Titanium Sheet

Titanium Sheet

Titanium sheets are flat units thinner than 0.25 inches in pure ore form ready for secondary fabrication. Manufacturers who work with titanium will begin their fabrication processes with either titanium sheeting or, for larger quantities, titanium plates. Sheets and plates are made from ore which has already been fabricated and reduced from its natural mineral depository form. Since titanium never occurs in its pure form in nature, the primary fabrication process is costly and difficult; mineral deposits containing titanium – usually ilmenite – must be refined to titanium tetrachloride then reduced with magnesium. What usually forms through this is a highly porous bulk, or “sponge”, which is then melted into titanium sheet, ready for secondary fabrication.

Titanium offers superior strength, rigidity, and lightness compared other metals. Equal to steel in strength, titanium is half of steel’s density and has excellent corrosion resistance. Because of these properties, titanium offers what is ultimately a cost-effective solution for many uses, since titanium can hold the same amount of strength as copper, steel, brass or aluminum with only half the material volume. Since titanium is resistant to acid, oxygen, chloride and salt corrosion, titanium parts often result in much lower maintenance and longer product life.

Titanium is being used for an ever-widening array of applications in many fields. Aquarium, naval and other saltwater industries often use titanium for underwater parts due to its resistance to erosion, stress, microbiological corrosion and pitting. Because it is such a lightweight, high strength material, titanium is used in the automotive industry for valve springs, rocker arms, connecting rods, exhaust systems, drive shafts, steering gear, etc. Racing specifically uses titanium to increase vehicular speed. Surgical and dental industries use titanium instruments to decrease the chance of allergic metal reactions, and many kinds of prosthesis are manufactured from pure titanium which does not contaminate or corrode in the body. The aerospace industry uses titanium quite extensively for jet engines, missiles and spacecrafts.

Other uses for titanium include semiconductor and battery wires, chemical and petroleum handling, agri-food, orthopedics and sporting goods equipment. Once processed into an ore, titanium is relatively easy to fabricate and extremely useful, which is why many industries choose titanium even at a higher cost, continually researching new possible uses for titanium.

Titanium Sheet Image Provided by Supra Alloys, Inc.