Metal Spinning - Frequently asked questions...
Metal Spinning a combination of craft, design and technology.
Metal spinning has been used for hundreds of years. It's a very diverse process that can be used to make a wide range of parts. Here's some of the common, and not so common questions our customers have asked about metal spinning us over the years. If you can't find the answer you are looking for then please contact us and we will try our best to help.
Who said we could spin any size ?
A large variety of metals can be spun, the most common being aluminium, mild steel, stainless steel, cooper and brass.
Hand spinning is a craft process in which skilled operator subtly works the material to create the finished form. CNC Spinning uses a computer programmed machine to produce volume parts to a high degree of precision and repeatability. A prototype part is usually hand spun to start with, then moving to CNC as production volumes develop. Initial set up costs of CNC machines are higher compared to a hand spinning lathe.
Often a combination of CNC and hand spinning can be used to create a hand finished craft appearance.
Metal spinning is used to form a wide variety of rotationally symmetrical sheet metal parts, the most common being
- Hemispheres (domes)
- Cones
- Funnels
- Venturis
- Flanges
- Dished Heads
- Stepped Parts
A simple spinning is often a stand alone part formed from a metal disc. More complex parts can have punched slots, holes or threaded inserts added before the spun element is formed. After spinning, brackets or fixing tabs can be welded to produce a finished sub-assembly.
Moulds are made by turning wood or aluminium in almost exactly the same shape as the desired final spun part.
A prototype mould is usually made from wood to validate a design and iron out any problems. Once a customer is happy with the form we move to a metal mould made from steel or aluminium.
The choice of base material often dictates the final finishing process. Mild steel is usually painted, passivated or galvanised depending upon the final application. Brass or copper are often used for decorative applications and can be polished and lacquered or left in a natural state to gradually develop an aged look. Stainless steel, depending upon the grade e.g 316 is often chosen due to its inherent corrosion resistance.
Large metal spinnings can be several meters diamter, our production tends to be in the range of 40mm to 1000mm
Spun to perfection
Check out these common objects made from metal spinning.
Don't make a mistake
Five common errors engineers make when designing metal spinnings
Looking for inspiration ?
Check out our gallery of spun metal parts and see if metal spinning is right for your application.
