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Threading Tantalum
- Thread starter kryptik
- Start date
- Replies 11
- Views 3,663
Old Bill
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2006
- Location
- San Antonio, TX
Been there. This is bad stuff. I also machined some TZM, which is another horn on the same goat.
Try a positive rake on the insert and lotsa
Molly-D cutting fluid. Expect tearing like Mo. Thread grinding would be
best, but probably out of reach($$$$$). Good luck, O.B.
Try a positive rake on the insert and lotsa
Molly-D cutting fluid. Expect tearing like Mo. Thread grinding would be
best, but probably out of reach($$$$$). Good luck, O.B.
appliedproto
Stainless
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2005
- Location
- Hingham, MA
Been years since I was around the stuff, and I never personally machined or tapped it. But I remember my boss keeping his secret stash of Trich 1,1,1 he got from the chemists for stuff like Tantalum. I just remember the material didn't like to cut, just dragged. Good luck is what I'm pretty much saying
KilrB
Stainless
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2007
- Location
- Angleton, Texas
We had the same problems where I used to work, until we started rolling them.
Bluejeep
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2006
- Location
- Cape Cod, Ma
I've worked with alot of tantalum, but never have had the displeasure of threading it. Generally the trick I have found like old bill said lots of relief, the more the better, I have found 45 deg. rake works well for turning and boring and an almost dead sharp point (which will wear away in no time) I have had better luck with lots of flood (Doall powercut 390) than cutting fluid. Try to keep doc. at .005 - .01 (radius). I have not had luck with carbide with the stuff, get some Hss and grind up a really odd looking thread tool and good luck.
Bluejeep
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2006
- Location
- Cape Cod, Ma
Also I was running about 45sfm and feeding at .002/rev. (maybe I'll bring that "alot of tantalum down to a bunch 
)
)samaterials
Plastic
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2020
- Location
- Lake Forest
Well, I've also worked with a lot of tantalum, I do consider us a resource Tantalum Oxide Tantalum Pentoxide Powder Ta2O5 Supplier | SAM
cyanidekid
Titanium
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2016
- Location
- Brooklyn NYC
Spam alert!!!
Ps, If anyone is actually wondering, Ta is a reactive metal that forms a hard oxide layer on exposure to air in a similar way to aluminum, but in other ways couldn’t be more different. It’s one of the denser elements, at 15.7 if I remember correctly, on par with Tungsten and 18k gold ( yes, I know that’s an alloy), it is highly malleable and probably the gummiest metal I’ve worked with. It’s like hot bubblegum, but 1 1/2 X as dense as lead, and has the added feature of the tool dulling oxide surface layer.
“Form it if you can, cuz it don’t cut good.!”
ChipSplitter
Titanium
- Joined
- May 23, 2019
- Location
- Maybe
What's the purpose of using it in the first place?
Some engunneer hasn't done his share of making life difficult for the machinists?
In my case it isn't full blown engineers. I get grad students and professors doing research specifying all kinds of exotic materials that don't want to be machined.
Then they can spread their wings and go out into the world saying "Well the old machine shop I used had no problems cutting this"
Then they can spread their wings and go out into the world saying "Well the old machine shop I used had no problems cutting this"
rcoope
Stainless
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2010
- Location
- Vancouver Canada
Tantalum gets used as high temperature boats and filaments for ultra high vacuum applications where it holds some other material you are evaporating onto a surface. We used make these from tantalum foil spot welded to tantalum rods which would connect back via clamps to copper rods. It would work just like a light bulb where the high resistance part is the foil, so it gets white hot and evaoporates your gallium or arsenic etc to make AlGaAs and InGaAs heterojunctions and such for your semiconductor laser and LED stuff. I'd be curious what the application is where it needs to be machined, especially as if you're taking advantage of the high density or temperature properties, (eg medical LINAC beam jaws) tungsten or one of the more machinable tungsten alloys ought to be an option.
rokstarr999
Aluminum
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2014
- Location
- Sonoma County, USA
I have 12 years in a shop that builds high temperature vacuum furnaces. All the hot zones were built out of Molybdenum, tungsten, graphite TZM Moly and occasionally...Tantalum. I've had lots of luck single pointing Molybdenum...huge pain in the butt though. Molybdenum likes super sharp tools and super small DOC's. Like 20 plus passes for a 1/4-20...and lots of Moly-D.
I don't know what Tantalum likes. I tried every trick in my bag and never could get a thread on that stuff..it's just too soft. And even if you do get a couple good passes...just wait until you start getting closer to the root.
I don't know what Tantalum likes. I tried every trick in my bag and never could get a thread on that stuff..it's just too soft. And even if you do get a couple good passes...just wait until you start getting closer to the root.
