Experimental comparison of micromilling pure titanium and Ti-6Al-4V

Pure titanium is the ideal metallic material to be used for producing dental implants due to its good corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. However, pure titanium does not present high mechanical resistance, which can be a limiting factor. Recently, the pure titanium is being replaced by titanium alloy with aluminum and vanadium (Ti-6Al-4V). This study deals with micromilling machinability of pure titanium and Ti-6Al-4V considering mechanical properties, the forces measured during the process, surface roughness, top burr height, and chips morphology. The cutting tests are performed for the constant depth of cut and cutting speed, and a range of feed per tooth from 0.5 to 4.0 μm/tooth. Results show no significant differences in roughness and burr formation, whereas higher forces are found for the titanium alloy compared to pure metal. Both materials produce long chips for smaller feeds.