Titanium is very light but is highly durable and strong. It is tougher and stronger than metals such as steel and aluminum. Titanium 6al-4v is an alloy, which is made by mixing aluminum and Vanadium with titanium. The percentage of aluminum in 6al-4v is 6% while that of Vanadium is 4%. This alloy is highly resistant to corrosion and is available with almost every titanium supplier operating in the market. Because of its light weight and tolerance to heat, this alloy is used in aerospace industry.
The popularity of titanium has increased over the last decade because of the flexibility that it offers. It is 30% stronger than steel but is much lighter in weight when compared to it. Titanium also has a very high melting point and retains its strength even at very high temperatures. Ti 6al-4v has a unique quality of being highly resistant to salt and water, which makes it a favorite alloy of several industries. It is also used for manufacturing spacecrafts, naval ships, missiles, and sports cars, to name just a few.
Titanium and its alloys suffer from a high degree of spring-back when formed and are quite difficult to machine. These alloys need to be formed at extremely high temperatures. Titanium can also be super-plastically formed, just like some of the alloys of aluminum, making it possible to create very strong and light items such as pressure vessels. Titanium also can undergo diffusion bonding, which means that two pieces of titanium can be fused to become a single piece when heated at high temperatures. This is somewhat similar to forge welding but is done at lower temperatures.
There are a number of titanium suppliers operating in the market but it would be better to search for a good titanium supplier online. An online supplier of titanium and 6al-4v should be selected only after comparing the prices and quality being offered by different websites so that you can seal the best deal.
