AIT: Forming Ti6Al4V titanium with hot deep drawing under 500°C

Just Use Hot Work Steel Innovative hot deep drawing reshapes titanium without nickel-based tooling

2026-08-03 Source: AIT | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

The forming of the titanium alloy Ti6Al4V is anything but trivial, as Austrian experts from AIT in Ranshofen know. But now they have devised something that makes it easier...

A titanium component produced at the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Ranshofen using a completely new forming method. Read here about the economic and technical advantages for titanium components that this could bring for the future...(Image: AIT / Joh. Zinner) — A titanium component produced at the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Ranshofen using a completely new forming method. Read here about the economic and technical advantages for titanium components that this could bring for the future...
(Image: AIT / Joh. Zinner)

Light yet extremely strong, titanium is indispensable in aviation. However, forming the commonly used alloy Ti6Al4V is considered particularly challenging. Conventional methods are energy-intensive and complex. The so-called superplastic forming (SPF) process requires very high temperatures (approximately 840 to 930 °C / approx. 1,540 to 1,700°F) and relatively low forming speeds for this titanium alloy. Furthermore, prolonged exposure to such high temperatures in air can result in a brittle, oxygen-rich layer (Alpha Case), which then needs to be laboriously removed. However, the LKR Light Metal Competence Center Ranshofen at the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) has now developed an innovative hot deep-drawing process that demonstrates that alpha-beta titanium sheets can be excellently deep-drawn even at temperatures below 500 °C (approx. 930°F). This insight represents a crucial lever for improving titanium forming practices.

More Cost-Effective Titanium Forming Up to a Depth of Nearly 70 Millimeters

At these temperatures, conventional hot-work steels can be used as forming tools, eliminating the need for expensive nickel-based alloys required for significantly higher process temperatures. Since isothermal forming at 500 °C (or below) is not feasible, the inventors of the process rely on preheating the sheet (below the SPF temperature) followed by forming in a press. The key advantage compared to established methods lies in the dramatically reduced forming times, resulting in significantly faster cycle times and thus substantially higher productivity.

Angelika Cerny and Georg Kuscher from AIT with a flawlessly formed titanium component at just around 500 °C. The best part: Instead of forming tools made from nickel-based alloys, hot work steels can now simply be used.(Image: AIT / Joh. Zinner) — Angelika Cerny and Georg Kuscher from AIT with a flawlessly formed titanium component at just around 500 °C. The best part: Instead of forming tools made from nickel-based alloys, hot work steels can now simply be used.
(Image: AIT / Joh. Zinner)

The effectiveness of this process has already been demonstrated through specific forming results! Back in 2022, the forming of a test component with a depth of 44 millimeters (approx. 1.73 inches). was successfully achieved. Through further optimizations, a draw depth of 68.5 millimeters (approx. 2.70 inches) was reached, as the researchers emphasize. Additionally, preheating time, preheating temperature, and deep-drawing temperature were reduced. Tests conducted with Ti6Al4V sheets of varying surface finishes—provided by the industry partner Voestalpine Böhler Bleche—showed excellent reproducibility of the forming results. Particularly notable is that the process also works with rougher surfaces, which could reduce the grinding effort required.

Contents of the article:

Page 1: Innovative hot deep drawing reshapes titanium without nickel-based tooling
Page 2: No Alpha-Case Layer to Fear Anymore with Titanium

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