People frequently pick their brains to discover more about the pros and disadvantages of various tubing materials since we at Metal Cutting are experts in precision cut-to-length metal tubes. Titanium tube is a fascinating subject since it is a material that has some particular advantages while also posing some different problems. Despite this, titanium is utilized in a variety of medical equipment and other applications where its particular properties are advantageous.
- The most favourable attributes of Titanium tube
Titanium tube is frequently used due to its excellent chemical resistance, which is far superior to stainless steel grades 304 and 316.
Titanium has a high strength-to-weight ratio, making it an excellent choice for a variety of tube applications. It is a high-strength, low-weight material with great corrosion resistance. Metal Cutting, for example, produces a wide range of components from titanium.
- – Radiused tubes with small diameters for automotive applications
- – Seed casings in brachytherapy are small, spherical titanium tubes.
- – Titanium tubing with a thin wall for usage in the casings of chemically active containers in the life sciences
Titanium tubes are also helpful in analytical equipment like chromatography and other applications that require tubing to:
- – Can withstand repeated exposure
- – Doesn’t react with a wide range of chemicals and other substances
Biocompatibility is another benefit of titanium tubes in medical equipment. Titanium is not only biocompatible with the human body (which is essential enough), but it is also nonmagnetic, which is becoming increasingly crucial as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) becomes more frequent in medical diagnosis.
MRI compatibility is critical for any medical equipment that is put or implanted in the body for any length of time and where a slightly magnetic substance would be hazardous, from a temporary heart needle to a (hopefully) permanent bone joint replacement.
Otherwise, a non-invasive diagnostic examination might result in the removal of a metal device from the body. Needless to say, it is NOT a desirable result!
- There are a wide range of grades and various recipes used for Titanium tubes
Another benefit of titanium is that, like stainless steel, there are many different grades of titanium tubes.
ASTM, for example, maintains a number of standards (most notably B265, B348, and B381) that deal with the “recipes” for titanium grades used in various applications. If you look at the specifications, you’ll notice that unalloyed titanium comes in several grades.
Grade 5, the most common commercially available titanium alloy, has a high strength-to-toughness ratio. Grade 5 titanium, unlike pure titanium, may be welded and produced for tubing and other purposes in aerospace, marine, chemical, and medical applications.
- Titanium tubing is done with shape memory
For applications needing shape memory, consider titanium tube in the form of nickel-titanium, or NiTi (also known as nitinol), which is a whole distinct product category.
While NiTi is a 50/50 mix of nickel and titanium in principle, it is never exactly that. In reality, NiTi is always a bespoke blend, as there is no ASTM standard for it and each producer has their own secret recipe.’
Medical tubing that requires a high degree of flexibility and kink resistance, such as catheter guidewires, stents, and super-elastic needles for microsurgery, are frequently made with NiTi. The material has good corrosion resistance when properly treated.
- The various challenges of working with Titanium
Titanium, like any other material, isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for every purpose.
In comparison with Stainless Steel
One of the challenges is that the material is a little more brittle and tougher to work with than stainless steel. Titanium becomes more difficult to deal with as a result of this.
Although titanium may be drawn into a tube, the method does not provide the same flawless surface like stainless steel drawing. Titanium may be drawn down to Ra 8-10 microinch by certain firms. Stainless steel, on the other hand, may be drawn to a much smoother Ra 3-4 microinch or better.
Titanium tube has a rougher ID, which might affect the microfluidic characteristics of any liquid that needs to pass through it. This might be a problem in situations where the smooth flow of liquid is critical.
This isn’t an issue in most medical device applications where the tube will transport blood and other body fluids. Turbulence, on the other hand, is a major issue in situations where the tube must transport small quantities of fluid.
The Machinability of Titanium Tube
Titanium is more brittle and less forgiving than steel, making it more difficult to process. The more work you have to perform with titanium to get your final product, the more likely you are to have chipping and other surface roughness concerns.
In the end, this metal is one of the most largely used products. So if you’d like to talk about titanium tubes or other materials for your purpose or have a need for various types of titanium products such as – Titanium Grade 2 Tube, Titanium Grade 12 Tube, Titanium Tube you should head on over to the Amardeep Steel Centre website or reach out to us by email or call to avail a suitable quote.
