Where the money is actually decided on titanium
Titanium is expensive by the kilo — Grade 5 bar runs many times the price of aluminum — but the cost of Swiss-turning it is set by the slow cycle time, the tool wear and the scrap, not by the material price alone. A slow-cutting, work-hardening material makes every minute of cycle time count.
The design levers are the same ones that move cost on any hard material: wall thickness, hole depth and corner geometry. Getting them reviewed before quoting is cheaper than finding out after the first article.
Cycle time, tool wear and scrap: the three cost drivers
Cycle time is set by the low surface speed titanium demands — roughly 30 to 60 m/min — which is what makes titanium parts slow and therefore dear. Tool wear is set by the heat at the edge, which a dull or dry cut accelerates. Scrap is set by design: a wall too thin, a chip that cannot evacuate, or a tolerance that fights the spring-back.
Of the three, scrap is the one you can influence most before any metal is cut — by getting the drawing reviewed for manufacturability.
How to compare titanium quotes line by line
A competitive titanium quote separates material cost from machining cost. Ask for the two numbers separately: Grade 5 bar is a meaningful material cost, and the machining cost reflects the slow cycle and the tool wear. Two suppliers quoting the same total can hide very different assumptions.
Also ask which grade is assumed and why. Grade 5 and Grade 2 do not cost the same to buy or to cut, and a quote that does not state the grade is one you cannot compare against the next.
How to verify a supplier's claim in one email
Ask for the certificate numbers, the machine list, and a past CMM report for a similar titanium part, all in one message. The machine list tells you whether the rigid Swiss machine is actually on the floor; the CMM report shows whether the tolerance holds on a real part.
A supplier that answers all three in one reply has nothing to hide. A supplier that answers only the marketing line is one to move past.
Benefits and alternatives
Bought right, Swiss-turned titanium is the cheapest way to get a precise, high-strength, biocompatible rotational part: the material is dear but the process holds the tolerance, and the cycle time is the honest cost. Bought wrong, it is a quote padded by slow speeds, tool wear and scrap the buyer never sees itemised.
Where titanium does not fit, the alternatives are a stronger or harder alloy, or a different process. The cost decision follows the material decision: the service picks the material, and the grade, geometry and batch size pick the price.
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). Aimed at 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). Aimed at 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. Aimed at 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). Aimed at 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 drives the cost of Swiss-turned titanium?
The slow cycle time from the low surface speed, the tool wear from the heat at the edge, and the scrap — plus the material price of Grade 5 bar.
How do I compare titanium quotes?
Ask for material cost and machining cost separately, and ask which grade is assumed. Grade 5 and Grade 2 do not cost the same to buy or to cut.
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: CNC Swiss Turning Aluminum · CNC Swiss Turning Checklist · CNC Swiss Turning Cost
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