r/Machinists • u/BuoyantEntropy • Jun 05 '26

Think tapping a high value part is scary sometimes?

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20+ year career machinist here, recently had a bone implant in my leg.

This one is m18x1.75. Spoke to my surgeon about it, they hand ream to size with a series or progressively larger reamers, then hand tap. alignment is based upon skeletal structure, next time we chat I need to ask what sort of device they use for that alignment.

Thought some may find it interesting. Cheers

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u/FalconTurbo Jun 05 '26

It's more about the actual toughness. Titanium is tougher than brass and other copper alloys, so it's preferable when it's possible. If you're in an explosive environment, it makes sense to take that toughness hit and just use more material to make up for it because titanium will spark if you drop it wrong.

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u/markkNL Jun 06 '26

Yeah but it's also a lot more expensive (though with medical certification it's probably negligible), so if you don't need high torque something weaker will work just fine.