Titanium spacers are simple in appearance, but their function often depends on accurate length, bore size, outside diameter and mating surfaces. They are used to maintain controlled distances between components, position assemblies, support fasteners or provide lightweight separation between mechanical parts.
Sunrise Industrial manufactures custom titanium spacers according to customer drawings, including plain cylindrical spacers, stepped spacers, threaded designs and other precision CNC machined configurations for OEM applications.
What Is a Titanium Spacer?
A spacer is a mechanical component used to maintain a defined distance between two parts. Although many spacers have a relatively simple cylindrical shape, their dimensions can directly influence alignment, preload, clearance and the final position of an assembly.
Titanium is particularly useful when the design requires corrosion resistance, low component weight or a high strength-to-weight ratio. Unlike standard off-the-shelf spacers, custom titanium spacers can be manufactured with specific diameters, lengths, bores, shoulders, threads and other features according to an engineering drawing.
Common Titanium Spacer Designs
Grade 2 or Grade 5 Titanium?
The titanium grade should be selected according to the customer's drawing and application requirements. Grade 2 commercially pure titanium is often selected where corrosion resistance and moderate strength are important. Grade 5 Ti-6Al-4V provides higher mechanical strength and is commonly specified for more demanding structural components.
Material selection also affects machining conditions and raw material cost, so the required grade should be clearly stated during quotation rather than selected only after machining begins.
CNC Turning for Titanium Spacers
Most round titanium spacers are well suited to CNC turning. The outside diameter, center bore, end faces, shoulders and grooves can be machined in a controlled turning process. Depending on the geometry, additional milling may be used for flats, side holes, slots or other non-rotational features.
For batch production, process planning is especially important because a small variation in spacer length can accumulate when several components are installed in the same assembly. Stable workholding, tool condition and dimensional checks help maintain repeatability throughout production.
Dimensions That Usually Matter Most
A spacer does not necessarily need tight tolerances on every dimension. The important point is to identify which dimensions control the function of the assembly.
Overall length: determines the spacing between mating components.
Inside diameter: may control clearance around a bolt, shaft or locating feature.
Outside diameter: affects available installation space and contact area.
Parallelism: can be important when both end faces contact adjacent components.
Concentricity: becomes important for stepped or locating spacer designs.
Thin-Wall and Long Spacer Machining
Machining difficulty increases when a titanium spacer has a thin wall, a long overall length or a relatively deep bore. Thin sections can be more sensitive to clamping force and cutting pressure, while deep internal machining requires suitable tooling and effective chip evacuation.
For these designs, reviewing the relationship between OD, ID and overall length before production can help determine whether the proposed geometry is practical and whether an alternative machining sequence would improve stability.
When Milling Is Added to a Turned Spacer
Not every spacer is completely round. Some OEM components require wrench flats, radial holes, slots, mounting holes or asymmetric profiles. These features can be added by CNC milling or turn-mill machining after the primary cylindrical geometry is produced.
Controlling the positional relationship between these features and the central bore can be important when the spacer also performs a locating or assembly function.
Surface Finish and Edge Treatment
Titanium spacers can be supplied with a standard machined finish or additional finishing according to customer requirements. Depending on the application, this may include polishing, blasting or other specified treatments.
Deburring is particularly important around bores, cross holes and threads. Clean edges improve assembly and reduce the possibility of burrs interfering with mating components.
Inspection of Custom Titanium Spacers
Inspection methods should match the dimensions and tolerances shown on the drawing. Calipers may be sufficient for general dimensions, while micrometers, bore gauges, height gauges, optical equipment or CMM inspection can be used when closer dimensional control is required.
For repeat production, checking critical dimensions during machining rather than only after the batch is complete helps identify tool wear or process variation earlier.
Custom vs. Standard Titanium Spacers
Standard spacers are suitable when an assembly uses common dimensions and materials. Custom CNC machining becomes more useful when the spacer requires a special titanium grade, non-standard length, close-tolerance bore, stepped geometry, threads or additional machined features.
For OEM equipment, manufacturing directly from the customer's drawing also allows the spacer dimensions to be matched to the complete assembly rather than forcing the design around an available catalog component.
Information to Include in a Titanium Spacer RFQ
- 2D drawing and 3D model when available
- Titanium grade, such as Grade 2 or Grade 5
- Outside diameter, inside diameter and overall length
- Critical tolerances and mating dimensions
- Thread specifications or additional milled features
- Required surface finish
- Sample quantity and expected production quantity
Custom Titanium Spacers from Sunrise Industrial
Sunrise Industrial manufactures custom titanium spacers and other precision CNC machined components according to customer drawings and samples. Our machining capabilities include CNC turning, milling, turn-mill machining, multi-axis machining and dimensional inspection for titanium, stainless steel, aluminum and other selected materials.
We support prototype development, small-batch orders and repeat OEM production, with a particular focus on titanium machining and drawing-based custom components.
Need Custom Titanium Spacers?
Send us your drawing, material grade, quantity and tolerance requirements. We can review the spacer geometry and provide a quotation based on your actual manufacturing requirements.
Request a QuoteAbout Sunrise Industrial
Sunrise Industrial is an ISO 9001:2015 precision CNC machining and custom component manufacturer specializing in titanium machining. We manufacture prosthetic components, titanium dental discs, titanium sputtering targets, titanium anodes, fasteners and custom CNC machined parts according to customer drawings and specifications.
