TI · titanium
Titanium Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo (Ti-6242)
A near-alpha alloy for hot sections: harder and more abrasive than Ti-6Al-4V and correspondingly slower to machine. Its hot strength is the reason it is bought.
Quoting this material
- Typical lead time
- 18–28 working days
- Condition
- Annealed or solution treated and aged
- Achievable finish
- Ra 1.6 µm typical · Ra 0.8 µm best
Machined in-house to your drawing: see the precision CNC machining service and the machine and inspection capability it runs on.
Machinability
Our own 1–10 shop ranking, not a published index: 10 is free-cutting brass C360, 1 is Inconel 718. It ranks how a material behaves on the floor - cycle time, chip control and tool life together. Where a published index exists it is quoted in the note.
A near-alpha alloy for hot sections: harder and more abrasive than Ti-6Al-4V and correspondingly slower to machine. Its hot strength is the reason it is bought.
Properties as supplied
| Parameter | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Tensile strength | 900 | MPa |
| Yield strength (0.2%) | 830 | MPa |
| Elongation | 10 | % |
| Hardness | ~360 | HB |
| Service temperature | To 500 | °C |
| Modulus of elasticity | 114 | GPa |
Hardness, tensile and thermal figures are typical published values for the condition stated. Actual mill certificates govern; send the specification with the drawing and we confirm against the certificate before the material is cut.
Condition
Annealed or solution treated and aged
Heat treatment
Can be solution treated and aged to a higher strength, and the alloy is designed for service at 500 °C where 6Al-4V has already lost much of its strength.
Achievable surface finish
Ra 1.6 µm
Ra 0.8 µm
Fatigue-critical surfaces on hot-section parts are usually shot peened after machining.
Tooling and cutting parameters
Cutting speed
- 30–60 m/min (carbide)
Feed
- 0.06–0.16 mm/rev turning · 0.04–0.10 mm/tooth milling
Tooling
- Uncoated fine-grain carbide, very sharp, maximum rigidity
Coolant
- High-pressure through-tool; heat control decides tool life
Starting points for carbide on a rigid setup, not a guarantee. The right numbers depend on the machine, the toolholder and the fixturing - ask and we will say what we would actually run.
Typical applications
- Aerospace engine compressor components
- Hot-section airframe parts
- Exhaust and nozzle hardware
- High-temperature ducting
- Supersonic airframe structure
DFM notes for this grade
- Specify it for the temperature, not the strength: at room temperature Ti-6Al-4V is comparable and far easier to obtain and machine
- The higher hardness is abrasive on the tool - expect short insert life and plan the tooling cost into the quote
- As with any near-alpha alloy, sharp geometry and rigid support decide whether the part gets finished or scrapped
Questions buyers ask
- What is Ti-6242 for?
- Sustained service around 450–500 °C where Ti-6Al-4V has lost too much strength - compressor components, hot airframe structure, exhaust hardware. It is a hot-section titanium, and the machining difficulty follows from the hardness and the alloying.
- Why is it so much harder to machine than Ti-6Al-4V?
- Higher hardness and more alloying elements in solution, which makes the chip stronger and more abrasive at the cutting temperature. Lower cutting speeds, shorter tool life, and a real premium on the cycle time - none of it optional.