Am I the only one who imagines metal sheep when they hear the phrase “metal spinning”? You know, like spinning the wool of metal sheep into yarn and whatnot? No? Okay, then…
We’d better just let the nice people over at THE FABRICATOR® tell you all about it then…
Metal Spinning 101
Metal spinning can be a cost-effective alternative for drawing metal
February 24, 2009
Metal spinning gives shops a broad palette of options that can be customized for the job at hand.
Without metal spinning, motorcycle parts and car wheels wouldn’t be so easy to make. Neither would gas bottles, cooking pots and pans, or myriad components in the defense and aerospace industries.
The process fundamentals are simple. A round blank, flat or preformed, is fixtured in a spinning lathe. As the blank spins, a roller tool forms it, usually pressing the blank against a mandrel, compressing the grain structure, and producing a smooth surface that often doesn’t require secondary finishing.