-5m/min low speed for the final pass processing of precision titanium wire, and 10-30m/min high speed to improve the efficiency of rough drawing/intermediate drawing (strengthened lubrication and cooling is required).

The tension must be stably controlled to avoid diameter fluctuation or wire breakage.

 

 

1. Key Process Optimization Directions

Precision: Adopting nano-scale PCD dies and pulse tension control to realize stable production of ultra-fine titanium wire with ≤0.05mm;

High efficiency: Replacing intermittent production with continuous multi-pass automated production lines, increasing efficiency by more than 30%;

Greenization: Replacing oil-based products with environmentally friendly water-based lubricants, combined with recovery systems to reduce pollution.

 

2. Core Application Fields

Aerospace: Used for engine damping wires and spacecraft wires, high strength and resistance to high and low temperatures ensure reliability in extreme environments;

Medical devices: Pure titanium wire for orthopedic nails and dental implants, high precision reduces surgical trauma;

Electronic information: Ultra-fine titanium wire as lithium battery current collectors, improving battery cycle life and safety. Application expansion and process innovation form a two-way promotion.

 

As a direct manufacturer without middleman costs, Ruihang is specialized in R&D, production and sales. We mainly manufacture titanium products,such as titanium plates,sheets,bars,wires,tubes,forgings. The full range of titanium products are available, including Grade 1-4, Grade 5, Grade7, Grade9,Grade12, Grade23 etc.Our sales team is standing by to provide you with customized support. If you have purchasing needs on hand, feel free to contact us: Sam.Rui@bjrh-titanium.com