Titanium is strong, light and heat-resistant — and hard to machine because it holds heat at the cutting edge and is chemically reactive, so it burns up tools fast. The winning strategy is slow speeds, firm consistent feeds, sharp tools, rigid setups and lots of high-pressure coolant to pull heat away. It's everywhere in aerospace and medical for its strength-to-weight and biocompatibility.
Rigidity and coolant beat speed every time on titanium. A stiff machining center or 5-axis with high-pressure coolant is the tool. See titanium in the glossary and value machines at The Machine Blue Book.
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