Titanium alloy welcomes new progress in consumer electronics applications, and polishing equipment is highly certain

1. Titanium alloys welcome new developments in consumer electronics applications, and polishing equipment is highly certain.

According to interface news reports, Glory plans to release the folding screen V2 in July 2023, which will use titanium alloy technology on a large scale for the first time. It is mainly used in folding screen rolling devices to reduce the overall thickness and weight of folding screens. In addition, Apple has a large reserve of titanium alloy patents and has been in place for a long time. According to PatentlyApple statistics, as of now, Apple has obtained a total of 8 patents related to titanium alloy materials, and uses the same Ultra name as the AppleWatch titanium alloy series in the iPhone 15 high-end series. Titanium alloy processing currently focuses on cutting and grinding, and 3D printing is the new process direction. However, after the above two processes are completed, grinding equipment is required to polish and polish to improve the accuracy and smoothness of the workpiece.

2. Titanium alloy cutting and grinding process: The processing difficulty is greater than that of aluminum alloy, and the equipment demand is large under the same requirements

Titanium alloy processing is difficult and has low yield. Due to its high strength, low thermal conductivity and high chemical activity. In terms of processing difficulty, the machining of titanium alloys is difficult: taking the middle frame of mobile phones as an example, according to Aibang polymer data, the overall yield rate of the middle frame of titanium alloy mobile phones is about 30%-40%, which is much lower than that of aluminum alloy middle frame. 80%; and the processing time is long, about 3-4 times that of aluminum alloy. Therefore, if cutting and grinding technology are used, the demand for titanium alloy equipment is greater than that of aluminum alloy under the same number of workpieces and working hours. In terms of equipment and tools, most of the processing of titanium alloy products currently uses cutting and grinding technology, and the processing equipment is mainly CNC drilling and tapping centers, grinding machines, etc. PCD (diamond) and CBN (cubic boron nitride) materials are preferred for tools and abrasive tools.

3. Metal 3D printing: A new direction for titanium alloy processing needs to be combined with CNC machine tool polishing and grinding process

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a rapid prototyping technology. It is rapidly manufactured based on three-dimensional models of parts, does not require special molds, uses powdered metal materials, and uses layer-by-layer printing to build objects; it has the characteristics of high convenience, high precision and low cost. The hot isostatic pressing (HIP) process can effectively eliminate metal 3D printing defects. In the field of titanium alloys, hot isostatic pressing can effectively improve the mechanical properties of titanium alloy workpieces, reduce titanium alloy costs, and improve production efficiency and material utilization. The main equipment for metal 3D printing is a 3D printer;

The hot isostatic pressing equipment consists of a high-pressure vessel, a heating furnace, a compressor, a vacuum pump, a cooling system, etc. At present, Huawei and other mobile phone manufacturers have used 3D printing to produce titanium alloy structural parts. Metal 3D printing needs to be combined with CNC machine tool grinding and polishing processes. 3D printed parts usually have rough surfaces and require additional post-treatment, such as machining, grinding or polishing, to obtain a high-precision smooth surface. The main equipment is a grinder, etc.

4. Beneficiary target

Grinders and tools: Yuhuan CNC, Dingtai High-Tech;3D printing equipment: Bolite, Huashu High-Tech; titanium materials: Baoti Co., Ltd.

Risk warning: Demand for titanium alloys in the consumer electronics sector fell short of expectations; application of metal 3D printing technology fell short of expectations; supply chain and geopolitical risks.