Titanium wire is a metallic filament manufactured from titanium or titanium alloys through processes including hot working, multiple cold drawing operations, heat treatment, and surface finishing. It spans diameters from 0.01 mm to 8 mm and is categorized into two primary series: pure titanium wire (e.g., TA1, TA2) and titanium alloy wire (e.g., TC4, Ti-Ni). Standard supply forms include coiled wire, straight wire, and coil-wound wire. Surface finishes include bright, pickled, or black oxide.

Titanium has a density of approximately 4.51 g/cm³, which is only 57% that of steel; yet, it possesses strength comparable to steel. This exceptionally high specific strength (the ratio of strength to density) is titanium wire's most prized characteristic. This makes titanium wire an irreplaceable choice in applications requiring weight reduction alongside high strength, such as aerospace structural components, high-performance bicycle spokes, and medical devices.

1. Corrosion Resistance: Titanium is renowned for its exceptional inertness. At room temperature, titanium surfaces instantly form a dense, stable, and highly adherent protective layer of titanium oxide. This layer enables titanium wire to resist corrosion from air, seawater, chlorine gas, and most acidic, alkaline, and saline media. Its resistance to seawater corrosion even surpasses that of platinum. Consequently, titanium wire excels in marine engineering, chemical corrosion protection, medical implants, and other fields.

2. Biocompatibility: Pure titanium and its alloys (e.g., Ti-6Al-4V ELI) are non-irritating, non-toxic to human tissues, and do not cause allergic reactions. They also exhibit excellent integration with human bones and tissues (osseointegration). This property makes titanium an ideal material for various surgical implants, including bone screws, plates, dental implants, and cardiac stents.

3. Heat Resistance and Non-Magnetic Properties: Titanium wire maintains excellent mechanical properties at elevated temperatures, with certain alloys capable of sustained operation between 450-500°C. Additionally, it is non-magnetic and remains unmagnetized in strong magnetic fields—a critical attribute for components in MRI equipment and precision electronic instruments.

4. Unique Shape Memory and Superelasticity: Wires made from specific titanium alloys (such as Nitinol) exhibit shape memory effects and superelasticity. They can revert to a preset shape at specific temperatures or spring back to their original form after significant deformation. These properties make them widely used in orthodontic wires, minimally invasive surgical instruments, and smart structures.

Aerospace: Used in aircraft engine winding, fuselage rivets, structural support mesh, and more, serving as a key enabler for lightweight design and high reliability.

Medical and Healthcare: Core material for orthopedic internal fixation devices, dental implants, orthodontic wires, surgical sutures, and cardiovascular stents.

Chemical and Marine: Used as filter screens and packing in chemical equipment, as well as corrosion-resistant components in desalination and shipbuilding.

Sports & Consumer Goods: Used in premium eyeglass frames, golf club heads, bicycle spokes, and jewelry, combining aesthetics, durability, and lightweight properties.

3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing): As one of the raw materials for metal 3D printing, it is processed in filament form (with specific equipment) through fused deposition modeling to create complex, customized parts.

The quality of titanium wire is highly dependent on its manufacturing process. Drawing is typically employed as the primary forming method. High-purity sponge titanium is first vacuum-consumable arc-melted into massive titanium ingots. These ingots undergo forging and hot rolling to produce wire rods or coarse wire. Finally, through multiple passes of precision drawing, the diameter is progressively reduced to the target size. Throughout this process, frequent intermediate annealing is required to eliminate work hardening and maintain material plasticity.

Based on their final state, titanium wires can be categorized as:

1. Bright Wire: Features a smooth, clean surface with a metallic luster, typically vacuum annealed for high dimensional accuracy.

2. Pickled wire: Features a matte gray surface resulting from acid pickling to remove scale after hot working or heat treatment.

3. Hard-drawn wire: Cold-drawn without subsequent annealing, exhibiting high strength but poor ductility. Suitable for applications requiring no further bending.

4. Soft-drawn wire (annealed state): Fully annealed for high ductility and flexibility, facilitating bending, braiding, and further processing.

To further enhance performance or adapt to specific applications, titanium wire undergoes various surface treatments:

1. Polishing: Achieves a mirror-like finish, commonly used for decorative and high-end consumer goods.

2. Anodizing: Creates a thicker oxide layer on the surface through an electrolytic process, producing rich interference colors (e.g., gold, blue, purple) while enhancing wear and corrosion resistance.

3. Etching: Creates specific surface textures to enhance bonding with biological tissues or improve coating adhesion.

Titanium wire spans an extensive diameter range—from delicate 0.1mm wires for jewelry to thicker wires measuring several millimeters used in chemical fillers and welding materials—meeting diverse application requirements.