Difference between revisions of "Materials"

Some flashlights are available in titanium alloy. These are usually the higher-end custom lights, but some production lights are now produced in Ti. Titanium can be polished to a very shiny finish; bead blasted, or anodized/heat treated for a variety of colors. Ti is more resistant to corrosion than stainless steel and weighs 40% less.

Although Ti is heavier than aluminum, it is much stronger. Titanium is more expensive and harder to machine than Aluminum. Like stainless, it does not conduct heat as well as aluminum, and this fact must be addressed when engineering high-powered flashlights. Due to its light weight and high strength, it is frequently used in aircraft, but because most titanium came from Russia and was very hard to buy, US defense contractors nicknamed the metal "unobtainium".  See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium Wikipedia] for more information on titanium.