Titanium Wire Manufacturing Process Explained: From Ingot to Precision Wire
Titanium wire is a premium-grade material widely used in aerospace, medical, chemical, and electronics industries. Renowned for its high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility, titanium wire plays a critical role in high-performance applications. However, producing high-quality titanium wire is far more complex than standard metal wire-it involves precise control across multiple technical stages. This article provides a comprehensive overview of how titanium wire is manufactured, step by step, from raw titanium ingots to ultra-fine wire.
Raw Material Preparation: Titanium Ingot Melting
The process begins with high-purity titanium sponge, which is melted to form titanium ingots. Depending on application needs, the ingots may consist of commercially pure titanium (such as TA1 or TA2) or titanium alloys like Ti-6Al-4V (TC4). Melting is typically performed using vacuum arc remelting (VAR) or electron beam (EB) melting, ensuring a uniform composition and minimal impurities.
Hot Forging and Initial Rolling: Creating Wire Rods
The titanium ingot is then hot forged or extruded into rod-shaped billets. This step refines the grain structure and improves the workability of the metal. The hot-rolled or extruded billets serve as the base material for the subsequent wire-drawing process.
Annealing and Pickling: Enhancing Ductility and Surface Quality
Between each drawing stage, the titanium rods are annealed in a vacuum or inert gas atmosphere to reduce internal stresses and improve ductility. After annealing, the surface oxides and scale are removed using acid pickling, which ensures a clean surface for the next processing stage.
Multi-Stage Cold Drawing: Achieving Target Diameter and Precision
Cold drawing is the most critical phase in producing titanium wire. The rods are drawn through a series of progressively smaller dies to gradually reduce the diameter while increasing the length.
To prevent brittleness and breakage, intermediate annealing is performed between multiple drawing passes. Precision control is essential, as final wire diameters may reach as small as 0.1 mm, with tight tolerances of ±0.01 mm.
Typical process flow:
Titanium Rod → Pre-Drawing → Intermediate Annealing → Fine Drawing → Surface Treatment → Finished Wire
Surface Finishing and Inspection: Guaranteeing Purity and Consistency
Once the wire reaches the desired size, it undergoes surface finishing, including polishing or chemical cleaning, to achieve a bright, oxide-free surface. Strict quality inspection follows, covering:
Tensile strength & elongation
Diameter precision
Chemical composition
Surface defects
For high-end applications, additional tests such as ultrasonic inspection, microscopy, and non-destructive testing (NDT) may be required.
Cutting and Packaging: Customized to Client Specifications
Finished titanium wire is cut to custom lengths or coiled onto spools, then packaged in moisture-proof, anti-oxidation vacuum wrapping. This ensures long-term storage stability and safe global transportation.
Producing titanium wire requires technical expertise, advanced equipment, and stringent quality control at every step-from ingot to final coil. Every meter of titanium wire reflects a tightly controlled process that determines its performance in critical environments.
Haiboweier Metal specializes in the production of titanium and alloy wires with complete in-house production capabilities. Whether you are purchasing CP titanium wire or Ti-6Al-4V titanium wire, we provide customized specifications, reliable batch consistency and fast global delivery. Looking for high-performance titanium wire for your application? Contact us now to request samples, technical data or a custom quote.
