Rockford Engineering Associates, LLC are working on development of a way to cut the machining cost of titanium and ceramics, to research and develop ways to fix problems encountered at the now defunct Ingersoll. The implications are major for the machining industry if the firm is successful. Titanium is lighter than aluminum and stronger than steel, but the cost of raw titanium and the process of turning it into parts is much more expensive. Titanium is used in specialized, expensive products such as artificial limbs, golf clubs and airplanes. The new airplanes being developed by Boeing and Airbus are made up of titanium and carbon fiber composites because the combination will be lighter, making the airplanes more fuel efficient. There are other efforts under way to create a more plentiful supply of titanium. The Rockford idea is to develop a machine that can cut and shape titanium at super high speeds with limited to no vibration. Both titanium and ceramics are hard to machine because when machines cut at high speeds, the alloys tend to weld themselves to the cutting carbide. To combat that, the machines in use now cut at slower speeds, which leads to greater vibration and more tooling breakdowns.
