What is Metal Spinning and why should I use it?

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5 Great Reasons Why You Should Consider Metal Spinning

• Lower Tooling Costs
  Conventional casting or stamping dies are expensive. Spinning dies are simpler and far less costly.
• Shorter Lead Times
  Spinning tooling can be made in-house with less time for development and quicker turnaround.
• Simplified Design Changes
  In most cases, spinning tooling can be modified in-house to meet simple design changes without starting over.
• Improved Tensile Strength
  The spinning process often work-hardens the product as it is being shaped.
• Wide Range of Finished Part Sizes
  From a fraction of an inch to over 6 feet in diameter, metal spinning offers a tremendous size range.

What is Metal Spinning?

Many parts of this information can be found at Wikipedia. Metal spinning is a process performed by highly skilled craftsmen using a blank which rotates between a chuck or mandrel and the clamped tail stock of a spinning lathe. The blank is formed with spinning rollers, with ample pressure applied by the spinner. The blank is formed over the chuck with the dimensions of the mandrel corresponding to the dimensions of the part being formed.

The metal spinning process actually improves the raw material matallurgical properties by re-aligning grain structures. Tensile strength can be improved, allowing thinner materials to be used. Overall part integrity can actually be better than any other forming process.

Lewark Metal Spinning specializes in the art and craft of high quality hand metal spinning.

The craft of manual hand spinning has been perpetuated through the ages up to the present day. The first mondern manual spinning machines were developed in the 1930's. On this type of machine, the rotating workpiece is formed with the aid of a hand-held tool, the work-face of which is rounded and hardened. The solid wooden shaft is ergonomically designed for ease of handling. For the efficient use of the available power and to assist in the optimum sequence of movements, the tool is guided by movable pegs set in a series of holes on a tool rest. The tool rest can be repositioned, adjusted for height and angle, and locked to suit the spinner, machine center height or size and shape of the part.

CNC Metal Spinning Radically Changed Manufacturing

The introduction of CNC (computer numerical control) machines radically changed the manufacturing industry. Curves are as easy to cut as straight lines, intricate 3-D structures are relatively easy to produce, and the number of machining steps that required human action have been dramatically reduced. With the increased automation of manufacturing processes with CNC machining, considerable improvements in consistency and quality have been attained. CNC metal spinning reduced the frequency of errors and provided CNC operators with time to perform additional tasks. CNC spinning also allows for more flexibility in the way parts are held in the manufacturing process and the time required to change the machine in order to produce different components.

The blank, in this case a plain, sheet-metal disc, is concentrically clamped against the mandrel by the tailstock and driven via the main spindle. Rotating at high-speed, the workpiece is then formed by the spinning roller following a pre-set path to produce a series of strokes or passes. In so-called "continuous" spinning, the roller remains in premanent contact with the workpiece and is driven by frictional contact, the translated motion being generated by the cross-slide. A number of passes are normally needed to form the part onto the mandrel which also prevents premature failure through splitting or buckling.

The blank support attachment in the forward position, is used in the early stages of the spinning operation. Its purpose is, by means of a pres-set pressure, to apply an axial, compensating load to the workpiece in the zone being worked. Sandwiched between the blank support and the work roller, the metal is thus less prone to failure through buckling. For lighter gauges, the blank is suppored by a disc, as illustrated, whilst a cone-shaped roller is used for thicker materials. The roller or disc is usually driven by contact with the blank.

Metal Spinning is an Art!

At Lewark Metal Spinning, precision metal spinning is more an art than a trade . . . and our craftsmen who practice it are more artisans than tradesmen. It is easy to see why as you watch them skillfully mold flat pieces of aluminum, steel, stainless steel, titanium and other super-hard alloys over specially designed forms to create spun shapes, much like a master potter at the wheel.